Interview: Vivienne Carlyle, currently starring as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers

Vivienne Carlyle is currently starring in the West End production of Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre playing the iconic role of Mrs Johnstone. Her other theatre credits include The Drowsy Chaperone, The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Mrs Lyons in Blood Brothers. We talk to Vivienne about playing Mrs Johnstone, how she keeps her performance fresh and what other roles she hopes to play in the future.

Hi Vivienne, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed!
Hi there! Thank you so much for the interview.

Are you enjoying your time in Blood Brothers playing Mrs Johnstone?

Yes I absolutely love it and I feel so lucky and honoured to play her. Mrs Johnstone was my dream role and to play her in the West End really is a dream come true - Thank you Mr Kenwright! I think there are very few parts for Women, particularly in Musical Theatre that are so well written which also have such magnificent ballads. Since we've been told the show is closing on October 27th I am desperately trying to savour each moment, I will miss playing her.

You previously played Mrs Lyons in the show, how do the two parts compare? 

Both parts are obviously very different and it really is so interesting seeing and playing both sides of the coin. I really value the time I played Mrs Lyons and I feel rather protective of her because audiences tend to blame the Character for the conclusion of the piece. Mrs Johnstone I think is written more sympathetically and her emotional journey is explored through the songs which helps the audience understand her dilemma and the decisions she makes. I enjoyed playing them both very much but I feel I have more of a connection to Mrs Johnstone. 

‘Blood Brothers’ is a very emotional show, how do you unwind after a performance? 

It is a very emotional show and by the time I leave the Theatre I am thinking of what I am going to do when I get home, which usually involves watching a movie or doing the paperwork I should have been catching up on that day, I'm definitely a night person! 

Do you find that 8 shows a week can be draining? 

I would say 8 shows a week is very demanding physically and in the case of Blood Brothers, emotionally. Therefore I have to eat well and get plenty of rest. My friends get bored of inviting me out and me declining as I have to avoid late nights and partying…I sound really boring don't I? I do go out occasionally but it's not the norm. 

How do you keep your performance fresh? 

In the case of a long run you do rediscover things during your performance which keeps it fresh. A Director once told me not to go on one night saying I'm going to do everything differently, but rather choose one thing. I find that works. The Audience can really inspire you too, the sound of an Audience laughing is one of my favourite things in the world. 

Have things ever gone wrong on stage? 

Yes! When I was younger when things went wrong I would panic. Now I try to deal with it without corpsing - not always successfully! Once when I was playing Mrs Lyons I broke out of RP and said 'you sold you're baby' in my Scottish Accent! Mortified! 

Are there any roles you would like to play in the future? 

I would love to do Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Donna in Mamma Mia, Rose in Gypsy. I have never done TV or Films and really want to be in Mad Men to wear those wonderful Costumes and work with Jon Hamm!

Have you ever wanted to focus on music and maybe release an album? 

Absolutely! It's always been a question of timing and funding. I know what I want to do, I have ideas and it will happen…I just don't know when. 

Finally what would you like to say to everyone who supports you? 

I was one of the last to succumb to Twitter. I really am not a fan of self promotion and I find it quite difficult to share my thoughts with the World, but I have to say that it has meant that people can come and see the show and be able to contact me if they want to. The support I have been given from Fans of the show has been really touching. People are really affected by the show and it's very humbling for me to hear how our story has touched them. To those people I would like to say a huge Thank you! My Mum and Dad and my friends have been tirelessly supportive and I couldn't have pursued this Career without them. I love you!

Check out Vivienne's website, www.viviennecarlyle.com
You can also follow her on Twitter by clicking here