Interview: Katie Rowley Jones, currently starring as Nessarose in Wicked

Katie Rowley Jones is currently playing Nessarose in the West End production of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. 

The Olivier Award winning musical, which is currently booking until 1st November 2014, has already been seen by over 5 million people since its premiere in September 2006. Wicked, which tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is already the 15th longest-running West End musical of all time.

Katie originated the role of Nessarose when the musical first opened in the West End in 2006 and, after a few years away pursuing other projects, last year returned to reprise the role while also understudying Elphaba.

Katie’s other theatre credits include: 'Sister Mary Robert' in Sister Act (Palladium, original cast), 'Belle' in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (UK tour), 'Ann' in Raindogs (Trafalgar Studios), 'Sandy' in Grease (Larnarca Amphitheatre), 'Janet' in The Rocky Horror Show (Queens and UK tour), 'Swallow' in Whistle Down the Wind (original UK tour), the title roles in Cinderella (Cambridge Arts Theatre), Snow White (Gordon Craig) and Sleeping Beauty (Northcott). 

Her workshop credits include: 'Shazza' in Bridget Jones the Musical, 'Althea' in The Light Princess (National Theatre), 'Maggie' in Lend Me A Tenor and 'Annette' in Marguerite. Last year Katie was a soloist in A Night of 1000 Voices at the Royal Albert Hall.

I recently spoke to Katie about what it was like working alongside Wicked’s original creative team, why she decided to return to the show and what it was like to recently defy gravity when she went on as Elphaba for the first time...

Let’s go back to the very beginning… when you got the part in the original cast did you have any idea as to how huge Wicked was going to be?

I remember somebody gave me a recording of the soundtrack. It was in the days of mini-discs before YouTube. Everyone was talking about it and saying “have you heard about this show?”, “my friend went to see it on Broadway”. I had listened to the soundtrack over and over again and was waiting for it come over, like everyone else! So I absolutely knew about the show and wanted to be in it!

So how did you feel when you received the call saying you had got the part?

It was a May Bank Holiday and we all had our finals on the Friday which meant that we had to wait an extra day before hearing the news. I didn’t find out until about 3pm on the Tuesday – it was the longest day ever! I was on tour at the time and was telling myself that if I had been successful I would have already heard. So I went to the gym and received a call from my agent as I arrived there. I went straight to the ladies and locked myself in the toilet to ring my family, but nobody was answering their phone! I then proceeded to do the best workout ever [laughs]!

What was the rehearsal process like, working with the original creative team and Idina [Menzel]?

I think it’s interesting when I look back now. At the time I knew it was a big deal, but all I was concerned about was nailing what I was doing, getting it right and ensuring they were pleased they had chosen me. At first I was quite shy and quiet, keeping my head down, even though I wouldn’t describe myself as a particularly shy person. It was the first time I had worked with an American creative team, so that was a new experience and I learnt so much. I adore Joe Mantello (Wicked’s Director), he is amazing! It was really interesting to see a different way of working and to see another theatre culture, I learnt a lot. It was weird to think that the person I was rehearsing opposite was the person I had listened to on my recording of Rent when I was at university! With anything like that, when you meet and work with someone very famous, like I also did when I worked with Whoopi Goldberg on Sister Act, you can’t quite put the two things together!

So after a few years in the show you left before returning last year. What was it that drew you back?

Actually it was a bit of a curve ball! I had had such a brilliant experience with Wicked, we had such a great time, and in my heart I thought it would be nice to revisit that amazing time all over again. But the years went by and I did other things. I was actually in the mix for a few other things and then I received the offer to go back to Wicked, it was totally unexpected! However, it didn’t take me long to make up my mind! I had such incredibly fond memories of the first time around and felt that it was my time again. It was an easy decision.

Katie as Nessarose

Coming back, did it feel like you had never left or was it a little strange at first?

It was interesting to revisit a part after so long and to observe how I had changed as a person, how I had grown up and been affected by the experiences I’d had after leaving Wicked – in a good way, I hope! Different things in the part resonated with me more strongly, or I would look back and wonder why I had played things in a certain way when now it seemed obvious that I could do it better differently. 

You have just extended for another year. In a long-running show like Wicked, how do you keep your performance fresh night after night?

It is very demanding and you have to be really disciplined and that is the challenge in our job. It’s easy for people to say how lucky we are to be doing this amazing job and I have to agree that I am extremely lucky and feel grateful every day. However, it is a big challenge which I take very seriously by being disciplined. It’s important to take holiday occasionally and it’s always exciting when different understudies are on because they bring different things. Also, you need to start as you mean to go on. In rehearsals you have to give a really good, solid, well thought out, clear model of what you are going to base your subsequent performances on. You need to get that muscle memory really strong, in the right place and establish a strong energy level. That’s so important.

On a day-to-day basis, what is it like being part of a huge show like Wicked? What are the cast like to work with?

Great fun - which is why I was so happy to come back and why I am so happy to be extending for another year! It’s a great atmosphere, I really enjoy going to work, and I feel very lucky to have such brilliant work colleagues. Everyone is so nice which I think is credit to the team for putting such a great group of people together. It doesn’t matter what you do in life if you are working with a great bunch of people.

Wicked is loved by so many people who go back to see it time and time again. Why do you think it reaches out to certain people and why do you think it has been such a huge success all over the world?

In an age where we have lots of jukebox musicals, which absolutely have their place, Wicked is more of a traditional musical which has unexpected elements in that the main story is not about Fiyero and Glinda or Fiyero and Elphaba, it’s about Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship. So as well as being an incredible spectacle, it’s a show we can all relate to so strongly in this day and age. It’s about being accepted, it’s about being true to who you are, it’s about not just doing things to please other people and standing up for what you believe in. Many of the main characters are flawed: Glinda is flawed, Elphaba loses her temper. So I think on the one hand it appears to be a traditional musical with all the elements needed to make a really great musical, but there’s so much more to it than that. 

It’s rare to have a musical about friendship at the core of the story. It’s so simple, but there’s nothing else like it…

It’s not schmaltzy either! They fall out. They both do wrong by each other. And even the lyrics in their final duet, “who can say if I’ve been changed for the better”, are very real and truthful.

The West End cast of Wicked

You also understudy Elphaba and recently had a couple of shows, what was it like? 

It was brilliant! I didn’t really get a chance to think because I found out about half an hour before I had to start getting ready, the make up takes a long time to do for the first time. It passed in an exciting blur, I don’t think there’s another part like it in the West End for women and I’m so happy I’ve been able to play it… and I got to fly! 

What was that like?!

Amazing! Doing it in rehearsals is very different to doing it with an orchestra and audience! Although the part is a marathon, you don’t have time to think about how tired you are because it’s so technical. Before the fly in act one you need to make sure your feet are in the right place and get yourself set up very quickly! I loved every minute of playing Elphaba and my mum, dad and boyfriend got to watch me which was so important for me. 

Are there any dream roles you would like to play, or dream shows you would like to be part of?

I would love to play Louise in Gypsy! It’s hard though because as an actor you can’t really plan! So much of it also comes down to timing. I would also love to play Miss Honey in Matilda.

What are your all time favourite West End shows? 

When you’re in a show you don’t get a chance to go to the theatre because on my day off I don’t really want to sit in a theatre! However, I recently went to see The Color Purple at the Menier… and I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! Cynthia Erivo… I’ve never seen a performance like hers! I hope she cleans up because she’s very special. She’s something else! The definition of a show stopping performance – she literally stopped the show after ‘I’m Here’!

Finally, Wicked has a huge following and some very dedicated fans. What’s it like for you having so much support behind you?

We are very very lucky to have a supportive fan base and it’s because of them the show has enjoyed such longevity. We do still get a lot of people at the stage door; it never ceases to amaze me that Wicked continues to find new fans as new generations fall in love with the show. It’s a privilege to know that you have had such an effect on someone that they want to come and speak to you after the show!

Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com 

Wicked is currently booking at the Apollo Victoria Theatre until 1st November 2014.
Click here to book tickets (No booking fee Mon-Fri until 25th October 2013)

The West End cast of Wicked will perform a special, one-off charity concert at the St. James Theatre on Sunday 6th October called 'Wicked Cares' to raise money for Debra. Click here for more information.

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Photo Credit: Tristram Kenton

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