Simon Bailey is currently starring in Stephen Sondheim’s Marry Me A Little which runs at the St James Studio for 16 performances only until Sunday 10th August 2014.
Simon was most recently seen starring as Liam O'Deary in I Can’t Sing (London Palladium). His West End credits also include: Romeo and Juliet The Musical (Piccadilly), Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (New London), Brit in We Will Rock You (Dominion) and Enjolras in the 21st Anniversary cast of Les Miserables (Queen’s).
As well as playing Lieutenant Torrasso/Count Ludovic in Passion (Donmar Warehouse) and Officer Starnes/Tom Watson in Parade (Southwark Playhouse), Simon is best known for starring as Raoul in the West End and brand new touring production of The Phantom of the Opera. He is a renowned singer/songwriter, realising his debut album Looking Up in December 2012.
I recently spoke to Simon about what first attracted him to Marry Me A Little, the beauty of Sondheim’s score, his varied career and future music plans…
What were your first thoughts when this production of Marry Me A Little popped up? Did you know anything about the show?
I was excited that it was this Sondheim production which hasn’t been seen in London for the best part of twenty years, but initially I didn’t know too much about it. I read up about it, the show is basically made up out of all the things which didn’t make it into other big shows and I thought that was a really exciting prospect. When I started to listen to the material, which didn’t make it into these other shows, I realised just how amazing these other shows are because the material is… incredible [laughs]! This music is so beautiful and I guess it is slightly shocking they didn’t make it into the original shows! But luckily for us they didn’t and we get to do them.
What are they like?! Will people be surprised?
I guess because his work is exceptional you can hear Sondheim within the piece because he’s very distinctive in the way he presents his material. I suppose if you come to see this you will be getting your Sondheim fix, so to speak, because there is no let-up in the quality of his writing. It does exactly what it is supposed to do – it will make you laugh, break your heart and make you cry; everything you would expect from the master [laughs].
And then there’s this really nice story which brings everything together…
Well this is the lovely thing about this show, it is done in a revue style. Marry Me A Little is a two-hander and completely sung through with no dialogue – essentially the story is about these two people who are alone in their apartments on a Saturday night and they both have their own ideas about love. I guess throughout the piece you want these two people to get together, and even though they’re only an apartment away you want them to meet and fall in love. That’s the beauty of this piece, they’re so close to one another but they don’t realise how close love is to them! We can probably all relate to that in some way.
Simon & Laura Pitt-Pulford in Marry Me A Little
It must be great to be reunited with Laura Pitt-Pulford?
Yes! I did Parade with her and A Little Night Music as well as various concerts, so we are old and great friends. We both make each other laugh hysterically. She is so good and so, so talented. To do something like this with just me and her is very exciting! We are having a great time!
You’re going from the London Palladium to the St James Studio – both venues are beautiful but couldn’t be more different! You’ve obviously worked in smaller theatres before, but how are you feeling about returning to the intimacy?
In the last few years I’ve started to play these smaller venues. I went from big one to big one to big one when I was younger, but now having had the opportunity to do these smaller ones I absolutely adore doing them. It’s just so much more intimate and it becomes just about storytelling rather than how big a production is – of course that’s amazing as well. I was gutted when I Can’t Sing shut because I loved that show. It was the most fun humanly possible, but on the other side it means I get to do this and go back into a smaller house again.
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And the St James Studio is one of the nicest smaller theatres in London!
The St James is somewhere I’ve wanted to play for a while now, they produce such great work so I’m really pleased this came up. What I love about the smaller houses is that you can’t hide anywhere, people can see the looks on your face and it adds to the storytelling. It makes you feel like you’re all going on the trip together and I think it’s important for audiences to go and see these things.
You have had such a varied career – The Phantom of the Opera couldn’t be any more different to We Will Rock You. Is variety something you look for or have things just worked out this way?
I think initially when I first started out, because I never went to drama school so didn’t have a preconceived notion as to what I should be doing, I just wanted to work and was lucky enough to get into some of these big shows and have a really good time. Since then I’ve started to understand who I have become as an actor. I do try and look for diversity. You’re right, the things I’ve done – particularly in the last five years – have been so different and I think I have tried to look for that. The first thing I said to my agent when we found out I Can’t Sing was closing was, “What can we find that’s completely different to Liam O'Deary?” I think you have a responsibility as an actor to play different parts and not to go, ‘What have I done before because I know I can do that again.’ I would rather take something completely different so that it surprises people and scares me. You need to be challenged and try things out.
Following the success of your first album Looking Up are you keen to record some more music in the future?
That was a complete passion project and writing is something I do when I have the time. It relaxes me so I try and do it as often as I can. I have been having a little chat with Tom Deering who obviously did all the arrangements – he’s a genius! Tom did so much work on Looking Up, especially with the original songs. He took the songs from the basic forms of what I wrote to what you hear on the album. He’s a smart guy! I’ve been writing some original material, we’re both quite busy at the minute but I think we’re going to try and find the time to get an EP done. Hopefully with the next… well who knows! Maybe six months to a year!
Imagine you had to move to a desert island. Which three musical theatre songs would you take with you and why?
Ah man [laughs]! That’s a good question. Gosh. Wow – suddenly I can’t think of anything. I guess what I would probably do is take songs which have meant a lot to me…. but I just don’t know! Phantom has played a massive part in my life and I am forever indebted to that show, so I would take – even though I’ve sung it once or twice – ‘All I Ask Of You’ just because it means a lot. Phantom was such a big thing for me in every single way.
Simon & Gina Beck in The Phantom of the Opera
What else? Umm… [laughs] I’m so sorry I think I’m going to be here forever! I recently did a very small intimate concert with Tim Rice and he was listing off the songs we would be doing that he wrote and suddenly I realised I was standing in the presence of the man who wrote Aladdin and The Lion King and Chess and Joseph. One of my most favourite songs to sing is ‘Anthem’ (from Chess). I just adore the song!
For the last one I think I’ll go with a female song – ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ (from Les Miserables). I’ve been a part of the show and I think it’s one of the most beautifully crafted songs, some people might think it’s a boring choice but I think it is pretty much perfect.
Finally, it must be lovely to have so much dedicated support from theatre fans behind you and your career?
It’s unreal! I guess as an actor you never really think of those things, but of course it’s so important. Not necessarily for the individual but whoever someone decides to follow or support – whether its Ramin Karimloo, Hadley Fraser or Killian Donnelly – it’s just important they continue to go to the theatre! The support that I’ve received over the years has been incredible. When I’m on tour with Phantom people will travel all over, they put their hands in their pockets to buy my album or will come to the Landor in Clapham. Hopefully they will come to Victoria to see Marry Me A Little! You never really know how to say thank you. I’m just very, very appreciative of people who take the time and spend the money to come and see me in stuff. It means a lot!
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Marry Me A Little runs at the St James Studiountil Sunday 10th August 2014.
Please visit www.stjamestheatre.co.uk for further information and tickets.
Photo Credit 2-3: Roy Tan
Photo Credit 4: Catherine Ashmore
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