Gloria Onitiri is currently playing Grimm in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Park Theatre. Directed by Jez Bond, the original musical provides an alternative pantomime experience for all the family.
In May 2013 Gloria was nominated for West End Frame’s Understudy of the Year Award for alternating Rachel Marron in the original London cast of The Bodyguard (Adelphi Theatre). She later went on to take over the role full-time.
In the West End Gloria has also played Nala in Disney's The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre) and understudied Mrs Thistletwat, Girl Bear, Kate, Lucy and Gary Coleman in Avenue Q (Noël Coward Theatre).
Her stage credits also include: Egusi Soup (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), The Tempest (Bath Theatre Royal), Takeaway (Theatre Royal Stratford) and Been So Long (Young Vic), amongst others.
I recently spoke to Gloria about why she’s having so much fun in Jack and the Beanstalk, her secret to surviving a two show day in The Bodyguard and the support she received during Understudy of the Year as well as how ridiculous it is that Dreamgirls has never been staged in the West End…
The Park Theatre’s pantomime breaks all the rules of panto and is completely different to anything else – it’s essentially an original musical! What first attracted you to this year’s production?
Everything that you just said! I love that it breaks all the rules of panto [laughs] and it’s very silly. Also because we have such a small company, in terms of the writing and creating, it’s something us actors can get involved in. It’s a piece that we are embedded in. It’s not like we’re just coming in and playing your typical dame or panto villain. We can get our hands dirty! The Park is also such a great place, it’s so intimate. Normally with pantomimes you are playing to such a big house, but here it’s very different because the theatre is so small. The audience are right on top of us, and we’re right on top of them! When I say we’re going to be totally hands on, I really mean it [laughs]!
