Jenny Lee chats to Belfast performer Rachel Tucker about making her Broadway debut, working with Sting and moving her family to the other side of the world
BELFAST singer Rachel Tucker has travelled a long way from singing on the cabaret circuit with her father Tommy Kelly. She shot to fame after reaching the final of the BBC programme I'd Do Anything and despite losing out on the role of Nancy in Oliver, Rachel went on to become one of the West End's biggest stars in shows such as We Will Rock You and Wicked. Now she is preparing to make her Broadway debut.
Rachel took time out from packing and preparing her London home for rental to speak to me ahead of her big move Stateside next month. Joining her in America during her year-long run in the new Sting musical, The Last Ship, will be her husband Guy Retallack and their 18-month-old son Ben. "I couldn't go to America without them. It's a dream come true to work on Broadway and The Last Ship is my dream job. There have been a couple of things I've wanted to do in my career and I've been so lucky it hasn't stopped even though I now have a child.
I've been able to fulfil my dream and share that experience with my family."
Inspired by Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages as well as his own childhood experiences, The Last Ship follows the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Tyne and Wear.
Although too young to be a Police follower, 33-year-old Tucker admits to being a "massive fan" of the 16-time Grammy winner's later work and classic tunes. "Since I've been working with him I've purchased and got into his back catalogue," she admits.
Sting is very much involved in rehearsals and yet puts the entire cast and crew at ease with his passion and enthusiasm. "He was the first in and the last to leave rehearsals every day. He's very down to earth. On the second day of rehearsals he picked up his guitar and said 'Right Rachel, let's sing a song together'. It's so surreal at times to be working with a musician of the standard of Sting," says Rachel.
The Last Ship also stars Geordie actor Jimmy Nail and American actor Michael Esper in the role of Gideon, which is loosely based upon a young, restless Sting. Rachel plays Meg Dawson whom she denies is based in any way upon Sting's first wife, Belfast actress Frances Tomelty. "She's a tough, fiesty, strong loyal woman who has reared her son herself. She is in love with Arthur, a local man when Gideon her first love returns to upset the apple cart."
Rachel has already had a taste of American life, having spent four weeks of rehearsals in New York, before performing The Last Ship in Chicago for four week in a pre-Broadway run in June. "We wanted to see how it would be received and take that critical feedback back to rehearsals and make a few adjustments."
Although theatre critics gave some suggestions for the development of Gideon's character, the musical got a good response with Variety magazine saying of Rachel's performance: "Meg is really the key figure - she's the one with the choice to make - and the terrific Tucker shines whenever given the opportunity." Rachel describes the musical as "something special" and warns audiences to expect the unexpected. "Yes there is a romantic love triangle in it and there is the romance about the workers who build one final ship to put up a middle finger at the authorities. But it's real, gritty and dark. Very little of Sting's music was upbeat. It had a pulse and a meaning that people take away. Similarly, people who come to see this musical won't have seen anything like it before in their lives."
The Last Ship is directed by Wicked's Joe Mantello with whom Rachel worked previously when she played Elphaba on Wicked. She starred in the iconic role for nearly three years and with over 1,000 performances is the West End's longest serving Elphaba. In 2012 she won the West End Frame Award for Best Performance of a Song in a Musical for her performance of the show's anthem, Defying Gravity.
Rachel left Wicked in October 2012 when she was six month's pregnant, but never stopped working as she planned and recorded her debut album, The Reason, which was released in August 2013. "I recorded Small Bump when I was pregnant and for many of the others I remember being in studio with Ben singing to him as he sat in his car seat."
Critics have been surprised at the shortage of musicaltheatre numbers on the record. "Traditional musical theatre is not really me. I'm into modern musical theatre," she confesses.
Rachel together with Guy, whom she met while he was directing her in Tommy The Musical, also run The Bridge House Theatre in South London. "It's a fringe theatre but we want to take it to the next level and have a producer on board and have the programming planned for the next year. Guy will be hands on via Skype from America and return to direct the Christmas show."
Before she takes to the stage at the Neil Simon Theatre on September 29, Irish fans will have the opportunity to listen to Rachel as she takes part in the Celebrating Music from Northern Ireland show at Belfast's Grand Opera House on September 6.
The following morning she'll fly to Heathrow where Guy, Ben and her luggage will be waiting for her to board their flight to New York, where she will start rehearsals on the Monday morning. "I'm so looking forward to singing some Northern Irish music and supporting musicians such as Brian Kennedy and Eamonn McCrystal in showcasing the music that has come from our wee country," she says of the Opera House extravaganza.
The musical director for the concert, which is being recorded for broadcast on US television, is Nigel Wright, with whom Rachel worked on I'd Do Anything. Although she had a good career before the programme, she is grateful for the show for "opening more doors". Has she been in contact with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber since the show? "I've seen him about, but not had much dealings with him. He's a busy man and I'm a busy mother," she laughs.
During her whirlwind final farewell to loved ones in Belfast, Rachel also took time out to dawn her fangs for a pre-recorded role as a bride of Dracula for the forthcoming touring production Jonathan Harker And Dracula, starring Hollyoaks and The Fall actor Gerard McCarthy, which opens in Newtownabbey on September 18. She joined Kym Marsh and Jayne Wisener in filming the projected scenes as well as recording a creepy piece of music.
With acting on Broadway and looking after a toddler, Rachel has enough to keep herself busy but long term she does have a few more dreams to tick off. "Film and television is the next thing I'd love to do because first and foremost I was an actress," she adds.