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Hymns, arias and hustlersNOEL Sullivan
opens as Freddy, the Jack-the-lad, new kid on the block, hustler in the
touring premiere of Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels, as an established musical
theatre star, but it all could have been so different – his first
appearance in Birmingham was with Welsh National Opera. Although perhaps still best known as a member of
Hear’Say, the 2001 product of Popstars, the forbearer of X-factor and
its ilk, he has quietly built a solid reputation and career as a stage
performer. Credits include West
End shows Love Shack
and What a Feeling,
Danny Zuko in Grease
and Galileo in We Will Rock You
and he is no stranger to Birmingham having appeared in shows such as
Flashdance,
Rock of Ages
where he played Drew and Tick, a role he shared with Jason Donovan in
Priscilla Queen of the Desert. He also hosted two TV show But Sullivan already had an impressive CV long before Popstars. Trained as a chorister, his first job was as an
understudy for Welsh National Opera – appearing at Birmingham Hippodrome He said: “I came from a musical family. My grandmother was a cellist and she trained with the Paris Conservatoire so I grew up in a musical household. My mother loved soul and stuff. "I went to choir school and my first professional
job was with Welsh National opera, I was 13-14. I sang all through my
childhood.
“After my A-levels I toured the USA with The
Black Mountain Male Chorus of Wales who are now Only Men Aloud, they won
a big competition and are doing very well for themselves. “My choral background served me in good stead for
future performing.” Sullivan, the lad from Cardiff, also appeared in the USA with The Twelve Irish Tenors. He said: “To be honest none of them were Irish, or tenors, but the Americans didn’t know that. "I worked in Las Vegas
for nine months then went to Los Angeles and someone got in touch with
me and said this group were performing in Reno, in Nevada. I wanted to
extend my trip to the States for a little while so I went and sang with
them.
Sullivan, with college options took a year out after A-levels and when Popstars came along took the jump. “We were the guinea pigs for the well-oiled machine that is X-factor. It was a great experience, not something that was for me really but when that finished (18 months later) musical theatre was where I knew that I wanted to be. "I didn’t just bowl into the West End though, I
made a conscious decision to earn my stripes within that world and it
has taken 14-15 years to get to this point, but I am thrilled with the
roles I am getting to play now.” And the latest is Freddy Benton. “If you know the
film it is Steve Martin role. He’s a brilliant character. He barges into
the French Riviera and finds Lawrence who is suave and sophisticated,
has been running his business for years and has a beautiful mansion. “Freddy is living hand to mouth, picking pockets
and getting the odd 20 bucks from anyone he can and he sees Lawrence and
a bit of hero worship sets in - he’s like ‘I wanna be you’. “It is just a fantastic farce. From that moment on Lawrence takes him under his wing and they end up having a bet. Whoever can extract $50,000 from a chosen target the other has to leave and hilarity ensues. "We find ourselves in ridiculous situations but I don’t want to give too much away. All I can say is it is an evening of glamour and sophistication and then we come in and tear it all to shreds. It’s a bit cheeky, a bit dirty and a bit naughty – a few bits are close to the bone but I think we manage to play it just so.” Roger Clarke Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Michael
Praed, Noel Sullivan, Carley Stenson and Mark Benton runs at the New
Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham from Tuesday 5 may to Saturday 16 May
before embarking on a national tour Tour Details - http://www.scoundrelsontour.com/
Mark Benton - living the dream Carley Stenson - following the passion |
