An Amazing Snow White.. brought to you in Technicolor
TWO OF THE STARS OF SNOW WHITE AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME HAVE SHARED A COAT IN THE RECENT PAST JOE MCELDERRY AND JAC YARROW TALK TO ROZ LAWS
LAST year Jac Yarrow was a student, sitting in the audience at the London Palladium watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He had no inkling that in six months he would be standing on that stage in a leading role – and a year later he’d be starring in that panto.
It’s thanks to his talent but also the good luck of being spotted in his drama school show by West End producer Michael Harrison, who also directs the Birmingham Hippodrome panto.
He helped to cast Jac, just 21, in the title role of the new Palladium production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and now as the Prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Hippodrome. The panto uses some of the spectacular set and costumes from the Palladium.
He joins a stellar cast which includes Lesley Joseph, Matt Slack, Joe McElderry, Coronation Street’s Faye Brookes, dance troupe Flawless and Black Country queen Doreen Tipton.
It’s been a whirlwind for this good-looking, likeable lad.
Jac says: “It all seems surreal. Everything has changed. I was living in a student flat, now I’m buying my own place in London.
“I’m trying not to think that it might be all downhill from here! It’s quite hard to top the Palladium and then the best panto in the world. I’ll be working hard to keep up this momentum.
“I know that panto will be hard work. I did eight shows a week in Joseph and there are 12 shows a week in panto. Before Joseph, I’d never done a show for longer than a week so it was an adjustment. I had to push myself but also pace myself and realise it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I came into it thinking I had to go full out every night, but that would destroy you. I discovered there’s a way of giving it 100 per cent without ruining yourself. Panto will be a whole new test of stamina.”
No doubt Jac will be bringing his new fans to the Hippodrome. He talks with wonder of having dozens of people queue to meet him at the stage door after every Joseph show.
“The stage door was like a whole other show. We had barriers and 10 security guards, and on the last day they had to close the street. Joseph fans are so hard core, some have seen it 50 times. They’re amazing,
“I’d go out after every show and stay for at least half an hour. On the last day I was there for 90 minutes. I’d feel guilty if I didn’t and the kids start crying if you go back in. It’s just fantastic to have that support.”
Jac is a big fan of Christmas and remembers: “My
best
Christmas was when I was 14 and I got a pet chameleon called Miranda, after nagging my mum. Though it turns out they’re not very lovable pets, they have no interest in you.
“Perhaps my worst Christmas memory is being Joseph in a nativity when Mary forgot all her lines and dropped Jesus on the floor. I tried to whisper her lines to her.”
Jac could have a Joseph-off contest on stage with Joe McElderry, who also played the Biblical figure on tour.
He is the Spirit of the Mirror in Snow White. “I’ve had this role twice before,” says Joe. “I get to save the day and be involved in the comedy. It’s a really fun role.
“I’ve seen Matt Slack in action and he’s a true pro, one of the best. I’m sure he’ll wind me up, as he’s very mischievous and I’m the worst for losing it on stage and laughing.”
Looking back on previous festive seasons, 28-year-old Joe says: “As a family, we always used to go abroad for Christmas so I never really celebrated by sitting down for a turkey dinner. We were somewhere like Disneyland.
“But being in panto, you really get into the Christmas mood, and then in that horrible period after Christmas where nobody knows what to do, you come straight back into work and burn off all the calories you’ve eaten.”
Just after Christmas in 2014, Joe was on holiday when he got a call from a producer on The Jump. Thee celebrities had pulled out of the Channel 4 winter sports contest with injuries and Joe was drafted in just after the show began. Despite arriving late, he won the first series.
He remembers: “They needed someone who could ski already, as the others had had three months’ training.
“The next day I was hurtling down a mountain in Austria. I was terrified and there were so many injuries, I thought ‘you absolute idiot’. But being in Austria was fun. I never thought I’d win.”
In fact, Joe has only taken part in three reality TV shows but has won them all – X Factor in 2009, Popstar to Operastar in 2011 and The Jump.
But he hasn’t been competing in the new version of The X Factor featuring previous contestants.
“I was asked to do it but I can’t because I’m on tour. I’m sure it will be wonderful and I have nothing but love for the show.
“As for other reality shows, I would love to do Strictly – in my head I dance like Beyoncé – and maybe the jungle. I could cope with everything but rats and snakes. I’d be terrified of them although I’ve worked with a few snakes!”
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs plays Birmingham Hippodrome from December 21 – February 2. For tickets, ring 0844 338 5000 or go to birminghamhippodrome.com.