EK theatre star shines in Take That musical
A West End theatre actress from Lanarkshire is preparing for her King’s Theatre debut in one of the fastest-selling musicals in theatre history.
Jayne Mckenna, nee Jane Reilly, who is originally from East Kilbride, will star in Take That’s new musical production ‘The Band’ which is set to make its Scottish premiere later this month in the legendary Glasgow venue. The musical, written by Tim Firth and produced by the worldfamous boy band, features four friends reunited as adults who embark on their lifelong dream to meet ‘The Band’.
Jayne, who plays the role of Zoe in the show,told Lanarkshire Live she is looking forward to taking to the famous King’s stage for the first time.
She said: “Coming back to work in Glasgow is a really big deal for me and to be able to make my debut on the King’s stage is amazing considering the amount of Scottish greats it has accomodated – the likes of Gerard Kelly.
“For me to be able to say I too have performed there, its just incredible really.”
The 46-year-old reflected on her theatrical involvement in the past adding: “Previously I’ve played roles in Shakespearean dramas like Macbeth and Hamlet. I never thought I’d do a musical,but when my agent called me telling me that Take That were producing a show and they were intersested in me as a lead,I was incredibly honoured.”
Jayne strongly supports equal representation in acting and stressed the importance of the female leads in the production.
“To be able to play a role in a production which has a cast of nine ladies starring as lead characters is great, there’s a huge amount of chemistry between all of us,” said Jayne.
“The boys are amazing too, and I don’t say that lightly.”
The actress spoke of the prevailing theme of friendship within the musical, adding: “‘The Band’ is centred around friendship, it’s not about Take That but if that’s what attracts more people then that’s great. However, hopefully they will leave understanding its greater meaning of the importance of companionship.”
‘The Band’opens at the King’s from June 26 until July 7 before continuing its tour across the UK.
Check out atgtickets.com for information on ticket prices.
And visit www.thebandmusical. com for more information.