Aaron Sidwell interview inside your Chron Life section
AARON Sidwell, famous as Steven Beale in EastEnders, is starring as Fiyero in Wicked at Sunderland Empire for four weeks from Thursday, September 6. The worldwide hit show involves over 100 people onstage and behind the scenes. Amy Ross plays the lead, Elphaba, with Helen Woolf as Glinda and Steven Pinder as The Wizard. Do you have any connections to the North East?
I’m a Kent boy from down South, but I’m looking forward to going exploring when we get to Sunderland . Any plans during your visit?
I last came to the Sunderland Empire with a show called Carnaby Street in 2013, and I’m really looking forward to coming back. My other half – Tricia Adele-Turner – is opening in Benidorm Live at Newcastle Theatre Royal at the same time, so amazingly we can be together. Can you do a Geordie accent? I haven’t, but my other half can! What’s the best thing about this event?
Playing Fiyero is great. As a character, there’s a tightrope he walks between bravado and vulnerability. Deciding where to show the audience the different sides to his personality is fun. What will be the highlight of the next few months for you?
We play in each city for at least four weeks, so we really get to discover the places we are visiting. It’s also fun seeing how audiences differ as you move around the country. Certain parts of the show will get different reactions from different audiences. What have you felt to be the highlight of your career to date?
I’d have to say getting the phone call at 18 to say I was joining the cast of EastEnders. Getting my first television job was a bit daunting but such a fantastic opportunity. The press night of Loserville in the West End was also a huge buzz. And more recently, walking onto the stage of Wicked.
Tell us about a highlight in your personal life.
Watching my other half on stage recently took my breath away. I was in total awe of her. What is your favourite meal or food? I love Gourmet Burger Kitchen!
And where in the world is your favourite place, and why? My home. As a selfemployed actor, I never thought I would ever be able to achieve owning my own home, so it’s somewhere I’m very proud of. Finally, please tell us a surprising fact about yourself!
Nothing particularly unusual. Although people are often surprised that I have a nine-year-old daughter. Perhaps I’m older than I look!
Wicked is at the Sunderland Empire From September 6 to 29. You can buy tickets here or in person from the theatre’s box office.