I’m too big a fan to do Strictly – I’d be taking pictures of everything
Jodie Prenger chats to MARION McMULLEN about life as a blonde, as she gets ready to party
You’re sporting a blonde look for the new tour of Abigail’s Party. Do blondes have more fun? (LAUGHS) It’s a really bizarre thing. Sometimes I find a blonde hair at home and think ‘Where has this come from?’ and then go ‘oh, it’s me’.
I was blonde for the tour of Fat Friends as well. I can pass a mirror and not recognise myself.
I saw Graham Norton the other day at this do and he’s been lovely and very supportive of me since I appeared on I’d Do Anything on the BBC. I went to say hi and he just walked straight by. He genuinely didn’t even twig it was me.
When I was doing Fat Friends in Sheffield a couple even came to see the show three times and then complained that Jodie was never on. (Laughs) I should work for M15. No-one would recognise me incognito.
Are you looking forward to be playing Beverly in the UK tour of Mike Leigh’s 70s comedy classic Abigail’s Party?
IT’S just lovely. I love a party. And I’m just like Beverly. I go around asking ‘What would you like to drink?’ and topping everyone up.
Maybe it’s something about being northern. I’m a feeder. People say about her behaviour ‘Oh, isn’t Beverly terrible’ and I think ‘But I do that, that’s me.’
What’s the secret to a good party?
(CHUCKLES) I’ve been to quite a few and I think the best evenings out are the ones that you don’t plan when everyone turns up and you bump into someone else and then another person you know and it ends up being a brilliant night.
It’s the planned evenings that can go horribly wrong... like Abigail’s party. I was asked the other day about my favourite retro drink and it’s G&T. (Laughs) Actually G&T is still my favourite drink.
I’d Do Anything led to you playing Nancy in the revival of Oliver! in the West End. How did it all come about?
I NEVER thought it was going to happen for me and then my mum heard about the TV auditions on the radio and I’d thought I’d go along and give it a go.
It gave me my break. When I meet people now and they tell me they voted for me back then I say ‘thank you’ and I really do mean it. It is everything I dreamed it would be.
It’s a lot of hard work and it can be tough, but I love it. It’s my passion. I’ve done Spamalot, One Man Two Guvnors, Calamity Jane, Annie, Tell Me On A Sunday, Les Miserables at the Dubai Opera Theatre and the tour of Shirley Valentine.
And Abigail’s Party was certainly one on the wish list. I’m a one-case wonder when it comes to touring. I’m used to it, and can pack light, but I have to admit I might still have two or three cases not unpacked from the last tour. Any drawbacks to live performances?
I REMEMBER one time it was very hot and people were fainting... and then a fight broke out. I’ve also had people eating a three course lunch in front of me. You feel like saying ‘Are you enjoying that?’
What was the first show you saw? 42ND Street. I remember my Nan taking me and I loved it. It’s such a big show and I had vivid memories of that.
I grew up in Blackpool, the hub of entertainment, and there were always shows on in the evening and my Nan was friends with people like Danny la Rue. I can remember my mum miming along to Shirley Bassey songs as well... even though she couldn’t sing a note herself.
You’re a big Strictly Come Dancing fan. Have you ever been tempted to take a twirl around the dance floor?
I LOVE that show, but I think I’m too much of a big fan to do it. I’d be taking pictures of everything if I was there. I was so impressed by John Barrowman in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! He did so well in the jungle.
I couldn’t do it. I’m petrified of bugs. I’d end up in A&E. I don’t want to eat a sheep’s willy.
Would you like to see something like I’d Do Anything return to TV?
I LIVE in hope that they do another one of those shows. It was a great appearance and it launched so many careers. There are loads of great musicals out there. I’m sure it could be done again with the right show.
What’s your perfect day? WHEN I get my Sunday off you’ll normally find me cleaning out the car and the chickens.
I enjoy time with my animals really. I just keep collecting them and I’m soppy when it comes to animals. I have dogs, cows, cats, chicken and fish. And cleaning up chicken poo, I quite like it, to be honest.
What are your hopes for the future?
(LAUGHS) I hope people keep hiring me. I always think ‘that will keep the cows in bales of hay for a while’. And there are still a lot of shows I would like to do – Gypsy, Hello Dolly – and dramas like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf.
There are lots.