Debra pitches it perfectly

Saturday May 27

The Many Voices of Debra Stephenson Old Town Hall, Wycombe Swan

Meet celebrities and politicians galore as the star of Dead Ringers, Spitting Image, The Imitation Game, and Bad Girls, hurtles through comedy, music and more with live musical accompaniment.

Debra Stephenson explains more...

How would you describe the show?

It’s a night of variety with music, comedy and, of course, impressions. It’s nearly two hours long so it includes a long list of names.

Is it just you on stage?

No, I also have the fantastic musician James Stead, who is a pianist and who I’m trying to persuade to play the guitar too for a couple of different voices I haven’t done before. I’d like to put in Joni Mitchell, for example.

Although it’ll be the same format as my Night of 100 Voices tour, I want to have a few surprises. It’s about going back as well as forward. I’m looking at doing Miley Cyrus and a couple of modern ones I’ve always done Cilla Black and Shirley Bassey but then I’ll hear a song on the radio, if I’m listening to Gold or Smooth or something, and think ‘That’s a good song that in a way is relevant again’.

You first performed the show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year. Have you made any changes to it for the touring version?

It’s a longer show and it’s really nice because I can be a bit more indulgent. For Edinburgh it felt like a bit of a rush and I had to make a lot of compromises – to shorten songs and to miss voices out that I’d like to have done.

This will be lovely and relaxed, and I’ll be able to put some new people in. Not necessarily new as in current, modern chart music but new to the act..

Which celebs you’re famous for impersonating will be included?

[Laughs] I don’t know if I’m famous for anything but I think people always expect Davina McCall because of The Impressions Show. The person I did mostly on Spitting Image was The Queen but some of them you just have to let go of for obvious reasons.

I’m now wondering ‘How do I put Camilla in?’ because on shows like Spitting Image and Dead Ringers the script is written and you have lots of other people to bounce off.

You’ve got all these other characters to interact with but on stage the challenge is trying to find material that works when you’re on your own.

Are there politicians in the mix?

I do a thing about ex-Prime Ministers because they never seem to go away, do they? It’s hard to believe some of them are still hanging around like bad smells after years and years of being unpopular.

They’re still putting their two penn’orth in, which amazes me. So the ex-politicians will still be in the show, from Margaret Thatcher to Liz Truss.

What’s the key to nailing an impression?

It’s about getting the essence of the person. I have to trust how I feel, so if I feel like I’m in character and I feel somehow like that person. I put a lot of effort into watching how that person speaks as well as the kind of things they say.

Have you ever met any of the people you’ve mimicked?

I sometimes feel afraid of meeting people that I do. It doesn’t happen very often but mainly it’s been on chat shows with hosts who are very receptive. Davina really loved my impression of her.

I did a comedy roast where I had to dress up as her, then come face to face with her as a surprise with a prosthetic nose.

It wasn’t my view of her, it was the make-up artist’s and I was just the canvas for it. I was like ‘Oh no!’ but she loved it!