Star Interview

Best known for selling over 12 million records with chart-topping band Steps, Faye Tozer's most recent venture, a 48-date tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's re-vamped musical Tell Me On A Sunday, marks a change of direction for the star, who says she's never been happier. Kirsty Neale caught up with her before she takes to the stage at Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday 14th June for just one week.


How did your being in Tell Me On A Sunday come about?
When the show's producers were looking for people to do the tour, they threw lots of different names around the table and mine was one that was suggested. I was actually out in LA when they asked me to audition. I went straight out and bought the Denise Van Outen CD of the show and got very excited. It took me two auditions to get the part, which was horrible! I haven't auditioned since I was 21 - a long time ago - and I was extremely nervous.

Did you say yes as soon as you were offered the part?
Absolutely. At the time, I was very close to releasing a new single, but then this just seemed to fall into place. The story had so much to do with where I was in my life at that time. It was just one of those things that felt completely right and I knew I wanted to do it.

Did you have any acting experience?
I did Theatre Arts A Level at school, so I'd had a bit of training, but to prepare for this, I had acting lessons. I thought it was important to do a really good job. My singing teacher said, "you can be good, or you can be excellent. Which do you want to be?" This is something I really enjoy, so I decided to do my homework and train up for it. I want another job like this, and I don't want anyone to say I'm not good enough. I'd hate that.

What sort of vocal preparation did you have to do?
I had lots of lessons before we started because it's a very different style of singing for me. I learned to project my voice, so the whole audience - even people right at the back - can hear, and also worked on singing in a very proper English accent, which is something you don't do in pop music. Before each performance, I spend half an hour doing vocal warm ups. There's lots of shouting in the show, which is great for letting off steam, but not as good for your voice, so warming up is vital.

What was the rehearsal process like?
I rehearsed for three weeks along with Patsy Palmer, who's also touring with the show, and I worked on the songs at home and in my singing lessons, too. There was quite a long break between rehearsals and actually getting on stage, so it felt like I'd been working on it for a long time. I was more than ready to go out and do it when the time came!

Did you go and see the production?
Yes. I've seen Denise and Marti Webb do it and I also saw Patsy. I was there supporting her on the first night in Windsor. We all play it completely differently.

Having seen those other performances, is it difficult to make the role your own?
No, because what comes out of the character is a part of you. You go through the text and pick out things that you can relate to. Obviously it's not you on stage, it's a character, but you pull out flaws and vulnerabilities from yourself and that's why we're all so different.

Is it odd putting yourself in the position of a woman who's single, searching and ultimately not very lucky in love when you're still quite newly married?
I've been married for two years and I'm very lucky. He's gorgeous and we've got a really strong relationship. I took that part of the character from when I was 18 or 19 and always seemed to chose the wrong guy. I'd go for pretty boys with no brains, and had plenty of dating disasters. Hideous! It is quite strange going back to things you might want to forget, but that's the whole process of acting. Once I get off stage, I can just shut it all out and go home to my husband.

What was the first night like?
I was so nervous, my heart was in my throat. When the show starts, I'm lying on a sofa with my eyes closed and that night I was desperately trying to peek through my eyelids to see the audience before I started singing. My mum and dad were crying when they came backstage afterwards and they thought the show was brilliant. Despite the nerves, it's the proudest moment of my career so far.

Do you have a favourite song or moment from the show?
Unexpected Song is really pretty, and I also like the title song, although it was my pet hate when we were rehearsing. I didn't like Speed Dating either, but I love it now, one line especially - 'there's a soup like you in England, it's called Thick Country Veg'. That always makes me laugh.

Anything you don't like as much?
One of my costumes is a very unglamorous dressing gown. But as my mum says, it's a show, not a fashion show. I actually love that it's so real and down to earth.

Is there anything you can especially relate to?
The bit when my character meets her boyfriend's daughter. My husband has a daughter who I met for the first time when she was eight, and the character here is nine. There's a song in the show called I'm Very You and it's just so true. Wanting to be a second mother, to like the same things as the daughter, you really do that in the beginning.

Do you feel that doing a show like this has given you a chance to silence critics who have said, or assumed, that you're just another pretty face from a pop band who can't really sing?
It's funny, but a lot of my reviews have said 'she can actually sing'. How do they think I got a job in a band? It's really satisfying having someone tell the world I can sing, because people's pre-judgement is always that I can't. I've had people who've never heard of Steps telling me I have a lovely voice, too, which tells me I'm doing a good job, and it's nice to know. We all like an ego boost!

What sort of people are coming to see the show?
Although it probably appeals more to women, I've been amazed at how many men come to see it. I think girls get a lot out of the show, but guys secretly love it, too. We have lots of regular theatregoers, a more mature audience at matinees and I still get some Steps fans coming along, which is lovely. It's a great way to introduce young people to the theatre and we need that younger generation coming through, because otherwise our live theatre's going to slowly die off.

How do you unwind after a performance?
I'm so exhilarated when I come off stage, it's like being in adrenalin heaven! Going to the pub is a great way to calm down afterwards.

Have you worked in theatre before?
I did lots of amateur shows when I was younger, but Tell Me On A Sunday is my first professional production. I always said I'd never do musicals. Being an ex-band member, it's such a cliché, but now I've done this, I think it will be hard to keep me off the boards.

Would you like to move into non-musical acting?
I'd love to try it, but only if it was the right role and I thought I could pull it off. I'm quite happy to challenge myself because at the back of my mind, I know what I'm capable of doing. I know my limitations. I think it's really important to know what you can and can't do and when to say 'no'.

How about your plans for the future?
I'm not ready to completely let the music industry go, yet - I'm still songwriting and recording - but I'd like to stay in the theatre for a while. There's something magical about it. I get so much satisfaction from that live applause at the end of a performance. It really feels like you've achieved something. It's a weird and wonderful place!

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