Theatre’s Need for Celebs

Thursday 22nd April, 8.43am

I’m going to be honest from the start and admit I love all things celebrity. I can often be found under a pile of magazines getting my fix of gossip. I’m also an avid fan of reality TV shows. But when did this modern craze begin? Can it simply be justified as a bit of light relief in our otherwise hectic lifestyles?

We know that celebrities are pretty big in today’s society; they’re on television, front covers of magazines and newspapers – but have they always been prominent in Theatreland?

Diana Vickers in Little Voice

Not only are West End casts awash with reality stars, I have noticed more and more appear to be attending opening nights of the latest shows. Not quite in the same volume as a Leicester Square premiere, but a close second. The real the question is – is the arrival of the latest girl band or reality show winner making the show more or less appealing to the wider audience?

At the recent opening night of Hair, there were a whole tribe of celebs there to celebrate the return of the musical back to London. Girl band The Saturdays were posing for the cameras and papped at the afterparty. Although one member has a link to Theatreland – band member Vanessa White played Young Nala in The Lion King – after watching Hair it seems two of The Saturdays were a little shocked by the nudity on stage. While I believe it’s a good thing that musicals are making an impact in the press and ultimately drawing in a new crowd of theater-goers, it could be argued by critics that it’s becoming too widely available and losing its exclusivity, but that’s a whole different blog.

Certain figures in Theatreland agree that it should be open to the masses and as long as the the seats are full, then that’s all that counts. Over the Rainbow judge, Sheila Hancock has knocked the critics who believe that the theatre should remain exclusive. But if theatre tickets continue to remain pricey, then it will never be as readily available as the cinema, will it?

Of course, Hair isn’t the only opening night to draw in famous faces. When Avenue Q moved to the Wyndam Theatre in March this year, TV personalities Chris Evans and Dawn Porter turned up and Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson attended the first night of Oliver! I get the feeling that there are a large amount of people who are more interested in who turned up for an opening night and what they were wearing, than reading a good review of the play itself.

This can’t be a good thing. I’m pretty sure this celeb-obessed world in which we live isn’t a new phenomenon, but it certainly feels magnified lately.

Would it be controversial to only invite those involved with the show to opening nights. I can’t see that ever being the case and as sad as it sounds, I think we may have become a nation so obsessed with all things celeb, we will only pay attention if the latest ‘it’ girl has attended.

Jodie Prenger as Nancy from Oliver!

Then there is the much wider debate of celebrity cast members. Do they make a show more appealing, opening it up to a wider audience who may not have considered seeing it before their favorite singer got the lead role? Or does it take away the exclusivity that Theatreland once had? I am personally all for reality shows that open up the West End roles to unknown actress’ and showcasing their talent. It keeps me entertained for hours on a Saturday night, but others aren’t so keen.

I’m sure this on-going debate is only going to get worse as the celeb craze becomes more and more a part of our lives. Sigh.