An Interview with Joanne Clifton 21.09.2017

Thanks to the Orchard Theatre, I was delighted to be given the chance to interview Joanne Clifton. Following her run in Thoroughly Modern Millie and her success in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Joanne is currently performing as Alex Owen in Flashdance The Musical.

Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me today, and thank you for being one of my first interviews!

thank you.

So you are currently playing the role of Alex Owen in Flashdance the Musical could you tell us a bit about the show, and her character?

So she is a 19 year old girl, who basically escaped from her family. Cause her mum had died when she was 10 and lived with her father who is basically an alcoholic. So she runs away from home, as she wants to be a dancer – that is her dream. She would love to get into this dance school called The Shipley Dance Academy but she doesn’t have the training behind it because she never had enough money or anything to go and train in dancing. So she sees it as an impossible dream to get into that school. But she works as a welder, in the daytime and works in a night club in the evening, She tries to put money aside to get into this school, but its just never enough. So she falls in love with her boss, who is played by Ben Adams from A1 – he is my leading man. He then goes behind her back, as he is quite wealthy and powerful so goes to the school and pays to get her an audition. When she finds this out they have a massive row, and split up.

The only link she has to dancing is this older lady called Hannah, through the musical they have this friendship and Alex sees her as an inspiration. She is an ex dancer, ballerina and Hannah tries to give all this advise to help Alex into this school. Sadly Hannah passes, and Alex then decides to go ahead with the audition to get into her dream school.

I will be honest in saying that I am one of those who have yet to see the classic 1983 film that Flashdance is based on, so I am really looking forward to what it is like live.

Yea, the show is a little bit different from the film. It has a lot more to it I think, because we had to make a musical out of 2 and a half hours out of the film. But it does have the all the iconic moments which the audience, I think if they are going to see Flashdance that, that’s what they want to see. They want to see the audition dance, and some of the moves that she does in the audition dance. They want to see the water drop coming down cause in the film she pulls the chain and the water comes down, and I get absolutely socked in that everyday with freezing cold water! You’ve also got all the songs from the film in it, ‘What a Feeling’, ‘Maniac’, ‘I Love Rock and Roll’, ‘Man Hunt’, ‘Gloria’, they are all in it. so people who are fans of the film who come to the musical like the fact that, that is all in it cause that’s what people expect.

Lovely! So obviously your past is with Strictly Come Dancing and obviously you decided to continue a theatre career following Thoroughly Modern Millie leaving Strictly. Was it a tough decision for you to continue with theatre?

It was tough leaving strictly because, obviously it is the best and biggest TV show on TV and I was performing in front of 12 million viewers, every weekend last year and the last three years. Of course it is a great show to be on, I loved being on it, I loved the people on it, i loved the environment, everything, it is so wonderful. It also gives you a good platform got everything, so for me to go into musical theatre you don’t get that same profile than being on TV and stuff like that. So it was a little bit of a risk for me, but having won it last year – luckily. I thought there is no better time and I might as well take the risk now and follow a dream that I’ve had since I was a kid.

I loved you in strictly, I’m so excited that its back on, looking forward to what will come from it this year. Do you have an inkling on who you think is going to do well?

Umm, I think you’ve got Aston Merrygold whose obviously going to be good. I think the likes of Alexandra Burke, they are all going to be good. I mean obviously I am going to support Simon Rimmer, and Susan Calman dancing with my Brother (Kevin Clifton). I am going to support them because they are my family. But, you might have some surprises, you know Ruth Langford for me could be it, could be a surprise, I mean she has been rumoured so many times to be on the show that I think that you know  what she might actually have something good, like why do they want her so much. She may be a dark house, we shall see.

We shall see, it does return this weekend. Now, I did get to see you Thoroughly Modern Millie and absolutely loved you with Graham MacDuff as well, who I know used to make you laugh every single night! But how does the role of Alex differ to Millie, do they have any similarities?

I think the similarity is that they are both determined, that they both moved away from home to follow a dream, they are very determined and confident in themselves. That’s really the only similarity they have, because everything they have is a complete opposite show for me. Even the style of singing is different, Alex’s character apart from determined is completely different.  Millie was a quirky, funny little thing, bit of a hillbilly, and not sexy in the slightest the way she tries to seduce her boss and stuff like that. Whereas Alex is a tomboy, but she is sexy as well like really sexy, she’s just complete opposite. I mean the style of singing for me is a big thing for me, because Millie was very 1922 musical theatre voice, and this is like 80s pop. So it is a completely different style.

And I guess that’s good because you get to explore the different characters for yourself.

Yea, yea I do love it. Cause I was worried as well, the roles I did before Flashdance, I did Millie and then I was Marilyn Monroe but kind of like an exaggerated version of her. Then before that I was a Prostitute with No name in ‘Face the Music’, and those three roles I had done were kind of similar in the sense they were comedy a little bit, they were quite funny roles and this one when I got the script through, I thought oh my gosh I am actually quite serious. there is no really funny bits for me in it, I am not the funny one, I am the serious one. I’m always angry or upset, or inspired, or determined, focused and its not funny. so I was worried a little bit about how it was going to be, but I actually really love it.  Yes it was a challenge but I do love a challenge.

Do you have a favourite part of the show or a favourite song that you sing?

I think a favourite moment is hearing the audiences reaction to the water drop, so when that happens its not my favourite moment for me cause it freezing! But I do love hearing the audience reaction to that. But I think the best moment and the best song for me is the song called ‘Here and Now’ that is a love ballad between ben and I, I just feel its a really beautiful song and we might be releasing it actually. Its in this scene where Alex is just in a grey jumper and she takes of her bra  from underneath the jumper when he’s in her house and then we go into this lovely love ballad.

I’m looking forward to seeing it! So Flashdance is part of a touring company, and you have also toured with Thoroughly Modern Millie. Do you enjoy touring?

I love it, I absolutely love it. the only downside that you live out in different placement. But I love being in a different theatre each week, I love going to different places being in a different area, looking around, shopping, and doing activities. Because we are all away from home, we all do things together as a cast, like a family cast. Ive had two cast, that are all really lovely people, I’ve been having the best time recently with the Millie cast and now I have a with the Flashdance.

Yes the Millie cast looked like it was a lot of fun.

Yes it was, and this one is as well they are all full on dancing, and we all go through the all the dancing and come out knackered at the end of it.

And you have just recently announce that you will be joining the cast of Top Hat, which will be from this December. Is there any future shows after that your looking into, or parts that you would like to play.

Maybe yes, but can’t say.

Oh I am sure that we haven’t seen the last of you I’m sure. So my final question will be for you is, why do you think people come to Dartford to the Orchard Theatre to see Flashdance?

I think if they are looking for a really good night out, and to come out of a show feeling great and buzzing and full of energy. Then this is the show they’ve got to see. its got all the songs that they love in, its got so much dancing and at the same time a really beautiful story behind it also.

Thank you Joanne for taking the time to talk to me today, I really look forward to seeing you at the Orchard Theatre on the 9th October.

Thank you for a lovely interview.

 

Joanne Clifton will be performing the role of Alex in Flashdance until December 2018. Flashdance will be playing at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford on the 9th October – 14th October for ticket information go here. Review of the show to follow soon!

For Further information about the UK Tour and dates go here.