This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Lucy St Louis: My name is Lucy St. Louis, and you are listening to Eleven, the Official Theatre Podcast.

[0:16] William J Connolly: Hello and welcome to Eleven, the official theatre podcast that brings the biggest stars and creatives together in one place to discuss life in the arts. She is the new leading lady of The Phantom of the Opera that's smashing down barriers and making history with her casting as the beloved opera soprano Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh's revamped production that's now playing at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End. She's no stranger to standing centre stage with previous credits including Ragtime at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, the original cast of The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and also appearing in Beautiful, the Carole King musical, alongside playing music icon herself, Diana Ross in Motown: The Musical.

She's also appeared in Man of La Mancha at the London Coliseum alongside Kelsey Grammer. Here now, in an exclusive conversation, we discuss that history-making new chapter in her life, including getting picked by Andrew Lloyd Webber to be his Christine, finding new truths in the text and songs with this revamped production, her favourite yet most complex moments in the show, and why her casting as arguably the most famous leading lady in the world of theatre is a dream come true for her and her family. Plus, we discuss the history attached to her casting, why perhaps it's taken almost 35 years to see a woman of colour playing the role, and the personal hands-on approach she's been able to have to the role, including wearing her natural hair like a crown.

She also reveals why she's proud to be breaking down any unwanted bias around the types of roles that black women can be seen as within the world of the stage, and why it took her rather a long time and a lot of effort to shake off living and performing as Miss Ross. Plus, in a highly emotional and deeply personal moment, she reflects on the boundaries and barriers that she knows will have been broken down for a whole new generation of women looking to see themselves stand center stage. This is arguably one of my all-time favorite conversations. So here she is. It's the beautiful Lucy St. Louis here now on this, the next episode of Eleven, the official theatre podcast. To meet with current restrictions and to stop the possible spread of COVID-19, Lucy and I connected for this conversation digitally.

So please forgive any brief moments while we wait for the internet to catch up. Enjoy. It's the history-making West End leading lady of The Phantom of the Opera. That's pretty darn fierce and rather darn fabulous. Hello, Lucy St. Louis.

[2:45] Lucy St Louis: Hello, how are you?

[2:48] William J Connolly: I'm very well. How are you?

[2:49] Lucy St Louis: Yeah, I'm well, really good, thank you. I'm just chilling here at my house before I go to the theatre tonight. Very, very exciting. Thank you so much for being here. And I've been badgering the people that represent you and The Phantom of the Opera for quite a long time since your amazing casting came out there. I was desperate to talk to you. So I'm really looking forward to this.

[2:56] Lucy St Louis: Thank you so much.

[3:07] William J Connolly: Thank you. It's lovely to speak to you. And we should probably talk about that very, very, very big role in that very, very big show that you are currently leading, which I did. I think it would be, oh gosh, it must be two weeks ago today, actually, that I got the opportunity to come and see you play the iconic Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. And you are just glorious. I mean, if ever there's a part that's seemingly written for you, it's absolutely perfect. So before we talk about taking on a role that I know you very much wanted to play and were very, very keen to manifest and make a reality which you've done, I guess. Are you just having the best time of your life right now?

[3:42] Lucy St Louis: I really am. I absolutely love it. It is the most wonderful feeling to love going to work every day, to love what I am doing, especially the show that I'm in. And it is, yeah, I feel very, very blessed and privileged to be in this position. And I love it. I love it so much. I love the company, I love the cast. They are just incredible. And when you walk into the building, it feels so warm and welcoming, and we're just friends and family. We're literally one big family, and it is a gorgeous place to be.

[4:17] William J Connolly: Do you remember sort of way back when? Obviously, of course, The Phantom of the Opera is an iconic staple of musical theatre internationally, but do you remember what it was specifically about this part and this role that you thought, "I want to do this"? Do you remember what it was that you sort of completely fell in love with?

[4:31] Lucy St Louis: I fell in love with the score. The score was the most beautiful, iconic thing I'd ever heard. And the journey that Christine goes on in particular, I absolutely love. I love that. I love the growth that she has as a young girl to a woman. Yeah, the story that she goes on. She goes on such an incredible journey, and the people that she interacts with give her such, I guess, strength towards the end, you know, and she really finds her voice towards the end without the Phantom. And I love that. I love that she is strong and empowered.

[5:12] William J Connolly: So when was the first time that you saw the show? Do you remember who it was that was playing the part that you now play?

[5:17] Lucy St Louis: God, I've seen many, many, many, many incredible performers. But one time that was very special, which is a story that my mum will tell me, is when she and my grandma saw Sarah Brightman do it in the West End. So that was something which I will always remember the stories of that, and they both love the musical. But I've seen many, many wonderful Christines, and that is the thing is the Christines before me and that come after me. We are a sisterhood. We share it together, and it's so beautiful to have had the well wishes from previous Christines and then hopefully see many other Christines, especially that look like me, coming up through the ranks later on.

[6:07] William J Connolly: So is Lucy's love of Christine because of your mum? Is that who we've got to thank for that?

[6:07] Lucy St Louis: I say my mum and my grandma, yes, yes, definitely. My grandma's sadly not with us now, but she would have been blown away by this whole thing, seeing me up there playing such a role that she loved, a show that she loved. And she used to make all my costumes when I was growing up for like my competitions and things like that, and they were all elaborate and very lavish, especially like, you know, the shows that, well, The Phantom of the Opera, the costumes are so incredible. And yeah, a lot of them would be designed from that show, you know, that she would recreate for me in her own way, and I'd use it for a competition or something like that. But I, yeah, she was definitely a big inspiration and my mum who loved this show, so yeah, I'm carrying it on for them.

[7:02] William J Connolly: Has your mum had the opportunity to see you play Christine?

[7:05] Lucy St Louis: She saw it on the first preview, the first incredible night when Phantom reopened, and it was emotional. It was so emotional. You know, she absolutely loved it, and it brought back many memories of when she saw it in the West End with my grandma and Sarah Brightman. And she said it was so special to see me up there playing a role that I've wanted for so long, and that she's obviously seen the journey of me getting to this point, you know, of wanting it for so long. There's a lot of pride and a lot of love knowing that I've got the role and that I'm up there doing what I love.

[7:44] William J Connolly: Was it more pressure getting Andrew's seal of approval, or is it more pressure getting your mum's seal of approval?

[7:50] Lucy St Louis: Both, but if I'm honest, it was the most incredible thing having Andrew's seal of approval. It really, really was. And to know that he loved what I brought to Christine was something that I will be forever eternally grateful for because, you know, I bring my own version, and everyone who has stepped into the role, we bring our own individuality to it. And that is something which I have tried so hard to really, really show within how I portray Christine, and he's welcomed it with open arms, and that's such a wonderful feeling to have.

[8:30] William J Connolly: Do you think because of the relationship that other members of your family had with the show, and then obviously your absolute admiration and love for Christine and your desire to want to play her, do you think it probably was always meant to happen in some capacity? Do you think it was written in the stars?

[8:45] Lucy St Louis: Oh gosh, that is a question. I'd love to think that, you know, I believe a lot in fate and that things that are meant for you won't pass you by. If it's not the right moment for things to happen, it will still find you if it's meant to be. And so yeah, I do believe maybe at some point in time that this was all meant to happen and it was supposed to happen at this particular moment. It is such an amazing, amazing ride to be on.

[9:10] William J Connolly: The Phantom of the Opera is one of those shows that I think is quite rare in that there are literally about 20 different conversations, characters, songs, moments in the show that people absolutely love, and that's their thing that they like about the show. You know, and that's even down to like the first opening five minutes, which I think are enthralling, considering there's no music, it's just dialogue about. I love this moment.

[9:33] Lucy St Louis: Yeah, it's so intense.

[9:35] William J Connolly: Yeah, that's definitely the word. Is there a specific thing that you love getting the opportunity to put your mark on? For example, do you like all of the scenes with the Phantom where he's sort of coming for you, for want of a better phrase, or do you like the opportunities to sing some of the more technically challenging songs? I guess where do you thrive when you're getting to go on stage?

[9:54] Lucy St Louis: That's a really good question, but really hard because I love the whole process because Christine's got such a trajectory in where she starts and where she finishes, and you can't have one bit without the other. The journey to get to those bigger moments towards the end, which I love, I couldn't just get there without playing the vulnerable moments in the beginning, the uncertainty in the beginning. So they all kind of feed each other. But I love that I found a strength for Christine and finding that strength for Christine in the end. And that is something which us as women, especially in the 21st century, we are so much stronger, and our voices are so powerful, and we have so much strength within us that we're not going to be left behind or pushed to the side.

Our voices matter, and that is something which I think towards the end, she finds her own voice. The Phantom has given her her voice throughout the show and kind of guided her, but towards the end, she actually finds her voice and knows how to use it to stand up to him in a way that's like, "No, we don't need the violence, we don't need all of this. There is so much love and compassion, you just need to see it in a different way and receive it." And she gives that to him; she gives the kindness and the love and compassion that he's not been shown before, and that is something which after he's beaten her down to be able to then show someone that is so strong. And I think that is something which I love that Seth, the director, gave myself and Killian that freedom to re-find these characters and give them a new lease of life within this day and age, but keeping it still with the heart of Phantom of the period of the style it's written in, but still focus on what we can give these characters now.

I love that journey that she goes on, and the songs get bigger and bigger and bigger; the voice grows as she goes throughout the show. So for me, that's something which I can't really say one moment because I really love it all. I love it every single moment, and it all kind of is building blocks to each other, if that makes sense.

[12:17] William J Connolly: You're also completely spoiled because literally of every turn of the page is like iconic song, iconic moment, iconic movement.

[12:23] Lucy St Louis: I could be like, exactly like, come on.

[12:26] William J Connolly: Exactly, yeah, exactly. And you know, everyone loves the music. I love the music. And you could sit there and literally just listen to the music without the story and still know what's going on because it drives the show. It is the foundation.

[12:40] Lucy St Louis: I'm so glad you mentioned Christine's strength towards the end because I actually think in those closing moments is something that I found incredibly emotional, and perhaps something that I've not necessarily experienced before, having seen the show quite a few times, because it was, I guess, a mixture of just a little bit of fresh direction and also fresh approach that brought a little bit of ad libs, for example, Killian's repeatedly sort of saying, you know, "I miss you, I love you," as you're sort of departing off with Raoul, and then you've also got him isolated on his own, and then you coming back. And the whole thing was really, really overwhelming. And it was the sense of kindness, I think, rather than—I don't want to say negativity, because I think that's always been a beautiful moment—but sometimes it's a little bit of jealousy and anger that comes from the Phantom and Christine at that moment.

And I actually think it's almost a sense of happiness. And I think goodness is actually quite a difficult thing to show, and often we as humans don't do that. And I thought that was amazing. That whole final layer is one of the most powerful and special moments.

[13:38] Lucy St Louis: And I think Killian will agree with me in our show, and it is one that means a lot to us, and it means a lot to us to get right every night because it's driven from such raw emotion, and every night when we finish, we are in bits, and then I've got to go and sing in the boat as I go off, and I'm absolutely heartbroken because the thing is she does love the Phantom deeply, and he loves her deeply, and that is the fundamental thing is you can love someone deeply, but you can still let them go, and it wasn't their time to be together in that moment, and that is something which is so hard to show and portray without the coldness coming in.

[13:38] Lucy St Louis: That is something which we've tried so hard to pump into it is that the love and the compassion and the kindness, and it doesn't matter, you know, how different and unique you are, you can still be loved and still show kindness to everyone. And I think that is something which we try to show in our version of this show, and it feels very powerful for us to perform that every night and very emotional, and that is something which I love showing every night, and I think Killian will agree it is one of our favorite moments, yet sad moments, because there's so much love felt, it's just not the right time, and we all can relate to that in some ways in life and in love and in friendships and things, you know.

[15:13] Lucy St Louis: I think it's a really interesting part of it, the human psyche and emotion, and I think it's really exciting. But when you're 30 something years deep into a show, and you know there've been lots of different portrayals of this character, and it's as iconic as we can keep repeatedly saying it is because it really is probably the most iconic leading lady ever, really. Is it difficult to pull away from what's come before and to find your channel? And how much do you think this being a new version of this show supported you in finding your way?

[15:41] Lucy St Louis: Um, another great question. To be honest, everything's in the text, you know. And of course I've seen versions of the show before, but I really wanted to strip everything back and really focus on what was being said. We can get kind of so swept up in the music of it that we sometimes lose the dialogue, the communication, what the message is, because the music is so beautiful, and we can just sit there and strip it back and not focus on what's being really said because the score is so beautiful.

[15:46] Lucy St Louis: But I really wanted to focus back on the text and to really understand the journey behind the characters and understand Christine as a whole and where her journey kind of moved throughout the show. When I kind of step back and look at the text, it gave us so much more freedom. And of course, keeping it within the realms of Phantom, it doesn't mean that we can't ask questions of why are we doing this emotionally? Where are we placing this and why have we done that for so many years? And okay, can she be feeling this as well? There's so many other questions, which it opened another door.

[16:50] Lucy St Louis: I think you know, that is something which is being in a space and kind of getting back in a rehearsal studio. It gives you that space to actually ask those questions and to go, okay. So why do I move over here when I say that? What is my thought process going into it? And the moment you understand all of those things, it comes from an instinctive place of not just doing but living, and you're living through what you're saying. So I think sometimes over years and years and years, things can get lost in translation and things can get lost in how we deliver it.

[17:27] Lucy St Louis: And sometimes it's good to just go back to the text because the text is the most important thing, and it's key. And when you look at it, you can see so much, it's so layered that all you need to do is strip it back and actually read what's there and see instinctively how it makes you feel. And if it makes you feel a certain way, then question why. And then how can you apply that to your journey within the show? And that's been something which I think we've really tried to do this time round.

[17:58] Lucy St Louis: And that's why the final layer has so many other layers to it, because we've gone, but she wouldn't just be on the floor and not get back up again. She's too strong. She's not someone that you're going to put down and that she's going to stay down. She's going to get back up because she's not going to take it, because she is strong. She's got inner light that she's trying to give to him. And the moment she backs down, then he doesn't understand. He doesn't understand what she's trying to do.

[18:29] Lucy St Louis: But she's standing up with strength and compassion and kindness, not aggression. She's not meeting him with what he only knows to give her, because that's all he's known his whole life. You know, his defense mechanism is to use aggression because he's scared, and deep down he just wants love. And that's why she stands up because she goes, No, I'm not gonna take this from you. You need to hear me because you deserve the love, and you can be shown it. And I think when you look back at all the text, you go, okay, there's so much here. How do we pile all this into our version? And that's something that we've tried so hard to do.

[19:13] Lucy St Louis: And um, yeah, I've loved being a part of it because we've asked so many more questions, and we've pieced so many things together, which I think for me, they make sense to ask those questions and to know deep down why she's doing certain things, why she's following blindly for so long to a certain point, you know, and what's the relationship with Rao and what's the relationship with Madame Giry and all of those things, you know, they all have links and building blocks to how she then becomes this strong woman in the end.

[19:52] Lucy St Louis: Is it difficult to not be influenced by what comes next, for example, with Love Never Dies? Because I actually always my mind always wanders whenever they talk about will Christine sing. I always think Christine's definitely gonna sing because that's a completely different narrative that we don't really talk about in Phantom. Obviously, it's a completely separate story, but you just go, yeah, like there is so much more than we get to see, and I think as an audience member I think that's so exciting.

[20:18] Lucy St Louis: Yes, yes I do, and you know, I think it's always a hard one to kind of look further ahead. Within this moment for me right now, I had to really just look at what was here and work with what I had, but it is very exciting. You mentioned about being selected and chosen and given, I guess permission, if that's even the right way to explore a whole new Christine with Andrew's love and blessing. I guess when you've had interactions within the rehearsal space, perhaps when it moved to the theatre, what were those conversations like with Andrew? Was he very much just I want to see what you can bring and I love it? Or I guess because I think if anybody's going to know this character more than anyone, it's going to be him.

[21:01] Lucy St Louis: Exactly, and that has been something which has been a huge blessing, and he allowed me to bring Lucy, bring what I could emotionally to the part, and that is something I will forever be eternally grateful for. But it is a trust. He has created something spectacular, and to allow someone to come in and bring their own interpretations to things, it's hard, it's hard, but we built that trust, and he's given me that guidance, you know, and understanding and nurtured how I thought and saw Christine, and it works both ways.

[21:41] Lucy St Louis: You know, I would bring my ideas, and then he would bring his ideas, and that is something which I think is so amazing to have that communication in a room in a creative space, and especially with Seth, the director, we had that, and it was so organic, and everything moved in a way which was so fresh, and it pumped new life into this amazing, amazing story, which will never go stale because it's a timeless love story, but we want to kind of keep the emotion real.

[22:20] Lucy St Louis: How far into the audition process and perhaps being given the role were you aware that history would be attached to your casting? Oh gosh, I knew that no one had played the role who looked like me. So, whenever you go into any audition process, you know the show, you do your research, and you know, you know the show. Stepping into that room, I'd never seen anyone who looked like me. So there the odds were always stacked against me in my eyes, and that's why something for me it is so important that representation is seen throughout our industry because when you see yourself wherever it is, you can believe that you can be there.

[23:05] Lucy St Louis: So even for me, auditioning, and I get through the rounds, and I never believed possible that it could ever really happen because it never happened in 30, this is going to be its 35th year, it never happened, and so to know that this was the outcome is something which you know still to this day blows my mind because it means so much to me, and I know so much to so many other women of colour, and especially black women, because it was never a thing, it was a dream, it was a kind of silent dream that we'd keep to ourselves, but it was never something which almost we dared believe could come true because we never thought it possible, you know, and it's kind of a little sad in a way because you know, when you think about it, we should be able to dream big and be able to feel that we can go for anything that we want, and that is something now which I hope inspires a lot for other women, especially black women and women of colour coming into roles and auditioning for roles like this that have been around for so long, and now they can see a place for themselves and know that they can be there too.

[24:25] Lucy St Louis: Has there ever been any discussion or understanding as to why it's taken 34 plus years? Has there ever been any reason as to why perhaps that might have happened? Um, there has been conversations, and I think the show has blindly done what it has because it worked for so long. And I think when you don't see anything else, you don't want to change it. The thing is it's not representing our world and it's not representing our industry. And there's been many things that we've changed within this production, you know, I'm very proud to have had a hand in changing within this production so that it opens up to so many other women of colour, and that is something which I am very proud of, and that you know will hopefully keep the doors firmly wide open.

[25:21] Lucy St Louis: The reason why I asked the question just before that one in that particular way was because I was speaking to Alexandra Billings, who is the first openly transgender woman to star as Madame Morrible in Wicked, and she said that during her audition and rehearsal process, she didn't really think about the fact that history would be attached to her just going to work. She said, actually, it's almost weird in a way that you're aware of your identity, but when you're just living authentically, therefore you aren't necessarily aware that everything you do is seemingly historic in many, many cases. And I wondered if you had the same sort of experience.

[25:51] Lucy St Louis: Yes, well, I have, but with this, with this role in particular, it shouldn't be the fact that I am the first black Christine. It should just be that I am Christine, but it has been hugely attached to it. And I'm very proud to be the first black Christine, but it shouldn't be the forefront of what we are celebrating. But that doesn't take away that we need to celebrate it to acknowledge that now it's happened and we can't go backwards. But yes, I have been very aware of it because you know, there's been so many things coming into this role that, like I've said, I've had to help change so that we don't go backwards with this show and with this role, and so that we keep educating and communicating and moving forward and understanding each other.

[26:43] Lucy St Louis: And that's like one point in particular is the hair. You know, my hair in the show is my afro-textured curly hair, and it is beautiful, and I love it, and it is something which I've had to communicate with and say, you know, if I'm coming into this role, I want to be represented as a black woman in my uniqueness and in my own glory. You know, I shouldn't be when this character isn't a real person, I shouldn't be coming in and being made to feel like I am putting on a white woman's shoes and playing a white woman's role.

[27:24] Lucy St Louis: This is just a woman, and I am playing a woman, and I am a black woman, so I should be representing what I look like on that stage. And that doesn't take away from the period and the style of the show. It's just including and celebrating everyone's uniqueness, and that is something which was very important for me moving forward that was represented right and shown because it's such an important thing. Hair is such an important thing to many, many women, but especially black women and women of colour. It is our crown, and that is something which throughout society, black hair, especially has been deemed unprofessional, unruly, hard to maintain, it pulls focus, it's not beautiful, whereas now I had the opportunity to show that black hair is beautiful and with the right care style everything we can represent it in the right way and it should be represented and celebrated within our industry and shown as a full front lead character, you know, in her full glory with beautiful black afro textured hair and that is something which I was so proud to be a part of that change and to show that uniqueness and celebrate it and hopefully for other women to believe that that is beautiful and for people to see that it's beautiful and you know to blow the stereotypes out of the window of what should or shouldn't be and yeah something that I'm very proud to have been a part of the movement and the many changes that have happened within this show within this production particularly anyone can play this role, you know it doesn't matter what you look like you should be celebrated in it and celebrated within your uniqueness of playing the role and what works for you best on that stage it feels like there is a real sense of change happening and I'm always particularly optimistic in most scenarios and I like the idea that we have your historic casting and then we also have for example just a picture like Alexandra Burke being the first black woman to play in the narrator in Joseph which again, you sort of sit there thinking that's absolutely absurd that it's taken an insane it's taken this long, but we're here and there will always be firsts, but hopefully not last.

[29:55] William J Connolly: And I feel like do you feel hopeful that change is happening?

[29:59] Lucy St Louis: I feel very hopeful, and I feel that yes, like you say, there's got to be firsts, and it shouldn't be that we are celebrating this as a thing, but we have to acknowledge it, and we do have to celebrate it because it is something that is very special and needs to have that recognition that we are moving forward as an industry and that we are opening our doors, and I believe that there is a lot of change happening, and we are using our voices for so much better, and that is something which I am very proud of. And I hope that you know we are to keep our doors open and to welcome new generations and generations around us that we can be in this industry together, and that we are all welcome, and that it is about who is right for the job, not what you look like.

And it means we are hopefully now quite literally a matter of days, weeks, hopefully not years, but months away from seeing two people of colour play, not just Christine, but also the Phantom as well, which the idea of that casting just it's gonna happen one day, and what a moment that will be.

[31:16] William J Connolly: Yeah, it's a very special moment.

[31:17] Lucy St Louis: And I um when you've got shows like Phantom of the Opera that has been running for so long, and that is I'd say probably the foundations of theatre, you know, it's been there for so long. If they can open their doors, then there's no excuse for any other show. Do you know what I mean?

[31:36] William J Connolly: Absolutely.

[31:37] Lucy St Louis: And our industry, our industry needs to represent what our world is, and our world is full of beautiful ethnicities and diversity, and it is, and we need to represent that on stage, and that's not just on stage, that's throughout our whole community, our whole industry, whether that's in wigs, wardrobe, front of house, crew, orchestras, it's everywhere. We have to be inclusive and be invited, and that's another thing. It's not um if being invited to have a seat at the table, and that is and then celebrated within that and felt heard. It's we're moving forward, and it's a big change happening, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.

[32:24] William J Connolly: Now, one thing that you sort of don't do yourself any favors is that you play these iconic roles and women and therefore basically set yourself up for so much pressure. I don't know why you do it, because you have also played literally, I think one of the most iconic women in the world of music ever, playing Diana Ross in Motown.

[32:41] Lucy St Louis: Yeah, which I can imagine. I mean, let's just pick basically the most famous singer ever and then try and play her on stage. I mean, yeah, good luck, babe. How on earth did you do that?

[32:51] Lucy St Louis: Oh gosh. Um, that again, a lot of studying, a lot of reading, watching videos, and really, really breaking down who she was as a woman. And the thing is, you could never, you can never be, I could never be her. It's trying to find the essences and some of the nuances and qualities that she would bring to her performances, and that she as a person has, which I can try to live organically through myself in my own way, and yeah, that it was definitely another hard process because I really had to mold and shape my voice and completely strip my voice back to something that was not me. Really try and harness and channel her in everything I did, and it was amazing to live through this iconic woman and her experiences and her life and to learn so much about her.

She touched literally with her voice, with her gaze, every single person within that audience. And that is something which she has a human power, you know, um, of as an artist and as a performer. And that is a lesson to learn as well, just for myself as an actress and a performer, um, to try and harness that. And yeah, she gave me so much strength. What I say playing Diana Ross. She as a woman gave me so much strength. It was a huge challenge again, because you know, when you step on that stage, I'm stepping on there as Diana Ross, and people are expecting to see her, even though I'm not her.

[34:44] William J Connolly: And um, yeah, it was a joy. But there was a lot of them when I finished the show, unlearning of her because I'd done the show for two years, and I pretty much ate, slept, breathed her for two years. So internally, I had her within me, you know. She was, I had to unlearn her voice within my voice, you know, and find my sound again. And that is something which is it's it's it's huge lessons it's such huge lessons and it's exciting and you know um to be a that this our voices are such amazing tools and we can manipulate and change and rework and undo and yeah it's amazing you know and now I'm playing Christine which is literally the complete opposite end of the scale and you know that was another thing people trying to or me trying to get people to understand that you can't put me in the box of Diana Ross you can't just say oh that's what you can do that's that's that's that's your area you know you can play Diana Ross you can play you can probably be Dina in dream girls you could maybe you know do another jukebox musical you can't you can't do that and that is something which I fought so hard to do was to try and push and change people's perceptions of looking at me as a stereotype and going this is the only path that you can do not just physically looking at me as a stereotype but also vocally looking at me as a stereotype and going well this is the areas that you're gonna this is the shows that you're gonna do that's it and I was like no no no no there's so much more in me and you just need to give me a chance to try and change people's minds and open people's minds is probably one of the hardest things that I've had to try and overcome because unless people see it, they can't believe it and now now I'm in the show, you know, people are on board.

They're like, oh God, I can't believe that you know, this is what you've not, you've not been doing this the whole time. You know, it's it's crazy. But that's that's why I'm saying it's so important to see and and to just open your doors. If people can say that they want to try something new, then give them the opportunity, you know, because that that was something which was very hard to try and change people's minds from seeing me as Diana Ross to then giving me the opportunity to even be in the position of Christine.

[37:27] William J Connolly: People are on board is literally the biggest understatement I've ever heard in my life. But I understand what you mean. People are like obsessed. I mean, you only have to look at your social media to be like, I am obsessed with it. I mean, literally, that's what I posted like 20 video clips of you having seen the show, just being like, I'm obsessed with her.

[37:43] Lucy St Louis: You are sweetest, you're so kind. And you know, uh honestly, I can't thank the support that has come, especially from the opening, especially from the reopening on the Tuesday. Um, but the love and support around the world has been absolutely mind-blowingly incredible. And you know, reading some of the stories of hope and just you know it is very emotional to know that people are seeing it and that they then believe in themselves. And that is something which God, I could get I get emotional thinking about it, but it is something which is very special.

[38:28] William J Connolly: I'm gonna let you go in a second, but I just have one final question for you.

[38:31] Lucy St Louis: Go on.

[38:31] William J Connolly: And I don't want to make you cry, I'm really conscious I don't want to do that. But no, go on. My final question for you is we've spoken a lot about what Lucy has brought to Christine and how much you've been able to give her a voice, to give her a journey, to give her the opportunity to find strength at times when I think a lot of people would struggle to do so. But I wanted to flip it round and I wondered if there was anything that you feel that Christine has given Lucy, the individual.

[38:57] Lucy St Louis: Oh gosh. Oh gosh, she has given me, she's given me so much more understanding of myself. You know, I'd say that Christine is a role that runs very kind of parallel with my life. Her journey in terms of things, you know, I can relate to so many parts of the story deeply with her from personal experiences. But I think her strength of and her compassion and kindness of how she gets through to the end, just her love, her love. She's given me so much. She's given me so much. But as a performer, she's given me so much fulfillment on stage every night, and um to tell her story, to tell the story and to be in the show is just something which will go down as probably one of the best things in my life, you know.

[39:52] William J Connolly: Well, I can imagine her giving you all that allows you to think about what the audience gets from your performance as well. And I can tell you having been able to sit in that audience and see you, it's extraordinary. You are awesomely talented and just remarkably beautiful playing this part. So thank you so much for your time today and just letting me have the opportunity to talk to you. It's a real honor.

[40:11] Lucy St Louis: Thank you.

[40:11] William J Connolly: Oh, bless you. You're so sweet. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Good luck with the show this evening. Enjoy it in all its glory. Go ahead and absolutely smash it.

[40:20] Lucy St Louis: Thank you. You're an angel.

[40:22] William J Connolly: Oh, and you too. I'm lovely to meet you. I'd love to meet you in person at some point.

[40:25] Lucy St Louis: Yeah, definitely. I'm gonna come to the show a lot, so you won't get rid of me, don't worry.

[40:29] William J Connolly: Oh, brilliant. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Have a lovely day, my darling. Bye.

[40:36] Lucy St Louis: You've been listening to Eleven, the official theatre podcast. Find out more about Eleven at elevenpodcast.com or via the Broadway Podcast Network.