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[0:01] Melody Thornton: Hi, I'm Melody, and you're 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's the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter that's known across the globe for her kick-ass pop star bops and legendary performances in The Pussycat Dolls. But now she's taking on a whole new challenge as she plays Rachel Marron in the stage adaptation of The Bodyguard, a role, of course, made famous by the legendary Whitney Houston. So here, in the closing weeks of a run, and in a slightly more hushed tone to protect her extraordinary gift ahead of the show later that day, it's time to find out what it's been like following in the footsteps of one of the greatest artists of all time and why she's embracing the nerves to stand in her own moment.

Plus, in a rather emotional part of this conversation, she reveals the deeply personal joy she's found in pushing herself into the spotlight to receive her own and deserved round of applause. It's quite something. So here she is. It's the brilliant Melody Thornton here now on this, the next episode of Eleven, the official theatre podcast.

[1:21] William J Connolly: To ensure the safety of all involved in this episode of Eleven, Melody and I connected for this conversation digitally, so please forgive any brief moments while we wait for the internet to catch up. Enjoy.

[1:36] William J Connolly: Please let me welcome to this the next episode of Eleven. She is the multi-platinum Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter that's now smashing it out the park each and every night, as the legendary Rachel Marron in the stage adaptation that's quite possibly got the finest soundtrack ever. Hopefully feeling like a million-dollar bill today. Sorry, Whitney puns all the way. Hi, Melody Thornton, how are you?

[1:57] Melody Thornton: Yes, I'm okay. How are you?

[1:58] William J Connolly: I'm doing really well. Thank you so much for agreeing to give me some of your time. I'm very, very excited to get the opportunity to talk to you today about this extraordinary role, this extraordinary show, and most importantly this extraordinary performance that you're giving, which I had the pleasure of seeing you when you were down here near London. And it was such a wonderful, wonderful evening at the theater. Before we talk about specifics and how incredible this story is and this score, most importantly, are you having the best time?

[2:21] Melody Thornton: Yeah, it's an awesome role. It definitely takes a lot of discipline. So there's actually a lot of downtime from the outside world. You have to kind of isolate because you have to be really careful throughout the day how much you do and saving energy for the evening. But I love discipline on that level, so I'm having fun, yes.

[2:45] William J Connolly: Is sort of protecting the voice in your body and reminding yourself you have this huge sort of score and show to sing each night. Is this something new? Is this a world where I guess a little bit of isolation for you but knowing that it's going on to something great? Have you sort of got used to this independence?

[2:58] Melody Thornton: Yeah, I mean, I kind of am that way regardless, but this particular role in this show does demand more than I would say others. So it can be a little bit of a challenge because you have to use your words to communicate and you just hope that you're surrounded by really understanding people. For me, it's different; my family is at home on a different time zone. So I just have to be really, really careful with the choices that I make throughout the day, but yeah, it's all good.

[3:31] William J Connolly: For you, was this something that you I guess you were aware of when you first took on the role, or is this always the extra element of the physical part of doing such an iconic show and role like this? I guess how much did you think about this part of the performing world? Because we think about what you do on stage, but actually being an artist like you are, you know, it's a real discipline. This is hard work.

[3:49] Melody Thornton: Yeah, I knew that it would be this way, and that's okay. I mean, I think that you want to be challenged as much as possible. And the character herself, she's got a child. I don't have any children. I'm very, very aware of my surroundings and who I have around me, whereas she's kind of aloof and just really focused on her career, but also her priority is her child. So, you know, you always enjoy a challenge on that level. So I'm not complaining, definitely not.

[4:21] William J Connolly: So, how much convincing did it take when this the possibility of you playing this role was first floated towards you? Was it an immediate yes, or did you have to enter with a little bit of caution? Because it's so iconic.

[4:32] Melody Thornton: It was a yes right away, and then I had a lot of doubt, and I kind of wanted to pull out of it just for other reasons. You know, tours are really hard on the body and it's hard on the mind. And if you don't have a good group of people, it can be really painful on so many levels. So yeah, it didn't take much convincing. I'm at a point in my life where I'm gonna do what's best for me and then also really just trying to shape and mold the career. So yeah, it's one of those that if you do this and you do it well, I think it's, I mean, you could really do anything then.

[5:04] William J Connolly: So are you at that position now because you've played the role for a period of time where you sort of are so glad that you did fight those demons, you did fight forward to make sure you could do because it's no easy feat playing this role, and I hope, I really do hope that there's a great sense of pride in what you have achieved and the vocals you're delivering, the performance you're delivering. Because as I said at the start, it's extraordinary what you're delivering on that stage.

[5:35] Melody Thornton: Well, thank you so much. I think that no matter what I do, I'm always looking for a way to kick it in the ass more. And how can you know what else can I do with this character? I do still think that there are things that can be done that I haven't really, you know, I would need there are other elements that I would need to see it bigger and make it bigger. But yeah, I think that something like this is, some people might say it's not that much of a challenge. You know, I was a pop star as well. I know what it means to have, you know, strangers kind of think they know you and all that good stuff. So yeah, I'm definitely proud. I've done it before; I did it in China, but I didn't miss one show, whereas I've missed shows here.

[6:21] William J Connolly: I was gonna mention the China thing because I was gonna ask how much do you think that influenced your position to be able to come do it now? I guess. Do you think that that was a part one of a story that you didn't feel was completed? Like, did you always think you had history with her? Did you always, I guess, want to go again?

[6:38] Melody Thornton: I definitely wanted to do it again in a market where I literally speak the same language. I don't want to in any way make anyone think that I was not really grateful to the people of China and all of the theatergoers there because they were lovely. And I learned so much as well, but that was a really challenging environment for any singer. Pollution of that extent is really detrimental to your health and your ability to create really pure sound. So I did want to do it again, but I also wanted just to hear directly from people like yourself that like I went, I saw it, it was great. For that reason, I wanted to do it again. And yeah, it just to make sure that because I pushed, I had to push myself really hard in China, and I was digging from a place that like, you know, from your emergency box as a performer, and I was doing that a lot. I just wanted to make sure that this was something that I could do the way that I knew I could do it. So I feel like I've done that.

[7:50] William J Connolly: I guess for a little bit of context for people that are either have come or going to come see the show. What is it that is the challenge? Obviously, we all know the song, so therefore there's legacy involved. There's the film, there's Whitney, etc. But also she's got to be so on the money in terms of your acting choices, and you know, you've got to be on the front foot. She's, you know, I don't ever think that Rachel is behind; she's always pushing forward, and that's as exhausting, right, as the three and a half, four-minute songs back to back. You're sort of never off the conveyor belt, right?

[8:19] Melody Thornton: Absolutely. Also, I mean, I think that there are separate elements to keep in mind. First of all, she's extremely busy from the moment that she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed, right? And that all of that career, and then you have that she's in danger and she doesn't even know that. You have the fact that she's a woman and that she's a loving woman and she's finding love, you know, in the arc. For me as an actress, I want to be able to show at the right moments that she's a woman and that she's, you know, she's got a crush and just a different side of her as opposed to what you see when you first meet her, which is my, you know, not micromanaging, but kind of on top of everything and trying to push, like you said, push everything along, the dancers throughout the day, speak to the people that she has behind her, make sure that her son feels loved and safe. There are a lot of fun elements, but you want to be sure that she's coming across as a human being and not the machine that she is.

[9:25] Melody Thornton: And also I feel like vulnerability or realism or the reality of human beings, which is that we are all flawed, means that I often find that when actors say they have to not play fiery characters but characters that are real, they're actually harder to play because they're so multidimensional; they're not just on one track. And I imagine in some of the more vulnerable moments, that probably takes as much energy from you because you're also having to apply a different part of your talents to it. Like, is it just so is it just flexing into so many different parts of you, physically, emotionally, the varying different personalities that she has at certain times? Like, is that I guess the greatest hurdle, but the greatest reward?

[10:06] Melody Thornton: It's not really a hurdle. It's, you know, I mean, I think the biggest thing about acting is listening and being good on your feet, you know. So as long as you have, I mean, I'm working with talented people. My co-star, Aidan Callahan, is extremely talented. Emily Maywalker is extremely talented, and I think they're respectful as well. Like we all respect each other as actors. I think that the people who are fantastic actors really respect that me and Emily also are singing, and it's like, oh, you know, there that's a whole other kettle of fish that you have to keep in mind. So it really is, I think that this role, Rachel Marron, it does take a specific kind of on your feet, you know, and staying light on your feet.

[11:00] Melody Thornton: It's never really autopilot from beginning to the end of the tour, it'll never be, because there are other elements, um, there are unforeseen things that pop up that, you know, whether there's additional noise backstage that you weren't expecting and you have to push a little bit more, and then that takes gas out of your tank. Um, you know, those are all things that that um yeah, that you have to keep in mind. So yeah. I think the immediate reaction from like an audience member is it must be terrifying to play this role and sing these songs, but I would argue the opposite, that there's a legacy and therefore love. You know that the audience coming to see the show loves this music and they want to will you on to do well.

I guess how have you found the pressure of the fact this is the greatest artist of all time, the greatest voice of all time, and you have the opportunity to follow in her footsteps. I guess how did you tackle it musically to make sure that we got the luxury of hearing your versions of these songs, and I guess not a carbon copy of what might have greatly come before. I mean, I think that it's a bit of both. There's definitely a mental element that comes into play where anxiety has you have to really stay with yourself mentally. And um the thing is, you know, I'm an 80s baby, so I got to watch Whitney in real time. I think that I think that people who come after might feel more pressured because um because she's an icon, you know.

But I enjoyed her in real time, and so there's an excitement about singing. She taught me how to sing, you know. I don't come from money, so I didn't have like I didn't go to a theater school and I didn't have voice lessons. I kind of started taking lessons once I got into the Pussycat Dolls. So what I taught myself was listening to people like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and uh so I trust myself on that level, but you also just you don't want to be somebody who's just singing the songs and then kind of flubbing through the lines. So there are elements of anxiety that come with it. Um mostly it's just it really just comes down to taking care of yourself and then allowing yourself to be misunderstood by people when you can't swim throughout the day and a wave is just gonna have to do, you know, whatever whatever they take from that if they get offended or upset that you can't be with them throughout the day, or you know, you can't go to the bar at night, you know, those are just it's um it's painful, but you know, it's part of being misunderstood. Is is it being misunderstood is part of playing this role, I think. A wave can be cute. I like a good wave as long as it's done with good intentions.

[13:41] William J Connolly: Talk to me about the fact that you obviously play this role, you get to play all the time, you get to play it inside of a theater of people who are there willing you on, and then the opportunity to sing it on national television comes along. And it was exquisite. I mean, I don't know if you were feeling nervous, I would have been shitting myself, but it didn't show. You were just extraordinary. What was an opportunity singing, I think arguably the greatest song of all time on internet well, in not just UK but international television, knowing that your version of it is gonna be out there forever, I guess. Was that an exciting opportunity or were you absolutely cacking it?

[14:16] Melody Thornton: I was so happy about it, really, really, really grateful. There were a few things and I spoke to people after, you know, after the performance that felt what I felt, which it's sorry, excuse me. Um, yeah, it was uh it's an homage to the greatest singer in the world, um, to one of the best female songwriters ever as well. And then um, and then oddly, you know, it's taken so long. I mean, there are a lot of people who appreciate Melody Thornton from the Pussycat Dolls, but then there aren't as many that know that that vocal ability was always there. So the opportunity to actually just go to work and do what I do to do it in a way that's undeniable, you know, like there's no one there to change the you know, your microphone levels or to adjust things to make you seem not as talented as you actually are.

So that's that was my moment. That's what I took from it. And then there were people who kind of celebrate it in the same way who are in musical theater now who were rooting for Melody from the Pussycat Dolls, going, Oh my god, like there's no way, there's no way anybody can deny it. So yeah, that was it was all those elements, um, asking Whitney for permission. Because I'm a spiritual person, I believe in God. And she was very religious as well, knowing if she used to say God is my agent. And I say I say the same thing, just kind of knowing that someday you're gonna have it'll all fall into place. So um, yeah, asking the gods. And she for me, she's up there, you know, going, Yeah, go for it. I'm with you. That was big night of musicals for that was what that was for me.

[16:07] William J Connolly: Do you think you knew that that moment meant so much and was such an important chapter in your life beforehand, or do you think this was perhaps a realization afterwards?

[16:15] Melody Thornton: Um, I knew going into it. So I wanted to make sure, like, do it. Don't get, you know, don't let your emotions get in the way. Like what I always say is I'm just going to work, you know. I'm just going to work. I do all the rehearsal and um and there's there's 20 years now, I mean 19, 20 years now of owning that craft, but there's nothing in the way. You know, there aren't other people in the way or people concerned that, oh God, if they know she can sing, what does that mean for me? You know. So yeah. So I I just went for it. I just went for it knowing that I'd been working for it for a long time.

[16:52] Melody Thornton: When you see the extraordinary reviews, the extraordinary audience reaction, and then you arrive at a theater with your name, top billing, this role, these songs, this performance that you're delivering with great, you know, with great sacrifice, and you see what it means to you on a personal level. Is this a bigger moment for you? Is this when all the cards seem to have fallen together?

[17:16] Melody Thornton: Yeah, I'm grateful. I'm grateful to this company. Um, because they gave me a shot in the first place. Um, I'd never done a musical before, but I, you know, I had a lot of experience and stage and performance in general and could sing the song. So I was grateful to them for allowing me space. And they're still allowing me space, you know. I mean, it's hard. You have to push for that as a lead and hope that people will trust you. And they have, they have. So I'm really grateful to Crossroads, um, to the general manager of this company, Lisa Fleming, for just always looking and like giving me that space, you know. And as I say, you know, I still think there's room to kick it in the ass some more.

So there are things that I'd love to do with it. And, you know, and uh how can I make it bigger is kind of my um it's Michael Jordan, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, you know, I'm an 80s baby. So Michael Jordan definitely uh was not around to um uh do anything other than smoke cigars, play golf and and play basketball at the highest level. And uh so I always watch all the documentaries on him and and and kind of take that attitude that like, you know, if yeah, I'm sure I could kick it in the ass more somewhere. Um yeah, no, I do I I take it all in and I'm grateful that um my co-star is extremely, extremely talented. The other actors as well are super super talented and that this is a great cast.

[18:46] William J Connolly: My very final question for you, because you've been really, really kind with your time. So thank you so much once again. Is you've spoken so much about personal meanings, about the legacy, about the way in which you lead with your heart. It seems like you very much try and push yourself forward, which I think is an incredibly endearing personality trait. But also you are very vulnerable and you talk about the fact that confidence is a huge part of a lot of the challenges that do often hold us back, unfortunately. When you think about your love of singing, the fact that you knew that there was possibility in there to do great things. When you think back to the start of your career all the way up to now, what do you think this opportunity, this performance that you're delivering and this moment would have meant to you way back when? Could she have thought that this was possible?

[19:28] Melody Thornton: I think that yeah I think when I started there was more of that it's um it's trying to hang on to it, you know, learning what you learn about the industry and there's so many politics and I guess I'm talking to baby Mel. I've been through a lot of therapy so I have to talk to like my inner child and then also um the young the younger performer and starting out. No, I think I had more of it. Um because ignorance is bliss man. You have no idea it feels like you know it's shark infested waters. That's what it is. You but you become you you learn your your own compass and you trust yourself as a sailor or as a captain of your own ship you know and uh when you run into issues you know how to get the get around them and then and then it's about staying enthusiastic um and and dreaming at the level that you did when you were a kid you know so I have to stay in touch with with her baby Mel.

That's what I call and I was called baby doll as well in the group. So um and that's what I would say is is you know those ups and downs of people who we have a word for it jaded right people become but really it's not that it's just people get tired um and and want to prioritize the art and not all of the politics but unfortunately you have to learn those things. I'd say that yeah no as I say when I was younger I had more of it um but I always circle back to that that enthusiasm.

[21:03] William J Connolly: Well, thank you so much for your time. And I hope most importantly that that baby doll and baby Mel way back then. I know that she'd be very proud of you now because it is an exquisite, exquisite performance. So congratulations for that performance, and most importantly, for the performances in the future. Keep kicking ass as you say. Um I look forward to coming and seeing it again because I am obviously obsessed. But just thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. It's been so lovely speaking to you.

[21:26] Melody Thornton: Thank you. Bye.

[21:29] William J Connolly: You've been listening to Eleven, the official theatre podcast. Find out more about eleven at elevenpodcast.com or via the Broadway Podcast Network.