Just A Quickie with... Richard Swerrun, who has swapped Joseph for another Lloyd Webber musical, Whistle Down The Wind, at the Grand Opera House, York, next week.
Richard, how come you have been sporting Joseph's amazing Technicolor dreamcoat again. Didn't you call time after 2,500 performances?
"Well, I've been doing it in the West End. I thought I was never going to do it again but it's amazing what clever lighting can do!
"H from Steps has taken over now in London, and I did just the first few weeks of the tour, while they kindly kept the role in Whistle Down The Wind open for me. The understudy played it for a couple of weeks and I joined the company three weeks into the run."
How is the role of Boone in Whistle Down The Wind different from that of Joseph?
"I have to look about 18 for Joseph and 42 for this, so it's a matter of cutting the hair and greying it for this, and the funniest thing is that I am in fact 42, so it's a bit bizarre having to make myself look my age. But I'm loving it: I get to sing the title song, and the show has an absolutely fantastic score. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius."
Describe the character of Boone.
"Boone is the father of Swallow, the girl who discovers a mysterious man hiding out in the barn and thinks he is Jesus Christ. She's the role played by Hayley Mills in the film.
Boone has just lost his wife and he's quite a stressed, depressed father doing his best to bring up his three children without money, so it's great to be playing someone the opposite of my own character. When Bill Kenwright asked me to do it, he did say 'Boone is totally different from you'. So I asked him 'Why are you giving it to me?' and he said 'Because it would be a good role for you to do'."
What challenges does playing Boone present?
"I get to sing in a lower register, so I have to get used to the timbre, lowering everything, after hitting the top Cs in Joseph. With this role, even the speaking voice is half an octave lower, and you just have to get used to pushing down the diaphragm to the max.
"After the show I have to do a vocal cool-down where I take my voice back up to its normal top register, and before the next show I'll do a vocal warm-up. Half an hour is fine."
Apart from Joseph, what other role have you played at the Grand Opera House?
"I was Robin in Robin: Prince Of Sherwood. I was playing this 30-year-old swashbuckling blond, swinging on ropes across the stage and singing even higher notes than in Joseph. I absolutely adored that role!"
York audiences adored you too, both as Robin and Joseph. So much so, you have something of a female following in the city. How will the Swerrun fan club react to your new look in Whistle Down The Wind?
"I have a moustache and dark, greying hair and lots of designer stubble this time. Some people have been struggling to recognise me. Even the theatre manager at Wolverhampton didn't realise it was me."
After the Wind dies down, what comes next for you?
"A holiday! After that, hopefully I'll be doing a tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, which really suits my voice. A couple of years ago I played a suave and dashing Satan in Roll Over Jehovah, and it was great fun playing evil, especially when I had had to be so charming at the same time. Playing Jesus would be very different again."
Bill Kenwright's production of Whistle Down The Wind runs at the Grand Opera House, York, from May 10 to 15. Performances: Monday to Saturday, 7.30pm; Wednesday, Saturday, 2.30pm. Box office: 0870 606 3595.
Updated: 09:45 Friday, May 07, 2004
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