Direct from the West End the smash-hit musical Singin' in the Rain is heading for a two week run in Plymouth this month. Sue Kemp caught up with one of the stars, former Coronation Street actress Vicky Binns
It's clear as soon as I start talking to Vicky Binns that she is having the time of her life.
Treading the boards in a hit musical is a new departure for the popular soap actress – but one she is loving.
And she almost didn't even go for the audition.
She is just one month into playing the role of Lina Lamont, the blonde screen siren who has appeared in a string of hit silent movies.
Her star is in the ascendant – until she's asked to talk on film, revealing a squawky nails-on-blackboard voice. But she's not about to vacate her Hollywood throne without a fight.
"When my agent called and started telling me about the role and the musical, I thought he had accidently called the wrong client," Vicky laughed.
"I had never done a musical and couldn't understand why I had been called for an audition.
"I thought I'd seen the film Singin' in the Rain and knew the story. But when I sat down and watched it after the chat with my agent – I realised I hadn't seen it. Just the iconic dance sequence with Gene Kelly.
"The film was an absolute treat. I couldn't believe it was made in the 1950s. It is still funny and entertaining, gritty and a great watch.
"I then went to see the West End show and thought it was brilliant. Lana is a gift of a part and I am delighted to be part of it – it is such a huge spectacle.
"It is unlike anything I have done before. But after I saw the show I realised she was a great character and one you could go anywhere with and make your own. Besides, she needs to sing badly and I knew I could do that."
And Vicky is really enjoying playing the show's baddie.
"It's just so much fun to inhabit that diva and think what that would like, to march out in your high heels and tell everyone off," she said. "The writing is packed with humour, pathos and well… fabulousness!
"It's a challenge as a part, because she's got all this sway and power and can cause all this trouble, but with this really high-pitched voice and is also quite dizzy."
She may come across as the baddie of the piece, but the actress is more forgiving of her character.
"I don't think anyone gets up in the morning to be bad," she reasons. "They're just misguided, or perhaps a bit ignorant or arrogant."
But how did Vicky, a northern girl born in Bury, cope with not only the American accent, but also that high pitched voice?
"I had to learn a Brooklyn accent," she says. "So I watched the film Moonstruck about 400 times. Cher does a Brooklyn accent in that so I just tried to copy it.
"And then I had to find a way to make it high pitch and sustainable for the whole show. I just went for it. I curl my toes. and clench my buttocks each night and hope I keep it right up there."
Vicky, who was in Emmerdale for four years before playing Molly Dobbs in Coronation Street for five years, is still getting used to being part of such a big production.
While she's no stranger to theatre – she appeared in Alfie at the Bolton Octagon two years ago and has worked with writer/director John Godber, this is the biggest show the 31-year-old has been involved in.
"The theatres we are playing are huge," she points out.
"All the theatre jobs I've ever done before have been in intimate spaces.
"And the productions have been smaller, where you have to share wigs and shoes, but in this show I have my own. There is no expense spared.
"The costumes and scenery are amazing.
"It is great to be able to go to work and dress up and be part of such a great and popular show."
The musical has a 40-strong cast, and features some of the best songs and dance routines in showbiz, including Make 'em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes and Singin' in the Rain.
And to recreate the famous rain dance sequence the show uses half a mile of flexible pipe work, a 10 tonne water tank and a water system that creates a downpour from above and flooding from below the stage, 'raining' (and recycling) over 12,000 litres of downpour per performance.
"It is unbelievable that the show can re-create that great dance sequence," said Vicky. "The audience love it. All that rain. People love the film and it is great that the show is able to reproduce that iconic moment every night on stage.
"To be in a musical of this scale and quality is a dream job for me."
Vicky started acting while she was at school, starring in the TV drama, Children's Ward. And although she has made a successful career out of something she loves, it was never her plan.
"Children's Ward was just something I did in the school holidays," she says. "I never thought of it as a career. But I did love drama at school and it was something that just clicked with me.
"I have never planned anything, things have just happened. One job just led to another job. When I left school I did a one-off TV drama with Mark Benton and that was the first time I really knew I wanted to do it as a job.
"From there I got the role in Emmerdale. I was 17 when I started playing Ollie Reynolds and it was a six-month contract. I ended up staying there for four years.
"I loved it but felt I needed to do something else if I was going to learn more about the industry. I wanted to try theatre, so I took the decision to leave."
Vicky worked in the theatre for about 18 months before taking the lead role in the one-off TV drama Von Trapped opposite Caroline Quentin. Someone involved in that production was also part of the Coronation Street team and Vicky was then offered a small part in the popular soap.
"It was supposed to be just for three months," she laughed. "But I ended up being there for five years and being involved in the 50th anniversary live show.
"That was a real honour and a thrill to be part of that one-hour special. It was the first time it had ever been done and the show producers were really pushing the boundaries. They really set the bar high."
And not only was she involved in such a historical TV moment – she was part of a major story line. Her character Molly Dobbs was having an affair with her husband's business partner. And, at the climax of the live episode she died from injuries sustained in the tram crash, comforted by her ex-lover's wife.
"It was a joy to be involved in such a fantastic storyline and that it had the explosive ending viewers were waiting for," said Vicky with obvious pride.
"I had an amazing time in the show and it was great to leave on such a high. I am so grateful for that and the job itself. It has enable me to go on and do things like this."
And Singin' in the Rain has given her back the family feel she has missed since leaving the soap. She will be with the show for the second leg of the year-long tour.
"It's the kind of things you miss say with Corrie," she admits. "Being part of a longer-running company, you get that kind of team feel."
But that is where the similarities end.
"Theatre is totally different," Vicky says. "You have to surrender to the job and write off your normal routine. You are always on the move. But it is good fun.
"The first few days in a new town you just know where the theatre is and where your digs are, and then later in the week you get the chance to explore."
"It is a great opportunity to see different parts of the country. We were in Ireland recently and that was great. The audiences were lovely."
When we talk Vicky is with the show in Norfolk, and says she is looking forward to visiting Devon for the first time.
"Coming from Manchester the South West always seemed such a long way away," she says. "So I have never been to Exeter or Plymouth. I can't wait.
"That's the bonus of the job – you get to travel. I am really looking forward to coming to Plymouth, seeing the city and sharing this great show with a new audience.
"If, like me, you have seen and love the film, it is a real treat to see how it can be brought so lavishly to the stage – if not, what a way to experience the story for the first time. You cannot beat live theatre."
Singin' in the Rain will be at The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, from June 17 to 28. Ticket details on www.theatreroyal.com or 01752 267222.
West End acclaim
This production of Singin' in the Rain opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre in summer 2011 and was extended due to unprecedented public demand. It then transferred to the iconic Palace Theatre in the West End in February 2012 where it received huge critical acclaim, four Olivier Award nominations, and played to more than 750,000 happy audience members, some leaving the theatre a little wetter than when they arrived!
It also stars American and UK stage and screen leading man Max Caulfield.
Max, 53, best known for his roles in American hits Dynasty and The Colbys, stars as studio boss RF Simpson.
Max – married to actress Juliet Mills – who many will remember from his lead role in the 1982 film Grease 2 opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, said: "I am thrilled to be hitting the road with Singin' In The Rain. I am a huge fan of the original movie, so the chance to bring this story to life on stage is something I couldn't pass up."
All-singing, all-dancing, all-raining extravaganza facts:
6,000 litres of water are used each time it rains on stage – 2,000 falling from above and 4,000 flooding from below. It rains twice during each performance, so that's 12,000 litres of water in total.
Don't worry, it's all recycled! The water drains back into a reservoir. When full it holds 10,000 litres.
There's also a treatment plant where the water is filtered and treated to prevent bacteria developing.
The water is heated to 30 degrees. It has to travel through a quarter of a mile of pipes to fall from above, which means it can take a little while to warm up!
![Vicky Binns: From Coronation Street to Singin' in the Rain]( "Vicky Binns: From Coronation Street to Singin' in the Rain")
