popular

INTERVIEW: TOBIAS TURLEY (MAMMA MIA!) | London, Novello Theatre

Interview

Tobias Turley is the winner of ITV’s MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, a British television talent competition documenting the search for two new, unknown musical theatre performers for Mamma Mia! in the West End.

— Congratulations on winning ITV’s MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, with a prize that money can’t buy: joining the West End cast as Sky. How are you feeling?

I’m feeling great, thank you, I’m having such a blast in this show. It’s such an incredible feeling seeing so many months of hard work pay off and come to fruition. We started filming the TV show over a year ago now, so it’s very odd to see myself in the position I am currently in, but I am loving every second.

— Since opening in 1999, Mamma Mia! has gone on to be one of the most successful musicals in the whole world.  For you, what makes it so popular and so enduring?

This show is built on a foundation of incredible music. ABBA is timeless and beloved all over the world, so that’s a great start. But also it has a great script, incredible production design and amazing choreography. It’s a good mixture all round.

— Tell us about your character, Sky.

Sky is a charming, bubbly island boy. Who is head over heels for Sophie, but not completely sold on the idea of marriage just yet. He loves adventuring on the island, diving, surfing, very typical island behaviour. He’s very level headed, calm and collected but also incredibly light hearted. He’s a good egg.

— Anything else exciting in the pipeline?

The future is looking very exciting and I’m taking everything as it comes.  Being part of the show’s 25th anniversary celebration, with Björn Ulvaeus joining us on stage, was so special; the same anniversary of ABBA winning Eurovision with “Waterloo”, 50 years ago. I feel so incredibly lucky to be in the position I am in.

Tobias Turley is now performing in the West End production of Mamma Mia!, playing eight shows a week.

The Prickle - About transp

PRIVATE LIVES | London, Ambassadors Theatre

Recommended

Noël Coward’s scintillating comic masterpiece Private Lives (1930) starring Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge heads to the West End this Autumn, for a strictly limited 12-week run. The acclaimed Theatre Royal Bath production by award-winning director Christopher Luscombe premiered in 2021, prior to a UK tour in 2022.

Private Lives will be the first production to be staged in the now fully refurbished Ambassadors Theatre, following ATG’s multi-million-pound investment to improve facilities, customer experience, and access. The access improvement works carried out provide an access lift for the first time, the potential for 6 wheelchair spaces, accessible toilet facilities, and improved audio access to support the hearing impaired.

One of the UK’s most popular actors, Nigel Havers has been a favourite with audiences for nearly four decades. His roles on screen have encompassed Downton Abbey and Coronation Street, Chariots of Fire and The Charmer. Stage roles range from Art to Rebecca, to The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre and becoming a mainstay of the annual pantomime at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

One of our best-loved actresses, Olivier Award-winning Patricia Hodge OBE has starred in Travels With My Aunt, Relative Values, Calendar Girls, His Dark Materials, Noises Off and A Little Night Music. Her recent television credits include A Very English Scandal, Downton Abbey and Miranda.

Playing at the Ambassadors Theatre 31 August – 25 November 2023.

The Prickle - About transp