Olivier Award winner, and Tracy Beaker actor, Clive Rowe chats about his upcoming role of Mr Badger in the brand new musical adaptation of The Wind In The Willows – In The Willows.
Q. In the new British Musical In The Willows you play the stern but kindly teacher Mr Badger – keeping an eye on Toad, Rattie, Mole and the others. Did you ever have a teacher who inspired you when you were growing up?
A. My home economics teacher Katherine Scholes – she wrote my first CV for me – she was one of their first people that said I should act – she was always telling me to go to drama school. I kept in touch and even invited her to join me when I received my MBE.
Q. With a rapped-through score and beats from hip-hop composer Keiran Merrick will we see any break-dancing from you in the musical?
A. The only back-flipping I’ll be doing is vocal – I’ll be neither hipping nor hopping in the show – but Pippa [Cleary – the award-winning other half of the composing team, who wrote the smash hit Adrian Mole musical] has written me some beautiful melodies so that’s where I get to show off.
Clive Rowe as Mr Badger (photo, Richard Davenport)
Q. How do you prepare for a performance?
A. I’ve been doing the same warm up for 31 years. It lasts 16 minutes – that’s all you need. Well actually my full routine, which people don’t know about – first thing in the morning I do stretching for my core and legs, whether or not I’m performing. Then a vocal warm up in the shower for 13 minutes. Then my 16 minute warm up and then I’ll join the company on stage later for the group vocal warm up.
Q. Aside from the rigorous warm up to stay vocally match-fit – what’s the secret to your long and illustrious career?
A. There is no secret. You just keep going. And it’s a lot of luck. You just have to turn up, do good work, go home.
The cast of In The Willows (photo, Richard Davenport)
Q. You’ve just finished a star turn in Chichester’s Me and My Girl, reprised your Olivier-award winning performance in Guys And Dolls at The Royal Albert Hall, and after Willows you’ll head straight into Blues In The Night at the Kiln playing opposite Sharon D Clarke. What made you say yes to this brand new, unknown show?
A. When I got the script – it felt new. I didn’t really know the original story – all I remembered was Toad, Rattie, something with a car and Badger – but this version, this musical – it’s so effortlessly modern – so relatable, and so brilliantly accessible to kids – without talking down to them. Once I got into the workshop and realised there was a deaf character and integrated British Sign Language – it was beautiful. I’m a big supporter of new musicals generally but I just thought it was amazing – it is amazing – this show really is being made for everyone.
Q. And what’s the best bit?
A. That’s hard, there are so many… when the Weasels sing ‘Animal’ – I don’t like rap generally, but the aggression of it is completely right for the characters and I can understand every word. And Toad’s big number ‘Easy Life’ – so catchy, so fun and so funny. Badger’s ballad ‘Oh Child’ is so beautiful – it’s a great example of how generational the show is. This soulful, almost Gospel number, is just right for Badger and it’s right for my generation, like the rap is right for the younger characters. The music always captures who it’s coming from – it’s never music for music’s sake. And best of all – I don’t think the music is like any other musical I’ve heard.
See Clive Rowe as Mr Badger in In The Willows from Thursday 7th – Saturday 9th March 2019 at New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth. Click here for more information and to book your tickets.