Interview: Trevor Ashley on THE PRODUCERS in West End and A MILLION YEARS OF MINNELLI
Actor, writer, director and cabaret performer Trevor Ashley is currently starring as Roger De Bris in The Producers at the Garrick Theatre, and is nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. We spoke to him about his time in the musical so far, and his upcoming one-night-only show A Million Years of Minnelli, which will celebrate the 80th birthday of the iconic Liza Minnelli.
This year, you were nominated for an Olivier Award! How did it feel to be a nominee?
It was slightly surreal. To have that happen on my first ever West End musical was pretty special. The actual night was a hoot also - I was sat between two darling friends - Russell Tovey and Cole Escola, so it was pretty fab to share the night with them. My Dad flew all the way from Australia for it, so it was amazing.
How has your experience on The Producers been so far?
Possibly one of the greatest theatrical experiences of my life. Patrick Marber and the whole team are incredible - I’m so proud of the show. We hit 400 shows the other day, plus we did almost 100 at the Menier so it’s been a long run. I’ll definitely miss it when I don’t get to do it every day. But to bring so much joy to the West End audiences has been a thrill.
What is your favourite part of the show to perform?
This will be no surprise but ‘Springtime’! It’s such a hoot to perform and see everyone’s reactions throughout the number. From the entrance to the end, it’s a wild ride.
How did you decide which songs to include in your concert A Million Years of Minnelli?
It has actually been quite difficult! I’ve done four full two-hour Liza shows over the years (I have been doing her for a long time) but I used her autobiography as a basis and wanted to tell stories from the book on stage and then sing songs that related. Plus - you have to do the hits - people would probably be annoyed if I didn’t sing ‘New York, New York’!
What first inspired you to perform as Liza Minnelli?
It kind of happened accidentally. Obviously, I’ve been a fan forever, but I was performing on a gay cruise, and I’d run out of songs, so I decided to sing as Liza and speak as her. It absolutely brought the house down. When Liza toured Australia, I thought I should follow her around and do a full show. It went mad - sold out and the rest is history.
What do you enjoy most about performing as her?
A - I think she’s a genius. A brilliant storyteller and a fabulous singer. B - she’s really easy to kind of make fun of. But I am respectful of her, and it’s a real hoot. Mainly - I just love singing the songbook! She has absolute bangers.
The Producers plays at the Garrick Theatre until 19 September, with tickets available here.
