Post by carol on Oct 1, 2016 20:44:55 GMT
Nice interview here.
love Carol xx
Gareth lets loose with two left feet in footloose at Mk Theatre
By Bedfordshire On Sunday | Posted: October 01, 2016
0 COMMENTS 1 SHARES
image: www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276460/Article/images/29766197/15588141-large.jpg
NO MEAN FEET: Gareth Gates playing the part of Willard in the latest stage production of Footloose
NO MEAN FEET: Gareth Gates playing the part of Willard in the latest stage production of Footloose
Comments (0)
OVER a decade ago, 17-year-old Gareth Gates burst onto our screens with an astonishing voice. It was made all the more remarkable by a stammer so acute a panel of Pop Idol judges rolled their eyes at his attempts to
introduce himself.
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads
Despite losing to Will Young, he went on to sell more than five million records – and now he's taking his talent onto the stage in Milton Keynes as he prepares to play Willard in iconic rock n' roll musical Footloose.
image: www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276460/binaries/1801388-II_footloose%202.jpg
Gareth chatted to BoS ahead of opening night, and we found out all about his two left feet. . .and how his stammer is after all these years.
Why did you sign up to Footloose?
I played Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in my first school play and my love of theatre began there.
The great thing about this production of Footloose is our director (Racky Plews) has tried to keep the show as true to the film as possible; there are lots of elements that were in the film but not in the original Broadway show that she has brought back.
How's your dancing?
I'm a horrendous dancer. It's awful. But luckily I play a cowboy who can't dance in this show. I've had to do a bit of dancing for music videos and things before so I just get on with it.
Do you have any noughties outfit regrets?
No, I liked the white suit, and the spiky hair – I think it suited me!
When you were interviewed in 2002 for Pop Idol, you said if you got famous you would 'help the hungry and the homeless'. Have you made good on that?
I constantly try to help charities, and in particular I regularly donate to African charities. It's something I feel passionate about. The thing I'm most proud of is the awareness I've raised of stammering. It wasn't really recognised as a disability when I auditioned for Pop Idol. It would have really helped me when I was a kid if there was someone in the public eye who had a stammer.
You've added a lot of strings to your bow – entrepreneur, acting, speech coach. How do your students react when they realise you're going to be their teacher?
I trained to be a speech coach with the McGuire Programme but my speech isn't really good enough at the moment to teach. My stammer is a constant struggle for me – I have to work on my breathing exercises every day and I've not had the time lately. I only came up with the idea for Cuppanut tea seven months ago and it's already being sold in 700 stores. I'm really proud.
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
I'm definitely a dog person – my family had a dog when I was a child. I'm thinking of getting a dog for my daughter Missy, she's my life.
If you could time travel, would you go back or forward?
Hmmm! I think I would travel about 100 years into the future. I'm fascinated by technology.
Footloose is at Milton Keynes Theatre from October 17-22. Book tickets, starting at £21.40, at atgtickets.com
Read more at www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/gareth-lets-loose-with-two-left-feet-in-footloose-at-mk-theatre/story-29766197-detail/story.html#2GT6Ah37l8OeU1ky.99
love Carol xx
Gareth lets loose with two left feet in footloose at Mk Theatre
By Bedfordshire On Sunday | Posted: October 01, 2016
0 COMMENTS 1 SHARES
image: www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276460/Article/images/29766197/15588141-large.jpg
NO MEAN FEET: Gareth Gates playing the part of Willard in the latest stage production of Footloose
NO MEAN FEET: Gareth Gates playing the part of Willard in the latest stage production of Footloose
Comments (0)
OVER a decade ago, 17-year-old Gareth Gates burst onto our screens with an astonishing voice. It was made all the more remarkable by a stammer so acute a panel of Pop Idol judges rolled their eyes at his attempts to
introduce himself.
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads
Despite losing to Will Young, he went on to sell more than five million records – and now he's taking his talent onto the stage in Milton Keynes as he prepares to play Willard in iconic rock n' roll musical Footloose.
image: www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276460/binaries/1801388-II_footloose%202.jpg
Gareth chatted to BoS ahead of opening night, and we found out all about his two left feet. . .and how his stammer is after all these years.
Why did you sign up to Footloose?
I played Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in my first school play and my love of theatre began there.
The great thing about this production of Footloose is our director (Racky Plews) has tried to keep the show as true to the film as possible; there are lots of elements that were in the film but not in the original Broadway show that she has brought back.
How's your dancing?
I'm a horrendous dancer. It's awful. But luckily I play a cowboy who can't dance in this show. I've had to do a bit of dancing for music videos and things before so I just get on with it.
Do you have any noughties outfit regrets?
No, I liked the white suit, and the spiky hair – I think it suited me!
When you were interviewed in 2002 for Pop Idol, you said if you got famous you would 'help the hungry and the homeless'. Have you made good on that?
I constantly try to help charities, and in particular I regularly donate to African charities. It's something I feel passionate about. The thing I'm most proud of is the awareness I've raised of stammering. It wasn't really recognised as a disability when I auditioned for Pop Idol. It would have really helped me when I was a kid if there was someone in the public eye who had a stammer.
You've added a lot of strings to your bow – entrepreneur, acting, speech coach. How do your students react when they realise you're going to be their teacher?
I trained to be a speech coach with the McGuire Programme but my speech isn't really good enough at the moment to teach. My stammer is a constant struggle for me – I have to work on my breathing exercises every day and I've not had the time lately. I only came up with the idea for Cuppanut tea seven months ago and it's already being sold in 700 stores. I'm really proud.
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
I'm definitely a dog person – my family had a dog when I was a child. I'm thinking of getting a dog for my daughter Missy, she's my life.
If you could time travel, would you go back or forward?
Hmmm! I think I would travel about 100 years into the future. I'm fascinated by technology.
Footloose is at Milton Keynes Theatre from October 17-22. Book tickets, starting at £21.40, at atgtickets.com
Read more at www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/gareth-lets-loose-with-two-left-feet-in-footloose-at-mk-theatre/story-29766197-detail/story.html#2GT6Ah37l8OeU1ky.99
