I hate to hear people complain when they discover they will
have to see an Understudy perform as one of the lead roles in a musical. Theatre today is vastly powered by “names” in
lead roles which is a huge shame as there are so many talented West End
Understudies treading the boards who are more often than not far more talented
and better qualified to play the role.
What’s more these performers have such a desire and passion for their
art, they quite often hold down a 9-5 day job as well as being in the
cast of a musical. It’s an unfortunate reality
in the world of theatre that the wages are such that the ensemble members
cannot support themselves living in London on their theatre wage alone. These people give their all eight shows a
week and at times must be dead on their feet.
Respect! Their tremendous
heartfelt commitment inspires and humbles me.
I actually love going to the theatre with the sole intention
of seeing an understudy in action. That’s
exactly what I’ve done twice now with Ghost the Musical at London’s Piccadilly
Theatre. Rebecca Trehearn is a prime
example of an understudy who should be holding a permanent lead role as Molly
Jensen in Ghost. She currently only
covers the role when Siobhan Dillon, of the BBC’s competition show, “How Do You
Solve A Problem Like Maria,” is off sick or on holiday. Although I don’t dislike Siobhan’s
interpretation of the role, I much prefer that of Rebecca. Rebecca clearly relishes the opportunity to
get out on stage and show the theatre world what she’s made of. She’s so passionate about her craft and this
transcends into every breath she takes up on stage. It’s not like watching someone play Molly, it’
like she IS Molly, embodying the character and drawing the audience into her
world. Many performers can get up there,
deliver a note perfect performance and reel off the script but few have the
innate ability to become someone else up on stage. Rebecca Trehearn is one of the few who can
achieve all of this, she’s a rare gem and I don’t think she actually realises
how incredibly good she is. She knows
she can sing, I’m sure of that but she’s way too modest and humble to fully
admit this herself. She’ll always be
striving to improve, to better her last performance and that’s the mindset of
someone who’s in the trade because they love it, it’s embedded deep in their
heart and is the blood that keeps their soul alive.
From the moment Rebecca sets foot on stage she lives and
breathes Molly Jensen and no sooner has she interpreted the show’s opening
number, “Here Right Now” with Mark Evans as Sam Wheat, the audience already
“believe.” They believe in Molly. Certain performers connect with an audience
immediately. They draw them in, have
them hanging on their every word, feeling and emotion, taking them on a
journey. When Rebecca performs she does
exactly this, in fact she carries the show throughout. She’s the link to all the characters and
without her pulling off this genuine connection, the show would not flow, the
audience would not “feel.” The rest of
the cast, especially the other leads feed from her honesty and draw strength
and confidence through her.
Admittedly Rebecca is a tremendously talented actress but
when watching her you can’t help but think there’s a deeper connection to her
performance. When she sings she doesn’t
just belt out a song line for line, breath for breath. Something about the way Rebecca delivers a
song takes on a depth that runs beyond the lyrics and the script. When she sings, “With You,” a poignant moment
in the storyline, her eyes harbour a pain, the emotion audible and visible in
her delivery, her breathing rising and falling as she absorbs the emotion and
pulls it all back in to take the song to her head voice and deliver one of the
most moving and heartfelt moments I’ve ever witnessed in Musical Theatre. I’ve heard Caissie Levy, (Original London
Cast), deliver the song with equal power and grace but even she can’t give it
the emotional intensity and connection I feel when Rebecca sings the song. The same can be said for Rebecca’s
interpretations of all the songs she sings in the show. Her vocal tones are beautiful and
diverse. She gives a song light and
shade, she has an angelic grace to her head voice and when she opens up her
chest voice there’s no holding her back.
Some of the notes she powers out will leave an audience in awe, mouths
aghast. Rebecca’s “Suspend My Disbelief
/ Rain Hold On” is packed full of vocal acrobatics that few could deliver
whilst acting out a role simultaneously.
One of her ultimate shining vocal moments in the show actually goes
unapplauded due to the tight script linking and scene change. “Nothing Stops Another Day” is one of the
show’s most memorable songs and Rebecca’s delivery on all levels is
perfection. This is without doubt her
crowning moment in the show.
Rebecca’s American accent is seamless throughout. This is no doubt partly due to extensive
study and practice on Rebcecca’s behalf but also I’m pretty convinced a lot of
it boils down to her connection to the character and her complete immersion
into Molly’s life and experiences. I can
honestly say I haven’t come across any British Musical Theatre lead, be it male
or female who can carry off an American accent the whole way through without
faltering. It’s rare to come across a
performer who not only delivers vocal excellence but can also make an audience
relate and connect emotionally through their acting. So how does Rebecca do all of this with such
apparent ease? Simple, she’s not acting
the role, she feeling the role.
Rebecca Trehearn is a credit to the West End and without a
flicker of doubt one of Ghost the Musical’s finest assets. As you can gather this is not a review of
“Ghost the Musical” per se, more a focus upon an individual cast member’s
outstanding contribution to the show’s success.
Rebecca is a tour de force, she’s sensationally talented, immensely
passionate and thoroughly committed and hard working. She would fully deserve to take over lead
as Molly from Siobhan Dillon when her contract expires. I really do hope cast and creative team and
the show’s producers recognise what a glittering superstar they have in
Rebcecca. However the future may pan out
for her, one thing is certain, Rebecca’s future is written in the stars!
Rebecca Trehearn - Nothing Stops Another Day
(no copyright infringement intended)
Be sure to catch
Rebecca in Ghost the Musical at London’s Piccadilly Theatre.
Book tickets here:
Her confirmed
performance dates covering the role of Molly are:
July 23rd – August 4th
August 30th – September 1st
She’s also
performing in “Laugh And Be Happy” at Chichester Festival Theatre on 8th
July 2012
Listen to some
recent recordings I made at “West End In Concert” on my Youtube channel here:
Rebecca performs “Gravity” (Sara Bareilles):
And “Breathe” (In The Heights):
Follow Rebecca on
Twitter:
