S11 Ep43: Emily-Mae, star of Hamilton, Anything Goes, Frozen & The Bodyguard

In The Frame: Theatre Interviews from West End Frame

Musical theatre performer Emily-Mae joins Andrew Tomlins to discuss her recent career transitions, moving from a long-running role in Hamilt

Key takeaways

• Emily-Mae describes the intense mental shift required when moving from the rigid routine of Hamilton to the more flexible schedule of freelance work.
• She recounts a terrifying costume failure during her debut as Rachel in The Bodyguard where her zipper broke, leaving her without tights.

Main topics

• Transitioning between musical theatre roles
• The pressures of West End performance

Notable quotes

I'm finding, trying to find the calm in the chaos, which is my perfect state of being.

Conclusion

A heartfelt look at the resilience, humor, and networking required to

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Run to You, obviously, Nikki does a harmony and Rachel is on the top line. But I'm so used to doing the harmony that I think in my debut, I'm like, I wanna run to you. Like I'm trying to fight, like I'm not sure which Speaker 1 (0:17) one I'm on. I'm kind of listening to Nikki and listening to myself being like, what Speaker 2 (0:21) am I doing? What is this harmony? I was always singing something in tune. It just wasn't always my line. It Speaker 1 (0:29) was a lot. Speaker 2 (0:30) It was something. People knew what it was. Speaker 1 (0:35) Hello and welcome to In The Frame. I'm your host and West End Frame editor, Andrew Tomlins, and each week I speak to someone from the world of theatre. Today's guest is Emily May, who is back on the podcast, fresh from her two-year run as Angelica in Hamilton, which was followed by a stint at Kilworth House Theatre, starring as Reno Sweeney. in anything goes. On Monday, the 28th of September, she is teaming up with Josh St. Clair, who she was in City of Angels and Frozen with, for a special concert called Mates Raids at Crazy Cox. The last time Emily May was on the pod, she was starring as Nikki, whilst also covering Rachel in the UK tour of The Bodyguard. Her theatre credits also include Pippi Longstocking, Brooklyn, Little Shop of Horrors, The Producers, Hairspray and more. Emily May has also released her own original music and regularly performs in lots of very swanky concerts. She's everywhere. Earlier this week, Emily May came into the podcast booth. We took a deep dive into her run in Hamilton. and discussed what it was then like to transition into the totally different world of Anything Goes. We discussed her upcoming concert, how she views success, and she also explained how a costume malfunction upstaged her debut as Rachel in The Bodyguard. Here is the interview. Speaker 2 (2:19) Emily May. Hi. You're back in the frame. I'm back in the frame, baby. And you're here. I'm here. I'm in person. I could touch you. I know. Because last time you were in the bodyguard, you were on tour. I was in a little kitchenette in Liverpool. Beautiful kitchenette. Thank you, Natalie, I think the host name was. But it's nice to be here and actually see you. I Speaker 1 (2:40) know. I felt like, for me anyway, it was love at first sight. It was. Speaker 2 (2:44) It was. Speaker 1 (2:45) It was. Emily May has a twinkle in her eye. And, you know, I just am attracted to those sorts of people. Speaker 2 (2:52) Attracted to chaos. Attracted to someone who looks like they're going to bring a little bit of carnage. Speaker 1 (2:57) I'm always like, OK, that's my sort of person. Yeah, it's fun. And then we just have the most fun time. Speaker 2 (3:02) Over Zoom. So surely this has to be better. This Speaker 1 (3:05) is going to be top tier. Top tier podcasting. How have I captured you? What's like, because, you know, you finished Hamilton and you went straight into Anything Goes and it's all going on. You've got this gig coming up. We're going to talk about it. But like, what's the mode, the pace, the headspace? Like, how are you? Speaker 2 (3:22) Beautiful question. Thank you for asking. Yes, as you said, went straight from Hamilton of two years into Anything Goes, doubled up rehearsals and performances and went straight into re-knowing, living my best life. But it was full on. finished that at the start of August and then I used my passport aggressively and enjoyed it quite a lot. Went to Corfu, had a holiday, went to Kerry in Ireland, had a chill and then I came back thinking I was going to continue that chill and life has other plans. Life just said we're going to do the most. We're going to be auditioning, we're going to be workshopping, we're going to be gigging and I am very, very grateful for all of it. I am finding, trying to find the calm in the chaos, which is my perfect state of being. Because if I'm being totally honest, I don't like sitting still. And I get really bored. Like in a matter of seconds, I get bored. So as much as I say, I just love, you know, a couple of weeks of doing nothing. I know I have one day and I'm ringing my agent like, what's happening next? Or I'm ringing my friends like, shall we do a gig? Or I'm finding something. So I'm currently managing my own brain wanting to do the most and my body saying, sit down, girl. Because I now have a cold. Because I've tried to do the most and do too much. My body said. sit down a second. We've got this. So my mode of the minute is like telling myself off to sit down whilst enjoying the busyness. Speaker 1 (5:02) This is a chill time. This is your chill hour. Yeah, this is Speaker 2 (5:05) my, we're resting, you know. Everything's fine. Speaker 1 (5:09) Emily May is now draped across this kind of soundproofing foam that we have. Speaker 2 (5:14) Which is, I wish the people could see. I'll describe it. It's many, many little foam squares that, move and pop in and it is an absolute like ADHD nightmare because you cannot not touch this it's like having bubble wrap right next to you I Speaker 1 (5:31) have been told this before yeah you are not alone in your kind of temptation to play and Speaker 2 (5:36) you think it's going to be still and you lean into it and you it absorbs you Speaker 1 (5:39) and then it's actually comfortable it takes Speaker 2 (5:40) you in yeah Speaker 1 (5:41) I'm Speaker 2 (5:43) I'm very welcomed in this room this Speaker 1 (5:45) is a safe space yes uh brilliant Is it weird to go from when you're in show mode, you have that eight show a week routine, obviously gruelling hard into then hustle mode. It's like, oh, I'm travelling to this place. I'm going to that place. I've got to be here. I've got to be there. It's very, very different day to day rhythm. So Speaker 2 (6:05) different. And it's such a catch 22 for me. I think when I'm in a show, obviously, financially, you know what's going on and stability wise, your days and weeks are planned, years are planned, which. is good in one respect obviously because you know what's going on you can plan things around it but in the other respect you do feel a bit trapped and a bit locked in and you get a bit in your head like I found it towards the end of Hamilton quite anxiety inducing of doing the same thing and the pressure of the show and the relentlessness obviously of doing that and then feeling guilty for not feeling grateful enough for being in this amazing thing and feeling bad about Speaker 1 (6:42) going Speaker 2 (6:43) there's so many emotions jay Speaker 1 (6:45) perry who was in your class he's spoken social media about it didn't he and it's Speaker 2 (6:49) such a freaked Speaker 1 (6:50) out he'd feel like anxiety kind of induced like moments of like oh Speaker 2 (6:53) it's such a weird yeah it's such a weird uh mixture of feelings and you've got to really try to center yourself in it all and it sounds so like Can I swear? Speaker 1 (7:03) Wanky? Yeah. It Speaker 2 (7:04) sounds so wanky and a bit, you know, pretentious, but it is intense, especially when you're repeating the same thing. Like in the second year, I think we both felt it more than the first year because you really settled into it and you're sort of the older members of the cast. So to go from that to then effective nothingness, unless you plan something or do something, the first Speaker 1 (7:25) week is like, yeah. Speaker 1 (7:29) No alarm, Speaker 2 (7:29) no waking up and being like... The routines that you fall into without really knowing you're falling into them of Speaker 1 (7:36) over Speaker 2 (7:37) -hydrating and thinking about what you're eating so you're not bloated for the show and a constant day thought process before the evening. When that goes away, obviously the first week is like, we're on holiday, hallelujah, pass me the Aperol. Then the second week you're like, okay... Who's paying for the mortgage? Do you know? There's just a small panic of... She's Speaker 1 (7:58) a Speaker 2 (7:58) homeowner. I'm the homeowner. I don't know who let me do that. If Nationwide's listening, don't take away my house. Speaker 2 (8:09) Shout out. Shout out nationwide. Speaker 1 (8:12) Hashtag not an ad. Thank you Speaker 2 (8:13) for the mortgage. Not an ad. Would love to be an ad. The first thing is obviously where's the money coming from? Secondly, just brain wise, like I'm not good at not having anything to focus on. So God bless my friend Josh Sinclair. Shout out Josh Sinclair. We was like, shall we do a little gig? Me and Josh did Frozen together. And Speaker 1 (8:33) City of Angels. And City of Angels. And we Speaker 2 (8:35) also went to ArtsEd together. He was my buddy. He was a terrible buddy. Speaker 1 (8:42) What? Speaker 2 (8:43) Wait a minute. So we didn't actually know each other properly until Frozen because City of Angels was so quick. Obviously closed after like eight previews. So Speaker 1 (8:51) it's third time lucky for you two. This Speaker 2 (8:53) was our final go at a Speaker 1 (8:54) friendship. Wait, so the buddy thing, what does that mean? So was one of you in like an older year? So Speaker 2 (8:59) he's a year above me. Speaker 1 (9:00) Yeah. I'm a Speaker 2 (9:00) baby. And he was supposed to... tell me how it works and you know tell him where the local supermarket was and how the bus routes are and he just blanked you oh he was like hi babe like nice to meet you I'm Josh I'm your buddy let me know if you need anything never saw him again Speaker 1 (9:21) But now... How did he explain himself all these years on? He Speaker 2 (9:23) was Speaker 1 (9:23) just like, I was busy. I was Speaker 2 (9:24) in second year of drama school. What do you want me to do? What am I supposed to do? And I'm like, listen, I respect that. I see where you're coming from. I didn't hold any grudges. City of Angels, obviously, we knew each other. We got to know each other. But Frozen is when we really solidified. City of Angels Speaker 1 (9:39) closed during previews because of the pandemic. That little Speaker 2 (9:42) thing called COVID-19. I don't know if you know about it. Horrific. Speaker 1 (9:45) So Speaker 2 (9:46) we did, I think, eight previews or nine. Very short. So we didn't get our full friendship together until Frozen. He's now one of my closest friends and he said, text me saying, should we do a little concert together? Speaker 1 (9:59) And I said, oh, I don't know if that's a good idea because we are quite silly. Speaker 2 (10:02) I don't know if you can sense from me. We are quite naughty together and we did play on stage husband and wife in Frozen and we were quite silly. We should have been told off more. Speaker 1 (10:14) And I Speaker 2 (10:15) think we did a very good job of hiding the silliness. We had quite a silly song so we could sort of hide when we were pretending to be mice or when he'd call me names on the mic. But I thought, well, a concert of just us organising it, I think that's going to be quite chaotic. And he said, yeah, exactly. That's why we should do it. So we've had a lot of fun planning and organising that, which has taken up a lot of my time, which I'm excited for. Speaker 1 (10:40) It's on Monday for people listening to get those last tickets, the 28th of September. Well done. At Crazy Cox. Yes, 6.30. 6 Speaker 2 (10:50) .30. God, everyone's on here talking about you. Everyone's got these 6.30 shows. It's lovely. People want to go to bed. The night is young. Yeah. Speaker 1 (10:57) The night Speaker 2 (10:57) is young for a reason. Get me in bed. You need to Speaker 1 (10:59) run away afterwards as well, which is nice. You don't want to be like, the show finishes, you're like, get Speaker 2 (11:02) me on. Get me out of it. No, I think we're having a meal afterwards. I think it's going to be a whole shebang. Just telling everybody else. Speaker 1 (11:10) For the whole audience. Speaker 2 (11:12) Please. See, we can do that because it's early. It's Speaker 1 (11:15) included in the ticket price, right? No, it's Speaker 2 (11:17) not. No, sorry. You can come watch it and then you and your friends and people you've come with can go get a meal because it's early enough. Speaker 1 (11:25) Anywhere in the whole of London. Speaker 2 (11:26) Yeah, anywhere. Anywhere. Dalston sounds good. Speaker 2 (11:32) What are you Speaker 1 (11:33) doing? Is it all duets? No. Okay. We Speaker 2 (11:38) thought we'd take the audience through the journey of our now friendship. Started as Awful Buddy into now Buddy Speaker 1 (11:47) Friendship. What is this feeling, loathing at the beginning? I Speaker 2 (11:50) hate you! We've sort of gone through meeting... what shows we've done in that time, roles that we got really close to and didn't get. Love Speaker 1 (12:02) that sort of ghost. Speaker 2 (12:03) Things that we have never been in for and truly believe in our heart of hearts we should have been in for. Or like the fact that I've never been in for Elphaba, I've always been in for Madame Morrible. You're Speaker 1 (12:15) lying. Madame Morrible? I Speaker 2 (12:17) wish I was lying. I wish I was lying. So we're going to sing some duets from Wicked just to say this is what you could have won. Speaker 2 (12:24) He didn't see me as the other character. And obviously things we've done together, Frozen, bits of City of Angels, a bit of everything really. Some friendship themed songs, some solos, some duets. And we've got a fantastic band with Sam Hall who's orchestrating it all. We've got a little three piece band behind us. It's very Speaker 1 (12:46) classy and very lovely. We've tried Speaker 2 (12:48) to do it very well. Not skimp any corners for the sake of it. We're not doing it... to make a lot of money. We're doing it just to have a good time and have something to occupy his brains. As long as we break even, we'll be okay. We Speaker 1 (13:04) don't need to be paying for the privilege. Yeah, Speaker 2 (13:06) yeah, yeah. We love to break even just so everyone's had a good time. Speaker 1 (13:08) So book those tickets. Book Speaker 2 (13:10) those tickets. Those last tickets are remaining. Thank you so much, lovey. Speaker 1 (13:12) When it comes to like this, or also, you know, you do those classy gigs where you're... It's like a festival and you're all in a little car being driven. You know what those things called? Yes, Speaker 2 (13:23) the little boogies. It's like Speaker 1 (13:24) you and Kerry Ellis. It's Speaker 2 (13:26) fantastic. Speaker 1 (13:27) Like, you often have to sing those classic big musical theatre numbers. Even if it's like, oh, a number from the Bodyguard or even now, like a number from Hamilton. And you're like, great, that's easy. I've done it before. Or do you go, oh. How Speaker 2 (13:39) does it start? Speaker 1 (13:40) Like, what are you like? Speaker 2 (13:41) It's hard. It's such a mixture. It's weird. Satisfied is weird as a standalone song because obviously in the show, Hamilton sings in it, Eliza sings in it, and the choreo and the staging is so ingrained in my body and mind. It's really difficult to then... do that as a standalone. How does it Speaker 1 (14:01) work? Is it just like cut down? Speaker 2 (14:04) Normally someone will do the Hamilton or... Speaker 1 (14:08) You're not singing all the roles? Speaker 2 (14:10) No. I would give it a go. But everyone, every time I've sung it again, people have said, no, no, we'll be the Hamilton and we'll do the Eliza part. Especially for like, helpless and I know he's helpless. I'd love to do that. And they're like, no. Speaker 2 (14:27) We'll get someone to sing that in. Whereas Bodyguard, singing Saving All My Love, Stand Alone, feels a lot more natural. Because I think I knew that song before doing the musical, so it doesn't feel as much of a jump. But Satisfied or Anything Goes, I had to sing Anything Goes at a gig the other day, and that messed me up because my body was trying to tap. Speaker 2 (14:50) and Speaker 1 (14:51) I was in an Speaker 2 (14:52) orange M &S heel being like, oh, but girl, you can't tap here but the dance break is still in because this orchestra is going to play that dance break. So I'm giving it step digs, clicks at the front.