Pretty Woman The Musical: TV star Ore Oduba talks about her role in hit production Achi-News

Ideal Wife: The Musical is coming to The Edinburgh Playhouse this April. The ultimate Hollywood rom-com starring TV and radio presenter Ore Oduba who talks to Rosie Morton about his experiences on tour, pre-show rituals and his love for Scotland

It must be a thrill to be part of such an iconic story. Tell me about it.
It has been wonderful. I was at work the other day and I had done the opening number, and I came back to the stage to change into my next outfit. I remember saying to my friends in wardrobe, ‘You know what, it’s crazy.’ Regardless of any mood I might be in when I come into work, as soon as I start the show among this great group of people who put this show together, and a really loving audience, I have the best time.

How has the response from the audience been so far?
It has been tremendous. It was such a hit in London, it seemed to go down really well. It is one of the most popular films of all time.

You must be singing Pretty woman all day in your head, even when you’re not on stage?
It’s pretty hard not to! We have been a bit ‘Pavlov’s Dog’ with the Pretty woman theme tune!

We’ve been taking the first iteration of it on the road and going to every corner of the country to people who might not have seen it in London. The response has been incredible. People are very excited to see Ideal Wife: The Musical. We love it and it’s a real honor to be at the center of it.

Tell me about your role – it’s a dual role?

Yes! I wonder if I should be getting paid more, now that I come to think of it. Now you say it, I’m doing two for the price of one! In truth, there are more forms behind this character, as audience members will discover when they come to see the show. It’s really great.

So, I’m Mr Thompson. As fans of the film will remember, he is the manager of the hotel. He starts off as a bit of a stern character, but he warms to Vivian and they have a lovely relationship. He looks out for her, like a kind of uncle. That’s a lot of fun. To be fair, it’s probably the most danceable role I’ve ever done up to this point. So, he has this conservative character who breaks into song and dance from time to time which is quite fun because he has that pent-up performer behind the suit and tie three piece.

Then, there is the character of the Happy Man. It exists in the film – you’d probably blink and miss it. They’ve brought that guy to life a little more. It is the body of dogs on the avenue. I have been describing him as a Fagan as he knows everyone. Within this story, he is the one who brings the magic. The men behind the film who have written the stage show really want to weigh in on the fairy tale. It’s an iconic story and it’s an iconic film, but in order to adapt it for the theater they wanted to intensify that idea of ​​the fairy tale – a woman who is in one place in her life, dreaming of being in another one. So, Happy Man is a kind of narrator / fairy godfather. He spreads the magic on Vivian’s story.

What was the audition process like? I guess your time is on Strictly Come Dancing help?
Any audition is the most intense, uncomfortable, scary experience! Until you get to the room. Because in many ways, half the battle is the anticipation, the fear that you will face a panel à la Simon Cowell’s X Factor auditions. You know, sullen faces and raised eyebrows… You get sweaty weeks before it happens. There was some dancing to be done, but as far as the audition goes, I was trying to bring some fun to it.

I did it Strictly Come Dancing, and I did pretty well, but to this day I couldn’t say I was a trained dancer. People spend decades of their life training. I spent a few weeks on a TV show and learned – that does not mean that I have been trained. That’s important because when it comes to an audition room, you’re in front of choreographers! I am well aware that if I try to do what I think looks good in my head (without that reality check that I don’t have decades of experience), what would be thrown at me would be à la Bambi on ice. So no, you have to know your skill set, what you can bring, your USP. I like to bring the fun.

The musical has brand new music written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. What was it like working with such creative talent?

It’s not directly with them but we had Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance come to the last day of practice which was terrifying because it was completely unannounced. We were really winding down. We had had four weeks and it had been quite an intensive process, just to get the latest information. We were preparing to run the show through but the general tone was, ‘Don’t push ourselves, we have a big week preparing technically for the show’. Then we were opening in Birmingham. We would kind of take the foot off the gas a little bit but also want to get the job done.

We had broken off to warm up and were ready to start the show and our associate director was at the rehearsal room door. And you know, he’s a director – he’s usually very good with his words. But he was quite gentle this time and there was a small break in his voice as he said articulately, ‘Guys? Bryan Adams is here.’ People were running for sick bags, the toilet queue got really long… But they were both sitting there at the front and they were wrapping it up. And I made Bryan laugh! I thought, ‘We’re going to have interesting audiences, but if you can make Bryan Adams laugh, you’re ready for any audience now.’

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Everything is very purposeful. I don’t do anything unintentionally. I wouldn’t say I’m superstitious but I would say I’m ritualistic, in the loose sense. You have a process of preparation, right? They don’t just throw it together. I have my routine. Just before the show, I like to go to a dark corner. It’s very bright when you go out on stage, so I really like going into a dark corner. This is my World Cup moment, you know? This is my Olympics. While Usain Bolt might like to step out and enjoy the party and get all the volunteers involved, I prefer to go to a dark place (literally, not figuratively!) my character, Happy Man, who open the show. He welcomes the audience. So, it’s always nice to go into that place where you’re going to say hello to 2,000 people.

What is your favorite thing about coming up to Scotland?
It often feels like a home away from home because it’s probably the part of the world I’ve traveled the most.

I left home at the age of 19 and have been a nomad since then really. But if there’s one place I’ve been to the most, it’s probably been Scotland. There’s a lot of TV work up there that I’ve done over the years. I remember having an amazing time at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. I always look forward to it – it’s as simple as that. As soon as you arrive in Scotland, it’s always the warmest welcome – even if, like in Aberdeen, I almost got caught in a blizzard. I think I almost got redirected to Geneva!

You are going to be in Edinburgh for the tour in April. What will you do in your down time?

My family are actually coming up for a holiday, so we’re going to have some time to take the kids around Edinburgh. I always remember my father taking me and my siblings on a half term break to Edinburgh. And I remember him telling us that we were staying at The Ritz hotel. Now, there is no Ritz hotel in Edinburgh, but telling the children that, we were excited. It was a lovely hotel but it wasn’t the Ritz! That was probably the first sign that my father was not as knowledgeable as he might have thought.

I’ll never forget him deciding he wanted to take us on a bus tour of the city. But instead of paying for the open-ended sightseeing bus tour, he took us on a bus! So, I remember going to the top deck of a double decker bus that was running down the center of Edinburgh. We sat on that bus until it passed Murrayfield. Then we went to the other side of the road and came back to town! That was my father’s trip to Edinburgh.

I’d like to think I’ll do it a little differently when my family comes up, but having said that it’s still a fond memory of mine. So, we might do that for fun.

Whether it’s a good book or a special pillow for the hotel, what can’t you live without when you travel?
I should probably get a silk pillow case, that would be nice. But I haven’t got it yet. That’s on the list. Other than that, it’s probably something that’s going to help my broken body feel normal again at the end of the day. I’ve been through a number of foam rollers – I keep breaking them because I’m quite heavy when I sit on them – and I have a massage gun myself. So, yes – some sort of massage gun or foam roller. Because I work with people half my age on the show. I’m not going to say I’m old, but when you work with people half your age, it reminds you that your body doesn’t repair as well as theirs! I just need a few pieces of equipment to help me feel normal again after a long eight show week.

Ideal Woman: The Musical playing live at Edinburgh Playhouse from 2 April – 13 April. See more details on the ATG Tickets website.

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