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In conversation with...Hayley Tamaddon

Michael Cox speaks with Hayley Tamaddon about her role in Spamalot.

Hayley Tamaddon has had some challenging work recently. She’s taken on difficult roles in a number of TV programmes (such as “Waterloo Road” and “Shameless”, amongst others) and recently won the most recent series of “Dancing on Ice”. But is she up for being a musical diva?

Tamaddon is lined up to play The Lady in the Lake, the female lead in the current tour of Monty Python’s Spamalot. The musical, which is the brainchild of Python-member Eric Idle, is a stage version of the cult classic “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, a film high on laughs but low in female roles (and most of those characters don’t even appear onstage here).

Who exactly is The Lady of the Lake then? “She appears very randomly now and again, sings big songs, then disappears back in the lake,” Tamaddon explains. “She’s very elegant, and she’s very funny. She’s quirky and sings some incredible songs. She’s brilliant, and I can’t wait to have a go at her.”

So, what made her want to ‘have a go’ at such a role? “I love musicals, and I love performing in front of an audience. I love acting. Television is a passion of mine, but when I get the chance to perform before a live audience then I definitely take it because you can’t get a better feeling really than when you’ve done something and then everyone starts clapping. The applause makes you feel like you’ve given the audience something to take home and talk about.”

Tamaddon joined the cast three weeks into the rehearsal process and immediately fell in love with the production, finding it very funny and cleverly written. She considers herself a Monty Python fan and had seen the musical when it was on the West End (and had watched the Broadway production on YouTube). But is Spamalot only for Python fans? Tamaddon doesn’t think so. “I think everyone will love this. It’s easy to follow, the characters are just fantastic, and after seeing the cast perform, I was so impressed.”

It might be funny, but Spamalot is still a tricky production to pull off. Not only will Python fans be critical with comparisons but the music is surprisingly difficult. “It’s actually quite operatic,” Tamaddon says. “I haven’t sung properly for three years, so to sing all of these songs is going to be challenging. But it’s something I’m going to put my heart and soul into it. I hope I pull it off,” she says with a laugh.

Hayley Tamaddon played The Lady of the Lake when it was in Glasgow and is scheduled to perform the part in Aberdeen but not in Edinburgh.

Tags: theatre

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