West End Wilma is the Theatre world’s favourite nana. Running around the West End interviewing stars and reviewing as many shows as she can fit in to her busy OAP lifestyle. Wilma was awarded the 2014 Ticketmaster Blog of the Year Award and has a great engagement with the theatre world through social media.
She launched the hugely succesful Wilma Awards in 2014, and Wilma is delighted to announce that the 2015 awards will take place again this year on Friday 30 October 2015.
Lets start with some favourites
Favourite show (whether you have reviewed it or not)?
Chicago
Favourite book?
The Davinci Code
Favourite theatre?
Any with cheap wine that aren’t too busy!
Favourite song?
I quite like that angry song by Taylor Swift I heard on the radio today. Bad Blood I think it might have been called. I don’t know any of her music but I might give it a little listen now. I know she’s very famous!
Favourite music?
Musicals!!
Favourite food?
Good old fashioned East End London Pie and Mash!
Favourite line from any show?
It’s hard to pick a favourite line. There are so many. I love the words to the song ‘With You’ from Ghost the Musical. It’s like a really sad poem so maybe that can count as one really long line?
What is your favourite role?
I think that there are so many great roles out there. Obviously Elphaba in Wicked is one and I wouldn’t mind having a crack at Momma Rose in Gypsy or Eponine in Les Mis
And, what show would you loved to have written?
Vieux Carre by Tennessee Williams
Do you ever think I really don’t want to review this in case I don’t like it?
Sometimes but it isn’t really about whether I like it. I can watch a show and think it’s not my kind of thing but I can appreciate its merits for the audience it is aimed at.
If you could be anyone else for the day, who would it be?
Meryl Streep (who doesn’t want to be her?!)
What was the last stage show you saw and really enjoyed?
Dear Lupin at the Apollo Theatre. It’s a wonderful book and the stage show was even better as it added layers to it that the book couldn’t.
What advice would you give 16 year old Wilma?
It’s all going to be ok
If you weren’t a reviewer what would you be?
Maybe working in battersea dogs home looking after them. That would be nice and rewarding.
What was your first reviewed show?
MasterClass at the Vaudeville Theatre
Do you go to the theatre purely pleasure any more or is it all reviewing?
Sometimes I do go to the theatre purely for pleasure. Because I see so much I tend to try and go by the rule that if I have paid for the ticket myself then I won’t review it and will just enjoy the show. Sometimes I like to take people to shows that I’ve already reviewed that I think they will like so obviously I wouldn’t review it again. It’s nice to be able to have a few drinks and not worry about what is happening too technically!
How did you end up being a theatre critic?
A friend of mine said that I should start a blog because I see so many shows. It sounded like a fun challenge so I gave it a go. I still don’t really believe anyone reads my reviews. I just tap away at the computer and apparently people are finding it useful!
You have your “Tea with Wilma” section – who would you like to have tea with that you haven’t yet?
Patti Lupone! What a hoot she would be!
What made you decide to have the WILMA Awards?
I just thought ‘why not?’. After putting together a cabaret show I thought it would be a similar thing to arrange and I liked the idea of being able to pick my own categories and deciding on the nominees.
Can you tell me what you will be up to next?
Well the awards are taking up quite a lot of time as you can imagine. I’m also now editing a monthly theatre news magazine for ShowFilmFirst.com which is quite a task! Once the awards are out of the way I’m thinking about possibly putting on another cabaret show with some west end performers but I have no idea when that might be.