When the phone call came on the Monday afternoon from my agent, telling me I’d been offered the part of Seymour in the Jersey Opera House’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, I was over the moon. I’d dreamt of playing the part for years – often singing excerpts from the show in concerts whilst still at drama school – and now my dream was to come true.
 | | Ashley stars as Seymour in Little Shop. |
Ironically, a couple of months earlier whilst I was working in America (as Principal Vocalist in Spirit of Broadway) I’d bought the New Broadway Cast recording of the show with the hope of staging my own production at a small fringe venue in London. Now I didn’t have to, as I was off to Jersey to appear in their second in-house musical – following in the smash hit that was Grease the year before. I’ve been very lucky in my career to have visited places which I normally wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for being an actor. As well as the aforementioned show in the US, I’ve had the opportunity to perform in Denmark, Rhodes and Sweden. Now it was off to Jersey – an island I knew very little about. The people of Jersey are very proud of their island – and quite rightly so – but as someone born and bred on the mainland I knew very little of what to expect. I’m even embarrassed to admit that I had to check whether I needed my passport to travel! It was a good couple of weeks after arriving that I actually got chance to see parts of the island. Most people think that actors have it easy – strolling into the theatre of an evening, working a couple of hours, then celebrating their success in the theatre bar afterwards! However there is SO much work and effort which goes into the finished production. We, as a company had four weeks of allocated rehearsals – working solidly for six days of each week. The work didn’t end when we finished at 6pm each night – in fact it was only just beginning, as we all had a tremendous amount of lines to learn to ensure we would be ready for opening night. It’s also vital as a singer to be in excellent voice each day – so nights out were limited to a Saturday, when we knew we could rest on the Sunday – our one day off. So it was only after we had officially opened that I was able to finally explore some of the beautiful island. I bought one of those ‘hop on and off’ bus tickets to ensure that I was able to see the island at my leisure – and a bargain it was too! I chose to explore the west side of the island, travelling to the popular beaches of St. Aubin's, St Brelade and St Ouen’s – taking in some of the more breathtaking sights such as the impressive Corbiere cliffs and lighthouse. I also decided to brush up on my history of the island and spent an afternoon at the Jersey War Tunnels…fascinating. As someone who is used to the hustle and bustle of London, I found Jersey to be wonderfully peaceful and laid back. In fact, my Mum who came to visit summed it up perfectly, by saying “I feel safe here”. I had a wonderful time on the island – not only because I was able to fulfil my dream of playing Seymour, but because of the idyllic location. People have asked me if I would ever go back, and the answer is a definite ‘yes’. In fact, I AM back for two weeks in December where I’ll be rehearsing with a brand new cast before taking Little Shop of Horrors to Leicester for Christmas. Until then, I’ll just have to rely on my memories of my excellent summer in Jersey. - - - Ashley will be playing Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at De Montfort Hall, Leicester from 13th – 18th Dec.
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