| Peter Pan at Milton Keynes Theatre | Steve McFadden stars as the infamous Captain Hook in Peter Pan at Milton Keynes Theatre along side Sophie Lawrence, Matt Slack, Acromaniacs and Trevor Marshall. Performances from 10 December2004 through to 16 January 2005. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office: 01908 60 60 90 |
Pantomimes have some funny traditions and this year’s production of Peter Pan at Milton Keynes Theatre is no different. For some reason, which extensive research has failed to unfold, the leading male character is always played by a female. Therefore the gorgeous Sophie Lawrence will, for the benefit of pantomime, be appearing as a small boy for the part of Peter Pan in this year's production. But Sophie is not daunted by the role, instead she is bursting with excitement at the opportunity to fly in into the theatre and wow the amazed audience.
 | | Sophie with Steve McFadden |
“I am so excited I can’t tell you" she says. "All my life I have wanted to play Peter Pan and for the occasion I am having all my hair cut off. I’m going to have short spiky hair and have it dyed red, I’m going the whole hog.” But the special effects won’t stop at just having her cut. The use of high wire flying will also be an important part of Peter Pan’s stage presence. “I do lots of flying and I have to go to flying school to learn how to fly properly” says a fearless Sophie. “Apparently there is one point where you are standing very high up on a platform and you just have to step off and you fly. “Apparently that is the most scary thing you have to do. That moment where you launch yourself, you have to think 'I hope everything is attached', because if it isn’t this is goodbye and god bless.” | " I hope everything is attached, because if it isn’t this is goodbye and god bless" | | Sophie talks about the prospect of flying across the stage. |
But for Sophie, who still gets recognised predominately for her role in Eastenders, the prospect of death does not worry her. “Actually that [EastEnders] was the one thing that gave me a career and got me started and I am forever grateful to it" she says. "If I die and that is all people say about me then I don’t care because it was fantastic and a very, very important part of my life.” But even before Eastenders, Sophie had set her heart for a life on the stage. At the age of four she began dance lessons at the end of her road.
 | | The Butcher family including Roly |
“When I was ten they auditioned for Bugsy Malone when that was in the West End very many years ago" she explains. "I was picked, so I went and did that. I think I was almost 11 and lots of children in the show went to theatre schools so I wanted to go to theatre school as well.” With her mind made up about her future she only had her parents to convince. “I went home and plagued my mum and dad till they couldn’t refuse, so I went to Sylvia Young’s stage school when I was 13” she says. It was here that Sophie began to expand her repertoire, picking up acting and singing skills to add to her passion for dancing. “I always just thought that I would be a dancer and go into a West End musical and that I would be very, very happy" she says. "Then I got Eastenders when I was 15 and it kind of changed my life.” Before Eastenders Sophie had already begun her acting career with a role in school drama Grange Hill.
 | | Sophie back in the early Eastenders days |
“I think everybody did Grange Hill" she laughs. "Anyone who went to Sylvia Young’s went into it. I did it on and off for about six months, the coach use to turn up at school and we all use to pile on and go down there.” However when the role of Diane Butcher became available in Eastenders Sophie was only too willing to give up her Grange Hill days. “It was really weird when I went to Eastenders" she says. "Grange Hill is filmed at the same place, so you would see all the other coaches come in and all the kids get off and you would think ‘I remember when I did that’.” After over five years in the soap Sophie went off to pursue other ventures including a stint as a pop star where she made the top ten with a cover version of a Donna Summer hit from 1977. But the prospect of a return to pop world was met with a resounding refusal. “No, No, No, Never, never, never, never" she says emphatically. "It wasn’t really for me to be honest. I was put in a package and sold and it seemed like a fun idea at the time and I did have a lot of fun.” It was also a chance for Sophie to rub shoulders with some true superstars and some not so famous people. “I had some very strange experiences and I got to be on Top of the Pops twice and I met David Bowie and also Right Said Fred” she says. But Sophie has no regrets about her fleeting singing career. “When people mention it now it just makes me laugh because I can’t believe I really did it.” You can see Sophie flying on to stage in the Milton Keynes Theatre Pantomime Peter Pan running from 10 December to the 16 January 2005
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