As she prepares to bring the dazzling world of Burlesque to Essex, Faye Brookes chats to us about stepping into Cher’s shoes, learning to keep cool under pressure and discovering that life really does get better with age
When Faye Brookes arrives in Essex with Burlesque the Musical, she is expecting nothing less than an electric reception.
Although the actress has appeared in plenty of touring productions, she cannot recall performing in an Essex theatre before. She is certainly familiar with the county’s reputation, however – and considers herself very much a fan.
‘I love Essex,’ she says. ‘I’ve got a lot of friends from Essex. I think the people are fantastic. I think the place is, like, bougie AF and I kind of love that. It’s like Cheshire, but better.’
Essex audiences should be equally pleased to see her. Faye takes on the role of Tess in the first UK tour of Burlesque, a new stage adaptation inspired by the glamorous film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. It is a show overflowing with big voices, fabulous costumes and production numbers designed to transport audiences straight to Las Vegas.
For Faye, joining the cast feels rather like completing a circle.
She loved the film when she was younger and was just beginning to establish herself as a performer when it was released.
‘I was obsessed with it,’ she says. ‘I think I was just starting out in the industry myself when the film came out, so then I was even more inspired and more excited about becoming an actress and a performer, really – a singer, a dancer. The show gave me everything, as well as the iconic Cher, who I grew up watching. Christina Aguilera is just a talent like no other.’
Faye originally auditioned for the production several years ago, but did not get the part. At the time, she decided there was a simple explanation – she was too young to play Tess. Then came a rather unexpected telephone call.
‘They called me up and were like: “Would Faye like to play Tess?”
‘And I was like: “Wait, what?”’ she recalls.
The creative team had revisited her audition tapes and felt she could bring a younger freshness to the character.
Faye, who turns 40 next year, now feels ready to take on the role – although the reality of inheriting a part so closely associated with Cher initially took some processing.
‘When they offered me the role, I was like: “Oh my God, I’m playing Cher.” I don’t think it’s going to sink in until I’m on stage in front of an audience and they receive it – because
I feel like I’ve created a version in our rehearsal room.’
That distinction is important. Faye is not attempting an impersonation, and the musical is not simply a scene-by-scene recreation of the film. Instead, it has been shaped collaboratively, with its cast and creative team developing a fresh theatrical identity.
For Faye, the experience has been both creatively rewarding and confidence-boosting.
‘We have created our own version of it, which I think is wonderful,’ she says. ‘It’s very, very collaborative. I felt very validated during these rehearsal days and they’ve really helped me with my confidence. They’ve even asked me to help write some of it.
‘It’s become a whole new version, which I’m just so, so excited about. I’m very proud to be a part of this production.’
There is also a strong sense of camaraderie among the company. Some cast members are embarking upon their first professional jobs something Faye has been really aware of.
‘I feel like I have to take them under my wing and protect them as much as I can,’ she says. ‘But there’s only so much I can do because I do want them to just go, fly and be.
‘This industry is crazy and we’ve only got each other on the road for the next year. We are this little misfit family that has been put together to do the first UK tour of Burlesque. It’s going to be super, super special.’
Tess is the commanding owner of the club at the centre of the story. A woman required to lead, make decisions and remain composed even when everything around her seems uncertain. Finding that inner steel has been one of Faye’s greatest challenges – and, unexpectedly, one of the role’s greatest gifts.
‘I still have to keep my cool. I still have to hold it together every single day,’ she says. ‘I found that really hard because I am a girl who wears my heart on my sleeve.
I have no filter. I’ll tell you exactly how I feel. If I’m moved by something, it’s there, you’ll see it. There’s something about playing Tess where you have to be a boss and you have to show up. It’s not about suppressing it, it’s about using that as a superpower. You are strong and you will survive.’
Creating a brand-new musical inevitably brings challenges. There are long days and moments when scenes must be reconsidered. Rather than allowing those pressures to overwhelm her though, Faye has found herself channelling Tess.
‘I have been so cool,’ she laughs. ‘I’ve learned to be cool under pressure and I think it’s all thanks to Tess, because I used to flap a little bit.’
There is a wider confidence behind that new-found calm. Faye says she is entering the next chapter of her life feeling content, grounded and far more assured of her own value than she did as a younger woman.
‘I’m married. I’m really good. I know my worth,’ she says. ‘I used to get told when I was growing up that it only gets better the older you get, and I just didn’t believe them.
‘I have sisters who are 10 and eight years older than me and I was just like: “Shush. No, it’s so much better to be young and have your whole life ahead of you.” But I’m like: “No, no, no.” It’s actually what you know and the experiences you’ve gone through, and how they’ve made you into the human that you are.
‘I would have this version over any of it. I think it’s only going to get better with age and I’m totally embracing that.’
It has also made her excited about the characters that may come next. The fixation on playing the youthful romantic lead has gone. Now rich, complicated women with a few life lessons behind them hold much more appeal.
‘I’m more open to the fact that I’m going to be playing older roles now,’ she says. ‘That’s just as exciting as playing the young Disney princess who has a whole life ahead of her, looking for love. I’m like: “No, no, no, I’m good. I’m good with the spinster in the corner who’s learnt a lesson or two”.’
If she could offer one piece of advice to her younger self, it would be wonderfully simple: ‘You’re going to be okay.’
‘I had this constant worry when I was younger that I wasn’t enough, that I wasn’t good enough,’ she admits. ‘I had all these insecurities about myself and I was a nervous wreck for most of my twenties.
‘To say to her: “Everything’s going to be OK. You’re going to be golden,” would be amazing. But maybe it was a good thing that I had that beginning because it’s made me into the person that I am now.’
She credits her family with keeping her grounded through difficult periods and considers the people around her central to the life she enjoys today. That support is especially important during a lengthy national tour.
Faye says her husband understands that performing is not simply a job but an essential part of who she is. ‘I have a very, very supportive husband who gets it,’ she says. ‘He knows if I’m not on stage, I am not myself. He gets that it’s my passion and he knows it’s my purpose. If every day I get to wake up and live my dream, he is so happy for me, and that only makes me happy.’
Her parents, who had just celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary when we spoke, provided the blueprint. Faye’s father worked on an oil rig and was regularly away for three weeks at a time, yet her parents made the time they shared count.
Faye and her family embrace the same philosophy today, celebrating everything from birthdays (pets included) and anniversaries to an unexpected night at home. ‘We celebrate every tiny win,’ she says. ‘We just non-stop celebrate each other. You realise how precious life is. If there’s a problem, we’ll solve it – and if we can’t solve it, that’s the challenge for the day.’
While television and theatre have both played important parts in Faye’s career (she became a household name in Coronation Street playing Kate Connor between 2015-2019), the stage is where she feels most at home. She loves its unpredictability, the relationships forged during rehearsals and the fact that no two performances can ever be exactly alike.
‘I thought I would always choose telly because it’s quicker,’ she says. ‘Once it’s done, it’s done. You can have a couple of takes at it and you’ll get it right.
‘With a live audience, you don’t know what’s going to happen and every night is different. I need to be challenged and I need to be tested, and theatre does all of that and then some.
‘You have to be on your front foot. You have to be the best version of who you are. It’s always going to be theatre for me. I love it.’
Audiences at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion can therefore expect Faye to relish every sparkling, unpredictable second when Burlesque rolls into the city. Her description makes the show sound like the theatrical equivalent of a particularly fabulous night out – heartfelt, glamorous and unapologetically larger than life.
‘You think you know the film, if you’ve seen the film, but it is that and then some,’ she promises. ‘It’s like a live Vegas show in front of you with everything. You’ve got the heart, you’ve got the costumes and you’ve also got these hits. They are literally banger after banger, as the kids would say.
‘Everything is a spectacle. You forget you’re watching a musical, you are completely transported. I really think you’re in for a surprise from my end because I’ve never played such a boss in my life.’
Bougie, bold and bursting with spectacle? It sounds as though Faye, Burlesque and Essex might just be made for one another....
Faye Brookes is in the UK tour of Burlesque the Musical at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend from Tuesday, September 29-Saturday, October 3.
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