Actress Kym Marsh on Her New Role on Stage
Kym Marsh is preparing for the world premiere stage production of Single White Female
Kym is the youngest of four and her dad was the lead guitarist for the band Ricky and the Dominant Four, a supporting act to The Beatles at The Cavern Club, so perhaps she was always destined for stardom. What’s clear is that she’s always loved entertaining. ‘My dad was very much into entertainment and music and I was the one who continued that within the family,’ she says. ‘My dad was always instrumental in everything I did. I joined a little show when I was 10 years old, singing and dancing. He would take me to all the rehearsals and the shows. Then I started to sing in pubs and clubs when I was in my late teens. I was doing session work for bands and when I was a single mum-of-two my mum saw an advertisement on Grenada Reports for an audition for something nobody knew about. She said “they’re looking for singers, they want boys and girls, this is the day of the auditions, this is where it is – and you’re going”. And I said “I’m not going. Do you know how many people are going for that? There’s no way I’ve got a cat in hell’s chance.” She forced me,’ Kym laughs.
Kym ended up auditioning for ITV’s then-new talent show, Popstars. She was one of the five singers chosen to form the band Hear’Say, along with Danny Foster, Myleene Klass, Suzanne Shaw and Noel Sullivan. Hear’Say’s first single Pure and Simple went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart in 2001. The following year, Kym announced she was leaving Hear’Say and the group split up.
‘Being a part of Hear’Say was something very unique,’ she admits. ‘Even other people who’ve been in reality shows will never know what that was like because we were the first of that kind. Nothing like that had ever been done in this country before and the format was very different. Even when Popstars: The Rivals came out they’d already introduced a public vote and there wasn’t as much of a “fly on the wall” concept like there was for us. What happened during that time was like a whirlwind. We did everything within a year. We played The BRIT Awards, went to Norway to record our album with Stargate (who are now huge), had a sell-out UK tour, recorded a second album whilst on tour – we were literally on everything, at everything, in everything, which really in hindsight was the overkill and the burnout, and that’s what happened.
‘We were kind of the guinea pigs of the situation because it’d never been done before and I don’t blame production companies or anything like that because they didn’t know what was going to happen either. Having said that… what a blast! A year of just flying by the seat of our pants. A few years ago I found it on YouTube and pointed it out to my youngest daughter (because obviously she wasn’t around when I was in Hear’Say), and I said “there’s mum” and she was like “all of those people were there to see you?”… Yeah! Even I looked at it and thought, that’s like a blur now. When you think about what we did it’s like, wow, that’s incredible.’
Kym signed a solo record deal and released her debut solo album in 2003. ‘I had two top 10 hits on my own, and then went into musical theatre,’ she says. ‘Then I was in arguably the biggest show on TV in the UK.’ She means Coronation Street, of course. Kym played Michelle Connor from 2006 until 2019. ‘It was such a transition for me,’ she says. ‘Choosing any highlight is quite difficult but becoming the Kym Marsh that people semi-know, I owe that to Hear’Say.’
Throughout her career, Kym has championed her Northern roots. Now based in Warrington, she continues to do so. ‘What I love now, and I say this all the time, is that I feel like the North is opening up more and more opportunities for people,’ she says. ‘Years and years ago, everything you did you had to be in London for but now there’s so much happening in the North, and I love that. If you look at places like Liverpool for instance, it’s known for its music and culture. I think we are such an entertainment-orientated part of the world. I’m so proud to represent the North. I love to hear a Northern accent and I love the fact we can hear different accents now from everywhere rather than always conforming to a certain type. Even on shows like Coronation Street, they don’t always stick to Mancunians. I love that.’
While Kym is currently on screens as Nicky Walters in Waterloo Road, her love for theatre has never wavered and she’s preparing for a hugely exciting project in the new year – the brand-new stage play, Single White Female, based on the iconic 90s psychological thriller and bestselling book by John Lutz. Allie is a recently divorced mum, balancing being a single parent with the launch of her tech start up. She advertises for a lodger to help make ends meet and Hedy (played by Kym) offers her a lifeline. This new tour will update the original story to the age of social media.
‘I can tell you that’s it’s going to be fantastic,’ Kym says. ‘This has been a project that’s been in the offing for the last few years and I was part of the conversation right from the beginning which was just lovely because I’ve seen the process right through, and now that we’re taking it on stage it’s really exciting. The film was epic. In 1992, it was in the same kind of realm as Fatal Attraction (I also played Alex Forrest in the stage adaptation of that). I think it’s just one of those epic, iconic psychological thrillers that people are going to love but the great thing about this is that it has been adapted and reimagined for stage so you’re not going to see the exact same story as you saw on screen. It’s very much updated and very much in the now. But it’s still going to be a shocker!
‘I think you’ll get people who the know the film and love the film and want to see those key moments. We were very mindful that we wanted to keep those epic moments in because they’re important to the story, but they are going to see a new version of it. Those who’ve seen it before will have a fresh take on it, and those that have never seen it will hopefully be on the edge of their seats. Rebecca Reid has updated it – she’s a fantastic author and journalist – she’s done it so beautifully and it’s done so well. We have a fantastic director in Gordon Greenberg. I’m really excited to get started because it is brand new and I think it’s going to be very much a team effort between actors, writers, the director and producers to make something we’re really proud of and hopefully people are going to be very entertained.’
Next year Kym will turn 50, on the date of the final show of the Single White Female tour. ‘I’m going to be celebrating somewhere,’ she laughs. ‘I’ll have a new grandson at that point too (my daughter’s having a baby in December) so I’ll be spending time with him. I’m doing Single White Female until June so then there’s six months for new projects. Early next year my first ever lead in a drama will emerge too, [in Imposter] on Channel 5!’
What are you watching right now?
Lots of true crime documentaries.
What do you love most about the North West?
The people!
Is there another Northern actor you’d love to work with?
Stephen Graham.
Where do you like to hang out in the North West?
I would’ve said ordinarily Manchester but I now live in Warrington so I really like Stockton Heath.
What’s your best tip for budding actors?
Be prepared to work hard.
Do you have a favourite theatre in the North West?
I’ve just played this theatre and I absolutely loved it – the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.
