"It's like Christmas has come early!" Craig Saunders talks about playing Buddy the Elf

"It's like Christmas has come early!" In that joyful phrase, Craig Saunders sums up the mood of his fellow actors as Elf - The Musical heads to the Haymarket Theatre in November.

But he's not just talking about putting on a festive show six weeks before the big day itself.

It's the fact that BATS members are back in the rehearsal room, doing what they love, 18 months after the pandemic forced the cancellation of their previous production, Chicago.

"Everyone's super excited about it," says Craig. "It's been such a long period away, and I feel really lucky to be going on stage with such a talented cast and crew. And this is SUCH a fun show!"

You'll probably know Elf from the hugely popular Christmas film starring Will Ferrell as Buddy. It's the one about the young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth.

"I hadn't seen the film until about four years ago, but I absolutely loved it," says Craig.

So apart from the addition of some fantastically festive song and dance numbers, how does the musical differ from the movie?

"Buddy's a bit more childlike in the stage version, but we've tried to blend in some aspects of the Will Ferrell performance, as he's just so funny. There are also lots of extra characters and cameo roles which is keeping everyone in the cast really busy!"

Craig won't be playing Buddy at every performance. On Thursday, James Young takes on the role, while the role of the female lead, Jovie, will be played by Rhianon Mone, rather than Anna Neary who's playing the part at the other performances opposite Craig. BATS took the decision to double cast the lead roles as a Covid contingency plan, but also to give two other talented performers the opportunity to lead the show.

“It’s an honour to be given this opportunity!” says James. “After being part of BATS for nearly 10 years, it’s proven to be a mountain of fun!”

Craig Saunders

James Young

But Craig won't get a night off - instead, the Thursday performance will see him play the various roles that James plays on the other nights. So, a double challenge for both actors!

“It has meant that rehearsals have been full on and really kept me on my toes!”, says James. “It’s been a massive learning opportunity, and I think I have really shown myself just how much I am capable of.”

“It is a lot of work,” admits Craig. "But I am looking forward to it - it means I get to do exactly the same show, but from a different point of view. I'm most worried I'm going to spoil a scene by singing one of Buddy's lines by mistake!"

"But it's great that others are getting the chance to play the lead roles. We are one team - and that's been the mentality all the way through rehearsals. And we all agree we can't wait for that first night buzz from the audience!"

You can see Craig and James as Buddy in Elf - The Musical at the Haymarket from 9-13 November. Buy tickets online.

Violet Shakes up the Office!

“I’m on a women’s rights ride at the moment!” laughs Nicola Morrin, as we catch up during a break in rehearsals for 9 to 5 – the Musical. I’ve just played another very strong female character, Rita in Made in Dagenham, who led the fight for equal pay at the Ford car factory in the ‘60s. Now I’ve been cast as Violet, another hard working mum.”

“She’s a victim of office politics and teams up with her colleagues Judy and Doralee to teach the boss a lesson!”

Nicola Morrin

The relationship between the three female characters is at the heart of 9 to 5.

“Violet takes a chance on Judy. She sees she’s very inexperienced in the workplace, so needs her strength and protection. But Judy teaches Violet a lesson too, not to be judgemental of Doralee, based on how she looks.”

“It’s clear we all need each other – and together we’re stronger.”

Events manager Nicola has performed with a range of amateur societies across Hampshire and Berkshire, notably Reading Operatic Society, but took a five year break when her own children came along. They’re now aged 7 and 10, and Nicola is enjoying her return to the stage in 9 to 5.

“It’s quite unusual for an amateur company to be allowed to perform a show while it’s still running in the West End, so this is a great opportunity for BATS!”

The powerhouse vocals of Nicola and her fellow performers bring Dolly Parton’s music to the stage in sensational style, including the classics 9 to 5, Backwoods Barbie and songs specially written for the musical.

So why pay West End prices when there’s talent like this on your doorstep?

See Nicola in 9 to 5 – The Dolly Parton Musical at the Haymarket, from 19 - 23 November. Buy tickets online.

Meet our Dolly - aka Millie Clucas

Millie Clucas is getting used to telling people she’s playing the Dolly Parton role in 9 to 5, the Dolly Parton musical.

“When I got cast, I really felt the pressure because it’s such a big role, vocally and emotionally, and I want to do the character justice,” she explains.

Millie Clucas plays the role of Doraleee Rhodes

Millie plays Doralee, a buxom secretary whom everyone presumes is having an affair with her horrible boss, but is actually the victim of his sexual harassment.

“She wants to be liked for who she is, not for what she looks like,” says Millie. “I’m quite often cast in roles like this, but I’m not that person in real life. For two hours on stage though, it’s fun to embody that role.”

That includes acting opposite BATS veteran Steve Westwood, who plays the boss, Franklin Hart. “He plays the part so well, the audience will really want him to get what’s coming to him!”

Doralee teams up with colleagues Violet and Judy to sort out the boss in an unconventional way… you’ll have to watch the show to find out how!

Like her fellow leading ladies Nicola Morrin, who plays Violet, and Jade Nicholas and Laura Burrell, who share the role of Judy, Millie is making her BATS debut with this show.

“I guess the theme of the show is, ‘Together, We’re Stronger’,” says Millie, “and the four of us get on really well. We back each other up, and that’s helped us develop the friendship between the three main characters - it’s coming really naturally now.”

Attending the weeknight rehearsals means an 80 mile round trip for Millie, from her home near the South Coast. “But the moment I listened to the full soundtrack of 9 to 5, I thought ‘I have to be in this show!’ The songs are fantastic – of course they are, they’re by Dolly Parton! So you make the time!”

See Millie in 9 to 5 – The Dolly Parton Musical at the Haymarket, from 19 - 23 November. Buy tickets online.

Meet two of our 9 to 5 Leading Ladies

Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin were an iconic trio of leading ladies in the 1980 film version of 9 to 5, playing the roles of Doralee, Judy and Violet. Taking on the roles in BATS’ production are Millie Clucas, Jade Nicholas, Laura Burrell and Nicola Morrin.

Yes, you did count correctly – BATS boasts four leading ladies!

The explanation is simple. So many talented women auditioned for director Nick Brannam and musical director Jules Dance, they decided the role of Judy should be shared by Jade and Laura. They’ll each perform at three out of six performances – and tossed a coin to decide which ones!

Jade Nicholas

“The show’s got a lot of heart, a relevant message, and it’s also so funny – it’s a great night out at the theatre!” says Laura.

“The music is beautiful!” says Jade. “Dolly Parton is such a great songwriter. I’ve wanted to be in the show ever since I first heard the song at the end of Act Two – Get Out and Stay Out. It’s for anyone who’s ever been used by someone. It’s an important and empowering song and hopefully people hearing it for the first time will really relate to it.”

9 to 5 sees the character of Judy face the challenge of her first office job. The firm is dominated by nasty, sexist boss Franklin Hart. But Judy bonds with fellow workers Doralee and Violet, and together they prove that love, loyalty and friendship trumps office politics.

“Even though the show is set in the 80s, I know some of those old-fashioned attitudes still exist,” says Laura, “where basically the women are running the office, but the men are like ‘let’s not give them any ideas’. Have we really come that far? In some places, not really.”

Laura Burrell

Jade and Laura are both newcomers to BATS, and they have other things in common too. Both trained professionally in musical theatre – Jade even spent a week on Broadway – but both left performing behind as life took a different turn.

“I went travelling round the world,” explains Jade, “and spent some time as a volunteer at an animal sanctuary in Thailand, working with elephants. I was just completely happy. I went on to study animal welfare at the University of Winchester, and now work as a dog trainer.”

But though she no longer wanted to pursue performing as a career, Jade’s talents have recently been showcased in local productions of Anything Goes and Rent, and she is clearly relishing the role of Judy in 9 to 5.

As for Laura, she’s returning to the stage after having her daughter, who’s now one year old. “The main difference I’ve noticed is how my voice has changed in my time off. My husband works in London, so I’m calling in every babysitting favour I can to do the show! But it is absolutely worth it. I love 9 to 5, and I know audiences will too.”

You can see Jade and Laura in 9 to 5 – The Dolly Parton Musical at the Haymarket, from 19 - 23 November. Buy tickets online.

We chat to Liz Ilett - our Director for Oliver!

“I want audiences to laugh, I want audiences to cry, I want them to believe in the story.”

That’s Liz Ilett’s aim in bringing Oliver! to the Haymarket stage for BATS. Directing the show has been a long-held ambition for Liz, who’s been involved with the Society for more than 30 years. So what’s special about this particular show?

“It’s a musical that has soul and a ‘real’ story. It’s not ‘pretty pretty’, it’s quite grim at times. It’s very much an actor’s musical, and we’re trying to delve deep into the characters and bring out the drama of Oliver’s situation.”

Those characters include iconic roles like Fagin (played by David Izzo), who leads a gang of boy pickpockets, the caring Nancy (played by Kirsty Kingham) and the terrifying Bill Sikes (played by Ali Bagshaw).

Several weeks into rehearsals Liz says she’s “very pleased” with how it’s all going.

Liz performing in Sister Act, May 2015, as Sister Mary Lazarus

“It’s a really strong line up of principal characters. The boys playing Oliver and the Artful Dodger are superb. We have two teams of children playing the boys and girls in the workhouse and Fagin’s gang, and some have never been on stage before. The youngest is just eight years old. Repetition is really important to help them learn their scenes and songs.”

Memorable moments in the show include Oliver asking for more gruel, the sinister relationship between Nancy and Bill Sikes, and of course uplifting musical numbers like Consider Yourself, Who Will Buy, It’s A Fine Life and Oom-Pa-Pa.

Liz hopes youngsters seeing Oliver! for the first time this May, will be as gripped by it as she was when she first saw the film as a child.

“Oliver! caught my imagination then – and it never let go.”

Oliver! runs at the Haymarket from Wed 8 - Sat 18 May. Performances at 7.30pm, with Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Buy tickets online.