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often lead the congregation in song, and the songs<br />
of soul legends such as Sam Cooke and Aretha<br />
Franklin were the soundtrack to her childhood.<br />
She performed in amateur theatre productions at<br />
school and with Wolverhampton Youth Theatre until<br />
she left to embark on her singing career. So it’s no<br />
surprise that she would one day return to the theatre<br />
stage.<br />
Beverley’s interest was first piqued when the script<br />
for Memphis: the Musical landed in her lap and it<br />
seemed like fate was leading her down a new career<br />
route.<br />
“It was Sir Lenny Henry and his partner Lisa Makin<br />
who were involved in the early days of Memphis,<br />
and Lisa got in touch because she thought I’d be<br />
great as the lead role of Felicia, so that’s what got<br />
me thinking about going back to theatre in the first<br />
place,” she says.<br />
“It was way ahead of the show’s actual production<br />
- they didn’t even have a theatre sorted. But then I<br />
saw that The Bodyguard was on in London and they<br />
were doing a complete cast change, which is unusual,<br />
and I thought that I know those songs and I’ve had<br />
lots of years of theatre experience in am-dram so<br />
something just triggered and I thought it would be<br />
nice to go back.”<br />
Despite having no professional musical theatre<br />
experience at all, Beverley suitably impressed and<br />
West End impresario Michael Harrison cast her in<br />
the lead role of Rachel Marron, following in the<br />
footsteps of Whitney Houston’s iconic film turn.<br />
“It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful,” says<br />
Beverley. “I’m not going to lie, it was pretty nervewracking,<br />
and there were all these critics there ready<br />
to say how crap I was so I had a lot to show the<br />
theatre community, to prove that I could do it.<br />
“The dress run was more nerve-wracking than the<br />
actual first show because that makes the whole thing<br />
feel real. After that, I was like put the audience in<br />
now, I’m ready.”<br />
Beverley - and the musical theatre community<br />
at large - needn’t have worried. Her stellar<br />
performances in The Bodyguard led to a nomination<br />
for Best Takeover of a Role at the Whatsonstage<br />
Awards, and when Memphis the Musical finally hit<br />
the stage in the West End in October 2014 Beverley<br />
stunned in the lead role of Felicia Farrell, earning<br />
an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a<br />
Musical in the process.<br />
A bona fide theatre star was born. Further West End<br />
roles came calling; in 2015 Beverley took on the role<br />
of Grizabella in the revival of Cats at the London<br />
THE CINDERELLA<br />
CAST AT THE PANTO<br />
LAUNCH AT ASTON<br />
VILLA<br />
34
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