Mel C is looking for Jesus as she stars in new talent show ‘Superstar’

By Albertina Lloyd
Tuesday Jul 3 2012

Before she answered that advert in The Stage in 1994 and went on to become Sporty Spice, Melanie Chisholm was just another stage school graduate with ambition.

As Mel C she achieved global stardom with the Spice Girls and is the only member to have maintained a successful solo music career. Her sixth album is due out later this year.

Having already won rave reviews for her West End debut in Blood Brothers in 2009, she is now taking on the lead role of Mary Magdalene in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new revival of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Chisholm, 38, confesses she has always been a "huge" fan of Lloyd Webber. "Because I always danced and I did a lot of performing at school, I used to listen to all the soundtracks and the cast recordings," she recalls.

"When I was 16 I went to performing arts college, so it was something I studied too. And to work with him, it's amazing. It's like meeting an idol."

Chisholm is looking ethereal in a long white dress, her dark glossy hair falling elegantly about her shoulders. Only the tattoos on her arms give away her old tomboy Sporty Spice persona.

She joined Lloyd Webber's ITV1 talent show Superstar as a mentor to the contestants in the early stages of the auditions, before she even knew she would be cast as Mary.

"I am very excited and very nervous at the same time. It's such an incredible opportunity, and to be part of it, the first time that it's ever been an arena show in the UK is such an honour.

"I think people are going to be blown away because it's really spectacular, it's not just going to the theatre, it really is going to be quite a rock experience."

"There's some beautiful, beautiful songs. I can't wait to get into rehearsals and just really get my teeth into it."

Rehearsals may not have started but Chisholm has already been working with judges Lloyd Webber and Jason Donovan as they auditioned hopefuls for the role of Jesus.

"Jason's such a lovely guy, he has so much experience in musical theatre. And he's very generous as well.

"It was very new to me and he really helped me out. So I think he will be very kind to the contestants, as well as honest."

The third judge on the panel will be Dawn French, who Chisholm worked with in 1997 when spoof band the Sugar Lumps and the Spice Girls teamed up for the Comic Relief single.

"Dawn is just amazing and funny," says Chisholm, bursting into infectious giggles. "She's going to love it because she does like a handsome man, doesn't she?

"I wonder if she's going to snog all the Jesuses?! She has a habit of snogging leading men, so it's going to be fun to see her in action.

"I think the dynamic between Dawn and Jason and Andrew is going to be really good."

Chisholm wants Jesus to have "a very powerful voice and a great acting ability" as well as "real charisma".

She adds: "I'm quite happy that it's in the hands of the public to decide, because it's really difficult."

But she will be casting her vote. "Of course I do have my favourites, I'm going to be ringing and ringing and ringing for the people that I want to be Jesus. But to be honest with you, of the final 10 - they're all fabulous."

Many were surprised when Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles was cast as King Herod in the show. But Chisholm is sure her old friend will impress.

"I'm very excited to work with Chris, I've known him for a long time and it's lovely to see him out of his comfort zone. I'll be enjoying watching him squirm on opening night.

"The thing is, Chris has got a voice, but it's pretty much untrained. But he's a showman."

Chisholm hasn't had to worry about training her voice. She's been busy touring, and is performing at many festivals this summer.

"I'm kind of working anyway. I'm doing various shows with my band, and that's great preparation for me, to be out there, singing live and keeping the vocals strong.

"I've been so lucky in my career that I finish one thing and then something else just happens to come along. I always tend to put all my energy into whatever I'm working on at the time. I released an album last year, and that's been great for me because it's enabled me to tour.

"I'm keeping myself fit and just looking forward to getting into rehearsals and seeing how it's all going to unfold.

"But it will be nice to get some more acting experience, because it's quite limited really. I've only done the one show."

Another show that will open in the West End later this year is the Spice Girls musical Viva Forever!

Chisholm is delighted the show, featuring all the band's hits, was written by another Sugar Lump, Jennifer Saunders.

She confesses that watching early rehearsals of the show, about a girl rising to fame on a reality TV show and her relationship with her mother, moved her to tears.

"Every time a song started I got goosebumps. We laughed and I have to say we cried, and at one particular point in the show we cried quite uncontrollably.

"It's a real emotional rollercoaster, but for us girls it's so much deeper. It brings back memories for us, so it's quite emotional watching it all."

With her fingers in so many pies, it's a wonder Chisholm still manages to be such a great mum to three-year-old daughter Scarlet with her property developer partner.

She takes her along to festivals and switches between "mummy" backstage and "Mel C" when she's performing.

"This weekend I'm taking Scarlet with me, so I want her to have fun. We're going to see Jessie J because that's her favourite singer, and then I'm performing as well.

"I will have two heads on. I'll be mummy and I will have my work persona as well, so that's going to be tricky.

"Luckily I have lovely people that help me look after Scarlet and her dad's around a lot as well.

"So I think it's just like any working mum, trying to fit stuff in. You just have to be organised. That's the key."

EXTRA TIME - MELANIE CHISHOLM

:: Melanie Jayne Chisholm was born on January 12, 1974 in Lancashire.

:: She grew up in Merseyside and, after leaving school, attended Bird College theatre school in Kent.

:: Chisholm joined the Spice Girls in 1994 and gained the nickname Sporty Spice in 1996 for being the tomboy of the girls.

:: Her daughter Scarlet Starr was born on February 22, 2009.

:: Superstar begins on ITV1 on Sunday, July 9

Press Association

- Albertina Lloyd



Read more: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/ind ... z1zmuvFhji

Love the article!!! Say great things about her and tell her story with respect, that that's not so seeing at the press nowadays...