“Huge Amounts Of Pressure” – Her.ie Meets Television Star Jennifer Maguire

Jennifer Maguire is known for having a laugh on Republic of Telly but this week she made her stage debut in Priscilla Queen of the Desert. But before opening night we caught up with her to find out how she feels about working with Neighbours legend Jason Donovan and what she sings on the karaoke machine...                                                                            So Jennifer, tell us, what attracted you to this show in particular? It was an opportunity to do something completely different. The role is very different to what you’d normally see me do. People forget that you’re actually acting on Republic of Telly and you’re not this b*tch (laughs) that you play consistently for five years... But I suppose people get so used to seeing you playing that and expect that of you so it’s nice to break out and do something completely different and do one of the campest musicals around. It’s going to be fun and the character (Marion) is just great. She’s very warm, she’s a mother, she’s Jason Donovan’s wife but she’s still very open-minded and a bit ballsy. She doesn’t have a huge amount to do but there are some really nice scenes with him and an Australian accent. Jennifer with her Priscilla Queen of the Desert co-stars. Have you been practising the accent then? I have and I had to audition which was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life. You forget how much work goes into it. There’s no messing here. You’re not going into your pals at Republic of Telly, these are west end pros so it’s important not to make a show of yourself. I just kind of disarmed them... we had a good laugh. It’s an incredibly popular musical. Are you feeling the pressure? Huge amounts of pressure! I don’t know how I’m going to be able to sleep. I don’t think I will sleep. It’s a great musical and it’s something for everybody. I am also secretly obsessed with disco music, I can admit that now. My wedding is going to be full of disco music so the fact that it has some of the greatest disco songs ever is just fantastic. And the dancing that I have to do isn’t contemporary, it isn’t ballet or tap, it will be disco. I’m delighted with that! We’ve all done a bit of disco. We’ve all been to that wedding where people are busting out those moves so it’s great. It’s really flamboyant. It’s just really out there. It’s more like a concert atmosphere and everybody’s up on their feet at the end. What sort of preparation will you be doing ahead of the show then? I think just watching a lot of Neighbours and Home and Away. It’s tough, the things you have to do. Yea, just trying to do the part justice and be so comfortable with it that I can enjoy it really on the run... I don’t want to let the cast down, there’s a big pressure there. And are you excited about working with Jason Donovan? Who wouldn’t be?! He’s a bit of a legend and a west end legend. Little did I think, all those years ago when I had his poster up on my wall, I would be playing his wife. I’m actually way too young to be playing his wife but they’re great in makeup here... I think I’m going to have to sing Especially For You to him, get loads of pictures, hug him, smell him. We’re going to be best friends, I’ve already decided. The Republic of Telly star plays Marion in the musical. What do you like the most about being in the show and is there a song in particular you love? It’s nice getting out of your typecast so that’s quite exciting. It’s nice to challenge yourself and do something that you feel totally uncomfortable doing, totally out of your depth, that you’re nervous about, because hopefully I will not only do a good job and be happy about what I’ve done but I’ll stretch myself as a performer. As for the song, it would probably be I Will Survive because that is my karaoke song. That and Killing Me Softly, I do a really okay rendition. Last but not least, describe the show for us in three words. I would say flamboyant, fun and exciting. It’s a really exciting musical and I think the great thing about this show is it’s for everybody and not just for people who are into the theatre and want to go see Les Misérables. This is a musical that everyone can enjoy because it has very recognisable songs and it’s really fun. Priscilla Queen of the Desert is running in The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre until October 26th. Tickets range from €20 and can be purchased via Ticketmaster.