In Conversation with the Stars of Drowsy: Nicola and Ewan

In the second of our meet the stars of The Drowsy Chaperone series we take a delightful stroll down memory lane with two of GMT's best loved faces Nicola Coffield and Ewan Macleod who have delighted GMT audiences in many a performance over the past 9 years.

So Ewan you have gone from boy to well best man as part of GMT:?

Yes, my first GMT show was West Side Story back in 2010/2011, when I was seventeen, playing Baby John and I have returned for many more productions and concerts since then including Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

And Nicola as a GMT founding member your history with GMT goes back even further?

Oh, I'm in with the bricks darling. (EDIT: Nicola Coffield has starred in over a dozen GMT productions and been on the directorial team for countless more as well as being overall company design director and designing all the fabulous artwork for company programmes and flyers).

With all these performances under your belt there must be specific ones which are memorable to both of you?

Ewan: I had a great time being the bad guy, Big Jule, in Guys & Dols last year but my favourite experience with GMT would have to be when I was Schlomo in Fame. The final scene was nerve wracking to play but I couldn't believe it when I could see people in the audience crying- hopefully in a good way!

Nicola: You may have seen my most recent performance as The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd. As I crawled about the stage, propositioning sailors, shouting lewd innuendo and showing the audience my tights, it was widely agreed that I brought an air of real gravitas to the role.

And what tempted you to come back again and audition for The Drowsy Chaperone?

Ewan: After having a fanctastic time during GMT's previous show, Sweeney Todd which was very serious and dramatic, I relaly liked the idea of doing a musical that was completly different and light- hearted. Plus it is hard to miss an opportunity to work again with such an amazing group of people, some of whom I've been performing and friends with for over seven years.

Nicola: It's definetly a fun show, and a rarity for me, the chance to play a slightly more glamorous character than usual. I also couldn't resist the opportunity to break out my 1920's jumpsuit collection.

Tell us about your characters in The Drowsy Chaperone?

Ewan: I play George, the best man at the wedding. He's taken on the role of lead wedding organiser and spends most of the show feeling terrified that the wedding wont go ahead as planned. He doesn't have the strongest sense of logic and this results in a crazy situation, involving Robert's footwear. You'll have to come and see the show to find out what I'm talking about!

Nicola: As the eponymous character, it's mabye not surprising that The Drowsy Chaperone is an absolute scene- stealer. She's supposed to be supporting Janet before her wedding but she's more interested in hunting down booze and/or men than doing any real maid of honour duties. She displays the barest of interest in Janet, and she can barely remember the groom's name (Ronald? Raymond?). She's such a fun part, mainly because she does all the things that you're not supposed to do on stage- i.e. pulling horrendous amounts of focus before layering on the vibrato with a bit trowel.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to most about showweek?

Nicola: Quite honestly, having a licence to chew the scenery. I suspect there's going to be a lot of that going on (side eyes: Alan Digweed), but that's a major part of the energy of the show so I am looking forward to the audiences reaction. And on a personal note, I'm curious to see just how much of the show I can get through with a Martini glass in my hand......

Ewan: Apart from the communal snack corner in the dressing room, I can't wait to be performing with this talented bunch in a brilliant venue, where the audience are (slightly scarily!) so close to the cast. I'm also really excited to find out how people will react to certain points of the show- It's a lot of fun!

The Drowsy Chaperone will be held at The Brian Cox Studtio @ The Scottish Youth Theatre from 8th to 12th May with performances at 8pm (additional Saturday Matinee at 3pm). Tickets are available throught Glasgow Music Theatre Box Office or via gmtdrowsychaperone@outlook.com