SYNDICATE INTERVIEW - CHRISTINA BIANCO ON NARRATING JOSEPH, EMBRACING THE UK, AND LIFE ON TOUR

From viral impressions to starring on the West End, Christina Bianco has captivated audiences worldwide with her remarkable vocal versatility and charm. Now, she takes on the role of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, bringing her own playful twist to the iconic character. In this exclusive interview, Bianco shares her lifelong love for the show, reflects on her career highlights, and reveals what she loves most about performing in the UK.

What appealed to you about the show?

I have been a great fan of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat since I was a child. It was one of the first musicals that my parents played around the house and I've listened to all the versions I could get my hands on. I was especially partial to the 1991 revivals in the UK and the US, in which Linzi Hateley and Kelli Rabke played the Narrator, and I now know both of them. It's the craziest thing to idolise these two women, to befriend them, and to now actually step into their shoes as Narrator. It's an iconic and incredible role, and there's no way I could have ever said no to it.

Who is the Narrator, for people who haven't seen it before?

In the past, I would say that the Narrator acts like a storyteller or a schoolteacher, educating the children in the Bible story of Joseph. In this production, we sort of turn that on its head a bit - the way it was done in the Palladium production starring Sheridan Smith, where I'm a bit more of a mischievous Mary Poppins. [Laughs] The director, Laurence Connor, says that she's sort of like the babysitter the parents should not have left their kids with, making it a little more playful and modern. Even though it's still the classic production everybody knows, it's got something a little special to appeal to a younger generation. I'm telling the story but I'm also inviting the children - who are not just singing oohs and aahs in a choir in this production - to play characters within it. Together, we bring the story to life for the audience.

You're famous for your impersonations. Are you doing any of them in the show?

This one is just me as me, although I do sort of sprinkle in a little bit of an Edith Piaf impression into Those Canaan Days. That's pretty much how the song is written, so I didn't have to twist any arms to make it happen. The last time I did a production of Joseph in 2018, in Chicago, I did a lot of impressions as the Narrator, which was cool, but it's nice to be doing this one a different way. I've been very lucky to have a balanced career, in which I get to be Christina Bianco as Christina Bianco and Christina the concert artist who does lots of impressions, comedy, sketches and all that. [Laughs] I love doing impressions, but I do love being myself more. And one of the reasons I now live over here is because the UK has given me such a great balance of both parts of my career.

What do you think makes Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat such a classic?

You don't have to be familiar with every Bible story to appreciate Joseph. There's something very playful about the show. It was originally written by a very young Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice as a musical for children, and I think that the joy of the show and that innocence is what appeals to so many people because grandparents, parents, and their kids are coming together and all getting something a little bit different out of the same material. I think they wrote it with such wide-eyed innocence and nothing but joy, and the energy of the show is relentless. It has moments that pull at your heartstrings, but at its core, it doesn't take itself very seriously. That's a very rare balance in musical theatre. You get comedy, you get a little bit of tragedy, you get some incredible dance numbers, you get incredible singing; you do get everything within one show.

What's your favourite song in the show to perform?

Well, I've got two. I think anybody familiar with the score of Joseph knows how contagious Jacob and Sons is. When I was little, I remember being in the back seat of the car, belting out the lyrics and holding that final note as long and loud as I could. The song comes very early in the show and every night it's a bit of a pinch-me moment for me, that I get to be the Narrator for Sir Andrew and Sir Tim. My other favourite is Pharaoh Story, which comes at the start of Act 2 and is a bit of a diva moment for the Narrator. It’s a nice moment that I share on stage with the kids, and I love it.

You came to fame in New York in Forbidden Broadway. Did you ever dream you'd go on to have the career that you've had?

I really did hope that I would, but in this business, there are so many ups and downs. Being a very tough Italian New Yorker, I knew that to get any work was fortunate in this business and to get consistent work you're even more lucky. So, to have the opportunities I've had... I mean, oh my gosh! Sometimes I really do have to pinch myself and I'm so incredibly grateful.

What have been your favourite stage roles over the years?

Well, I think anyone who's ever read anything about me has heard me babble on about playing Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at the Théâtre Marigny in Paris. The production was directed and choreographed by Stephen Mear and all of us were so proud of it. It got great reviews. You try not to look at them, but sometimes you can't ignore them. I got to do a show about New Yorkers with a British company in Paris, so creatively and emotionally it was incredibly special. So yes, Funny Girl was a big one for me and another big one was my other role for Andrew Lloyd Webber - playing Glinda in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. You think 'Oh, I just like to work' and then all of a sudden you find yourself walking through the Palladium stage door thinking 'How did I get here? So that was great, and it's always nice when I get to be blonde and pink. It was fun to be the polar opposite of how I typically look. I felt like a Barbie doll on my Vespa. Another favourite was doing Forbidden Broadway at the Vaudeville in the West End. To have a show that I'd grown up with and was so lucky to get to be a part of in New York, then to get to do it in the West End was just incredible.

As you say, you're originally from the States. How does it feel to have been embraced by the British public?

When I first had these crazy YouTube videos go viral, nobody was aware of how it all worked. I remember somebody from YouTube showing me the analytics of who was watching the videos and where, and the bulk of them were coming from the United Kingdom. I just thought that was so brilliant because I'm an anglophile who grew up gravitating toward lots of British drama, comedy and television shows. I watched Ab Fab, I watched Blackadder, I watched A Bit of Fry & Laurie when half of it went over my head because I was too young, I loved Monty Python. There was always a part of me that loved and appreciated British humour, so when I came to the UK and the audiences appreciated my humour I thought 'I should foster this'. That's why I kept coming back to the UK to perform and it's been a very natural transition to eventually living here with my husband and dog.

What do you most enjoy about touring the country.

I have such a love of all the market towns and ask all of the staff at the theatres - the people that work the stage door and front of house - where their favourite places to eat are, their favourite sights, their favourite views. That way I get to see all of these cities and towns as the locals appreciate them, not just what the guidebooks say or what the internet says. On my concert tours, when I've toured a few of these cities before I'm in and out in a day, but now I get a week or two to enjoy them. Any recommendations, bring them on!

Is there anything you couldn't be on the road without?

Health-wise I would say my vocal mist nebuliser, but that's a boring answer - although it's a necessity. I also travel with a little stuffed animal that reminds me of my dog Jeffrey, who's back at home in London. It's a little stuffed turtle that I call Thomas, he fits right in a backpack, and I never travel without him. My dog is part schnauzer and he's very much a grumpy old man, with a bit of a crooked smirk that I love. The reason I grabbed this little turtle was because it had the same crooked little smirk as my dog and I take him with me because, as I tell my husband, I can talk to him on the phone when I'm away but I can't talk to Jeffrey.

Syndicate Interview Provided by Leeds Grand Theatre