James Ledward chats to his mothers idol. I grew up with a poster of Tommy Steel on the wall of the family home in Liverpool. My mother idolised him. After getting over the gushing introductions when I met him at the Brighton Centre last month, Tommy went on to tell me how at the grand […]
James Ledward chats to his mothers idol.
I grew up with a poster of Tommy Steel on the wall of the family home in Liverpool. My mother idolised him. After getting over the gushing introductions when I met him at the Brighton Centre last month, Tommy went on to tell me how at the grand age of 76 he is still able to be on stage for over two hours each night starring in the musical Scrooge, based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Tommy Steel was born Thomas Hicks in Bermondsey, London in 1936. He was a sickly child, the second of seven children and up to the age of four he spent much of his time in hospital. He had pneumonia three times, bronchial pneumonia twice and was never out of the hospital for more than three months at a time. However he was no retiring violet and managed to live the rough and tumble life of a young man in London during the blitz years.
After leaving school, where his story telling skills were widely recognised by his headmaster, he joined the merchant navy to travel the world and in his words: “learn about life and develop his writing skills”.
His ship sunk off the coast of Nova Scotia where he was hospitalised yet again for nine months, this time with spinal meningitis. In hospital he acquired a guitar and when he returned to sea he started writing songs and entertaining the crew. In 1956 he returned to London to look after his mother and started performing skiffle in the coffee bars in Soho where he was discovered and signed by Decca Records. He became recognised as the UK’s first real teen idol and rock n roller being dubbed by the PR people as Britain’s answer to Elvis Presley. He topped the UK charts in 1957 with Singing the blues along with his group the Steelmen who he had 10 top 30 hits with before he went on to develop his career as a solo singer, actor author and sculpture.
Hollywood movies followed including leading roles in The Happiest Millionaire and Finian’s Rainbow and countless award winning stage musicals such as Half a Sixpence, Hans Andersen and Singin’ in the Rain. The legendary Gene Kelly taught him to dance for his appearance in the musical New York, New York and he went on to dance with Gene Kelly.
I asked him what was his favourite medium to work in?
He said: “first and foremost, the stage, I am a terrible show off and to show off I need an audience to work with each evening. I live for the applause, I live for the audience, its what keeps me going. Working on films and TV is less rewarding as you stand around for hours just to get a single shot.”
During Scrooge he is on stage for more than two hours each evening. It is a major part for any actor to play never mind a 76 year old ‘song and dance man’.
I asked where he gets his stamina from?
He said: “after all the problems I had with my health when I was young I took myself in hand from the age of 43. I work out five times a week, I play squash regularly and have a good diet. I am the same weight now as I was at 43. I have concentrated on building up my lung capacity and that gives me the stamina to handle a role like Ebenezer.”
He continued: “you spend your life waiting for a big roles to come along and Scrooge is just that role, it is the role of a life time for a song and dance man like me.”
Tommy’s return to the Palladium last year to reprise the role sent him into the record books once again as the star to have headlined more performances than any one else at London’s most famous theatre. UK’s most famous song and dance man brings the production to the Brighton Centre starting Monday, December 23 – Saturday, January 4.
Based on Charles Dickens’ heartwarming story A Christmas Carol, Scrooge The Musical is the perfect heart-warming family treat with stunning sets and costumes, specially created illusions by magician Paul Kieve (acclaimed for the magic effects in the Harry Potter films) and a fantastic musical score which features Leslie Bricusse’s Oscar nominated hit Thank You Very Much. Without a large scale tradition Christmas Panto this year this is as good as it gets. Join Ebenezer, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future and a whole host of Dickensian characters in the award winning, international smash hit musical Scrooge! Direction is by Bob Tomson with sets designed by Paul Farnsworth, illusions by Paul Kieve, choreography by Lisa Kent and Musical Direction by Stuart Pedlar.
Adult tickets cost from £24.50 with children from £12.50. Family tickets are available Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and Saturday evening performances (2 adults & 2 children) from £74.00.
To book telephone: 01273 293131
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