WOS TV: Up Close With … David Bedella

Bedella, who created the role of Satan in Richard Thomas‘ Jerry Springer the Opera – winning the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical – has also toured the UK as Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. His previous stage credits include the Royal Albert Hall concert production of Chess with screen credits including the 2004 film Alexander and Batman Begins with Christian Bale.

Bedella sat down with Whatsonstage.com’s Joseph Pike to talk about his experiences in musicals, compare the worlds of television and theatre and relate advice to young acting hopefuls.

The current revival of Chicago opened on the West End in 1997 at the Adelphi where it played for nine years before transferring to the Cambridge in April of 2006. It won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production as well as the 1998 Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical.

Kander and Ebb’s 1975 musical is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins and has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The current production, which transferred from Broadway, is directed by Walter Bobbie and designed by John Lee Beatty, with choreography by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse.