My Theatre Firsts: Jersey Boys' Tim Driesen

Tim Driesen is playing Frankie Valli in the UK and Irish tour of the Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award-winning musical Jersey Boys. We caught up with him to find out a few of his 'Theatre Firsts'.

What was the first show you went to?

My very first theatrical experience wasn’t a great one. I went to see an amateur production of Cats in the local Church hall as my mum’s hairdresser was playing Grizabella. I remember that, apart from a few good songs (including "Memory" which was the only song from the show that my mum knew and which she murdered on a regular basis) I wasn’t terribly impressed, but that had more to do with the performances than the actual piece. A few years later I watched "The Phantom of the Opera" in Holland and was totally blown away by the magnitude of the production and the ability to reduce a teenage boy to tears by the sheer beauty of it all! That’s when I got bitten by the musical theatre bug and it hasn’t let me go since!

When did you first decide to become an actor?

I think there never was a question that I wouldn’t become an actor. From an early age I used to dress up and put on shows in our back garden. Unbeknownst to me, my sister used to stand at the back gate and charge admission! I promised my parents that I wouldn’t make a rash decision about what to do with the rest of my life until I turned 18 and finished high school. But for as long as I can remember I’ve been acting, singing and generally trying to entertain people so no one was surprised that’s exactly what I ended up doing. There never was a doubt in my mind that I’d be doing something else.

Who was the first actor you were inspired by?

The first time I saw The Mask I was intrigued by the talents of an – at that point – unknown rubber-faced actor called Jim Carrey. And I know that that movie used a lot of special effects, but all of his subsequent comedies didn’t. Then I saw his stand-up and thought it was even funnier than the movies he did and when he surprised everyone by appearing in films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Majestic, in which he shows that he does drama equally as well as comedy, I became a life-long fan. In a business in which we all get pigeon-holed a lot of the time and in which ‘crossing over’ seems to be getting harder and harder, I can only applaud someone for being able to silence his critics.

What was your first professional role?

When I left my ‘vocational college’ after three years of intensive musical theatre training, I landed the part of ‘Donny Osmond and David Cassidy’ in a Bill Kenwright compilation show called Thank You For The Music. At that time I’d tried – and failed – to become a recording artist in my own right, so playing two teen idols from the 70’s and 80’s seemed a nice consolation! A few years later I tried – and failed again – to be in a boy band, so when I got to play ‘Mark Owen’ in the Take That musical Never Forget, I got my hunger for boy-band fame stilled. And after channelling my inner ‘Freddy’ during my stint as 'Galileo' in We Will Rock You (Belgium) I’ve retired my guy-liner and replaced it with some beautiful sixties suits in Jersey Boys. Pop music is in my blood and I shall – till my death – try (and probably fail) to become a successful recording artist, but in the mean time I will GLADLY sing someone else’s greatest hits on any stage near you!

How did you react to your first review?

"They must have got it wrong. I can’t have been THAT good!"… haha. No but seriously, I can’t remember. I think it was mainly a good one (the first one, that is). I would like to say that I don’t read reviews but I’d be lying. Reviews are important, but they are also one person’s opinion. We work in a business where everything is subjective and I’ve always been told: if you take the praise, you also have to take the negative comments. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ when someone can explain why they loved or loathed something. I just know that my mum and dad will always think everything I do is amazing and that they have to love me no matter what! The day they tell me they didn’t like my performance is the day I will be worried!

What was the first piece of advice you were given?

"Don’t do it! You’ll be out of work more than you will be in work!" but look at the economy over the last few years; there’s hardly any job security, so why not do something you love and something that you’re good at! I’ve learned to take the bad with the good. The pain of childbirth goes away the minute a mother holds her baby in her arms (allegedly). The pain of ten-hour shifts leafleting on Oxford Street or spritzing cologne at a prestigious corner shop in Knightsbridge goes away the minute you get on that stage to take your bow at the end of the show!

Which is the first word that comes to your head when I say 'theatre'?

Un-downloadable. You can’t download the feeling you get from watching live theatre. In this world of Netflix and iTunes and watching movies on your phone (which I have nothing against by the way!) there is nothing that can replace the feeling of expectation when the lights go down. I still feel that every time I sit down to watch a show or a play. The expectation of a good night (even if it doesn’t turn out to be that way); the ability to look where you want and hence become your own cameraman; getting your senses stirred, your imagination tickled and either giving your brain a night off or having thoughts provoked. Just leave the ‘real world’ at the door, turn off that phone and save your Twitter and Facebook thoughts for the interval!

If you could choose any role that you would like to do next, what is the first one that comes to mind?

I’ve always wanted to play Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, but even more than that I’d like to see more new work produced so that someday I will be able to originate a part in a totally new musical and have someone else fill my shoes! In the mean time, if there are any pop artists who have a musical in the pipeline and are looking for a singer of average height with a high voice, I’m your man!