Interviews

WOS TV: Up Close With … Lauren Samuels

14 February 2011

Having come to prominence as a runner-up on the BBC and Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s search for a Dorothy, Over the Rainbow Lauren Samuels quickly found herself on the West End stage playing Sandy in Grease at the Piccadilly.

Moving on from Rydell High, Samuels now plays the far more intimate space of the Tabard Theatre, Chiswick alongside Christopher Pym in Jason Robert Brown‘s The Last Five Years which opened on 11 February (previews from 9 February) and runs until 5 March 2011.

Joseph Pike spoke to Lauren about her experiences competing for the ruby slippers, being the oldest finalist and her subsequent West End and Off-West End roles.

A contemporary story, The Last Five Years explores a five-year relationship between Jamie and Cathy a rising novelist, and a struggling actress, falling in and out of love. It is told from two angles: Cathy’s story travels backwards in time, from the end of their marriage to when they first met, and Jamie’s story traces the relationship from the beginning to its sad conclusion.

The Last Five Years is directed by Drew Baker with musical direction by Lee Freeman and design by Ben Rogers. It is produced at the Tabard by Tony Green with Dayle James Productions.