First look: Will Young shines on the West End stage in Strictly Ballroom as he insists ‘I hated being a pop star’
STRICTLY BALLROOM by Luhrmann ;
The first photos of Will Young in new London theatre show Strictly Ballroom have been released – the star looks energised on the stage amid revelations he hated being a pop star.
Strictly Ballroom, which has started previews at London’s Piccadilly Theatre, features Will as “radical” ballroom dancer Scott Hastings who falls in love with a beginner called Fran.
Together, the duo insists to bosses that popular dancing needn’t be strictly ballroom.
Book tickets to see Will Young in Strictly Ballroom now
Will looks confident as he belts during rehearsals in the image, above, which shows him in a glittering black suit jacket and trousers, embellished with sequins.
The first images from the production have been released amid Will’s claims that he “hated being a pop star” as it triggered his ongoing battle with mental health issues.
(Will Young Instagram)
“I would never put out a record again. It makes me sick to think of being that person I knew wasn’t really me. I did have some good times and did meet some very good people, but I was never comfortable, never happy” the 39-year-old star told the Mail Online.
(Strictly Ballroom, Johan Persson)
Will, who won the Pop Idol music contest in 2002, described how the money he’d made helped him buy the “beautiful house” but was “not right inside” as he was struggling with severe levels of anxiety and stress.
Will also revealed in the interview that he had been initially wary of the Strictly Ballroom role when director Baz Luhrmann first approached him.
(Strictly Ballroom, Johan Persson)
However, “the script was incredible…I add a hint of darkness and I always love a hint of darkness” and Baz, the famous director behind feature films The Great Gatsby and Romeo & Juliet, had him on board.
Strictly Ballroom is also Luhrmann’s award-winning film, which has been reimagined into a stage show. It combines costumes by award-winning designer Catherine Martin and some of the chart’s biggest songs including Love Is In The Air.
(Strictly Ballroom, Johan Persson)
Strictly Ballroom also stars acclaimed musical theatre stars Jonny Labey and Zizi Strallen.
Paul is most known for playing Paul Coker on EastEnders, while Zizi famously portrayed Mary Poppins on the West End stage.
Will made his West End theatre debut in Rufus Norris’s acclaimed musical production of Cabaret in 2012.
