The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
Mar 29, 2022
Related video: Gemma Collins falls off stage at the Radio 1 Teen Awards
Cheryl Crashaw
When it comes to naming some of the greatest names in musical theatre, The Only Way is Essex star Gemma Collins may not be the first person who comes to mind.
Yet in an announcement which has angered fans of the stage, the TV personality is set to star as Mama Morton in the UK and Ireland tour of the international hit Chicago.
Numbers from the popular production include “Cell Block Tango” and “All That Jazz”, with the GC due to take to the stage when the show stops off at Sunderland in May.
Posting on Instagram, Collins wrote the news was “the proudest achievement of my life” and the “finest moment of my career”.
“I’m so excited,” she said.
Theatre producer David Ian added that the creative team were “completely stunned” by Collins’ audition for the character, adding that the reality star is an “undeniable force both on and off stage”.
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He said: “We can’t wait to see her portrayal of ‘Mama Morton’ on tour. Audiences across the country are in for a treat.”
Though not everyone is on board with the casting announcement, as Twitter users soon accused the show of “stunt casting” – where a celebrity is cast in a role as a “publicity stunt” in a bid to boost sales:
How tragic, what utter contempt must the producers have for properly talented, trained, experienced performers. I foresee she won't last a fortnight doing 8 shows a week.— Donna Rees. (@Donna Rees.) 1648550389
Hmmm so the thousands of pounds spent on musical theatre training , you don\u2019t need to bother with— Helen Dickinson (@Helen Dickinson) 1648547116
Absolutely shocking!!! The amount of unbelievable and hardworking actors, singers, dancers and creatives who've spent YEARS training and perfecting their craft and have struggled massively throughout Covid! GEMMA COLLINS IS A REALITY STAR\u2026 is theatre just a joke now?! Pathetichttps://twitter.com/whatsonstage/status/1508734295497752576\u00a0\u2026— Amy Anzel (@Amy Anzel) 1648553934
Others, meanwhile, have noted Chicago is “famous for stunt casting”:
So very interesting to see so many theatre professionals slagging the woman off. The #bekind movement well and truly over!\nChicago is famous for stunt casting. Give her a chance before assuming she\u2019ll be shit.https://twitter.com/shauntossell/status/1508736016349384707\u00a0\u2026— Chris Wales (@Chris Wales) 1648557236
for me it\u2019s not the stunt casting (chicago always does this, it\u2019s practically wed in the material)\n\ni just hope she\u2019s paid accordingly to others in the show & doesn\u2019t get special treatment on digs etc as that seems to be tough for actors atm\n\n& obv good luck to her taking this onhttps://twitter.com/whatsonstage/status/1508734295497752576\u00a0\u2026— rebecca \ud83c\udfad (@rebecca \ud83c\udfad) 1648554049
Then there’s the small matter of her performance on the celebrity edition of ITV show All Together Now, in which she “stumbles” through a rendition of "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman.
Gemma Collins stumbles in The Greatest Showman performance | All Together Now Celebritieswww.youtube.com
'The GC' is set to star alongside Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes and Annie’s Djalenga Scott when her part of the tour begins on 31 May.
She is then due to perform in Cardiff, Blackpool, Sheffield and Norwich, before taking her final bow in Oxford at the end of July.
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