Spamalot - Nina Söderquist wins West End role
Story by Lizzie Guilfoyle
ON FEBRUARY 11, 2008, Nina Söderquist, winner of TV3’s West End Star, will take over the role of The Lady of the Lake from Marin Mazzie in Monty Python’s Spamalot, which is currently booking until September 27, 2008 at the Palace Theatre.
Söderquist, who went head to head with Linda Holmgren in Saturday evening’s live final on Swedish television, received over 59% of the votes from the viewing public.
A 35 year old singing waitress from Hälsingland, Sweden, and a Lieutenant in the Swedish Army, Söderquist has worked alongside many bands including Toto and The Bee Gees as well as collaborating with US singer Robin Beck. She performed at the Victory Concert for Sweden’s Olympic Gold winning Hockey Team, the Swedish Soccer League at the World Championships in Berlin and has performed in Afghanistan for the American troops.
For her West End Star audition, Söderquist performed Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor; while on Saturday, it was With One Look from Sunset Boulevard, Tonight from West Side Story and Spamalot’s Diva’s Lament that secured her the role in the hit West End musical.
Speaking after her win, Söderquist said: “I am so happy to have won West End Star, for a second I thought I was actually going to die on live TV! It’s a dream come true – I can’t quite believe I will be Spamalot‘s new Lady of the Lake! Before I entered West End Star I had never sung a song from a musical. I had only ever seen one musical my life – Cats – as a teenager on a school trip to London.
My co-finalists and I have had an incredible journey – from our first auditions back in September to rehearsing at London’s Palace Theatre with the amazing Spamalot Company. Since January, we have returned to Sweden each weekend to perform live on national television. My first performance as the Lady of the Lake will be on February 11 and between now and then I will be based in London rehearsing. My family and friends will be here for opening night and hopefully all the TV viewers who voted for me will follow soon after!”
Directed by Mike Nichols, Monty Python’s Spamalot is “lovingly ripped-off” from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Book and lyrics are by Eric Idle with a Grammy Award-winning score by Eric Idle and John Du Prez.
Other members of the Spamalot creative team include Casey Nicholaw (choreography), multiple Olivier Award-winners Tim Hatley (sets and costumes) and Hugh Vanstone (lighting) and Acme Sound Partners.
The current West End cast includes Peter Davison as King Arthur, Marin Mazzie as The Lady of The Lake (until February 9), Robert Hands as Sir Robin, Steven Kynman as Prince Herbert, Graham MacDuff as Sir Dennis Galahad, Andrew Spillett as Patsy, Tony Timberlake as Sir Bedevere and Jake Nightingale as Sir Lancelot. Alan Dale will take over the role of King Arthur from March 3.
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