West End star Lucie Jones is embracing a remarkable period in her career and personal life, headlining the iconic London Palladium while expecting her first child and continuing her acclaimed run as Fantine in Les Misérables. In an exclusive interview, the performer opens up about how motherhood is transforming her approach to theatre, her ambitious solo concert, and her mission to prove that musicals are undeniably cool.
Performing Pregnant: A New Dimension to Les Misérables
Returning to Les Misérables, the production that served as her training ground, Jones now portrays Fantine while carrying her daughter. "This is my sixth go at Les Mis and I'm playing Fantine, who fights until her last breath for what's good and right for her child," she reveals. "To be doing it now with my daughter is bonkers."
The experience has brought profound moments of connection. During the Epilogue, while singing the line "To love another person is to see the face of God," Jones felt her daughter kick vigorously. "Having her there with me, in the thick of it all, has changed the way that I do the role," she explains. The production team has been exceptionally supportive, with costume departments ensuring comfort and fight directors adapting choreography for her pregnancy.
London Palladium: The Pinnacle Venue
Jones describes her upcoming headline concert at the London Palladium on 16 February as a career milestone. "I've always known that it was the pinnacle," she says of the historic venue. "The history that's in the walls of that building! You walk in and you can almost hear its secrets being whispered."
Her childhood admiration for Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli's Live at the London Palladium album makes this performance particularly meaningful. "Every single time I've walked in through the stage door, my stomach's flipped," she admits, acknowledging the venue's legendary status in entertainment history.
Crafting a Personal Setlist
Unlike performances where she interprets others' visions, this concert represents a deeply personal journey. "Putting a show like this together is completely different because it's about me and my life," Jones explains. The setlist evolves from her Glastonbury approach but with more introspection.
She's breaking her own rule about performing multiple songs from the same production, particularly drawing from Waitress, whose protagonist Jenna experiences pregnancy. "I'm playing the London Palladium while carrying my daughter. And Jenna in Waitress goes through everything while carrying her child," Jones notes. "I don't want to pass up the opportunity to sing songs that really relate to what's going on."
Glastonbury Triumph: Musicals Are Cool
Jones made history as one of the few musical theatre stars to perform at Glastonbury, packing a tent designed for 3,000 with approximately 5,000 enthusiastic fans. "That's a real testament to musicals being cool now," she declares triumphantly.
Reflecting on pre-performance nerves, she recalls telling her partner George: "Fucking hell, what if no one comes?" But her concerns proved unfounded. "I knew that there would be a lot of people who would feel very excited to belt out Defying Gravity in a field," she says. "We weren't even breaking the mould, we were creating a new mould."
Her message to musical theatre skeptics is unequivocal: "Musicals are cool! And people who say that they're not cool ... well, they're not our people anyway."
Elphaba Sisterhood and Wicked Reflections
As a former Elphaba in the stage production of Wicked, Jones maintains connections with performers worldwide who have portrayed the iconic character. While discreet about details, she confirms: "There's definitely communication between us! And it doesn't just stay with London, you know, it's worldwide."
Regarding the Wicked film adaptations, she praises both installments while acknowledging the challenge of meeting sky-high expectations. "The first one was fantastic and the second one is still really magical," she observes. "I think once you've seen a world created so beautifully ... it's a really difficult task to bring us back in and reboot that to a new level."
Jones continues to champion musical theatre's evolving appeal while navigating the unique intersection of career milestones and impending motherhood. Her Palladium concert promises to be both a professional triumph and personal celebration, reflecting her journey through songs that have defined her life on and off stage.
