Having made her pantomime debut last year, Carrie Hope Fletcher is, this year, playing Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty at The Hawth Theatre until 31st December alongside a cast including Scott Paige as the Good Spirit Moonbeam and Andy Day as Jangles. As a stage performer, Carrie has most recently finished playing Elizabeth Edwards/Lady of the Bedchamber in The Crown Jewels in both the West End and on tour. Starting her musical theatre career in Les Misérables as Young Éponine, Carrie returned to the show on numerous occasions as Éponine and Fantine, and her further projects have included originating the role of Veronica Sawyer in 2018 for the UK premiere of Heathers the Musical, and she starred as Wednesday Addams on the UK Tour of The Addams Family. Next year, Carrie will be performing her second solo concert tour – Love Letters – after the success of her first headline tour – An Open Book – in May and June 2023, and as a best-selling author, she has released books such as On The Other Side, With This Kiss and The Double Trouble Society. Answering our questions, we found out from Carrie about being in the cast of Sleeping Beauty at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley as Carabosse, originating the London role of Veronica Sawyer in Heathers the Musical and her 2024 Love Letters concert tour.

What can audiences expect from your portrayal of Carabosse in this year’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty at The Hawth in Crawley?

A fearsome cackle I’ve been working on all year!

How is it working alongside the rest of the Sleeping Beauty cast, which includes Scott Paige and Andy Day?

Andy Day is such a wonderful human and a fun performer to work alongside! And getting to work with Scott again for the first time since Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Addams Family in 2016/17 is a dream come true!

What is it like rehearsing for a pantomime and how different do you find it to your other shows?

Panto has a very quick turnaround but there’s certainly a lot more laughter involved in the process compared to say, rehearsing for something like Les Mis!

How do you find the experience interacting with a pantomime audience and what was it like making your pantomime debut in Sleeping Beauty at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury last year?

My panto debut last year in Canterbury was daunting as panto comes with lots of traditions that you learn along the way but the Marlowe and its cast and team made me feel so welcome and I was so eager to get back to panto this year! A pantomime audience is addictive and after a year of your “usual” theatre audiences, I’m excited for more participation this Christmas!

What are you looking forward to most for performing in pantomime at The Hawth over Christmas?

I’m looking forward to hanging out with my best friend (Scott Paige) over Christmas and, as I’m currently six-and-a-half months pregnant, it’s nice to be a little closer to home!

Why would you recommend families book tickets to see Sleeping Beauty in Crawley?

If you want a festive and fun night out for the entire family filled with laughter and great quality jokes and songs, you gotta come to Crawley panto!

You have recently finished performing as Elizabeth Edwards/Lady of the Bedchamber in The Crown Jewels in the West End and on tour, what was the show like to be part of?

It was amazing to be in a show with national treasures such as Al Murray, Neil Morrissey and Mel Giedroyc! They were such a delight to get to know and learn from.

What are some of your favourite highlights from your time involved with Les Misérables over the years, having played Fantine and Éponine, and made your West End debut as Young Éponine?

Les Mis is still my favourite musical even after all this time. I’ll never forget my opening night and hearing that overture from the wings and thinking “I can’t believe this is my life!”.

In 2018, you originated the role of Veronica Sawyer in the London premiere of Heathers the Musical, what was Veronica like to play?

Veronica was maybe one of the most challenging roles I’ve played both vocally and physically and it was a big learning curve but it was also one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve done. Originating a role, even if only in the UK, is such an honour and comes with a level of creativity you don’t get when you take over a role. I loved every second!

What did you enjoy most about playing Wednesday Addams on the UK Tour of The Addams Family?

Wednesday was so much fun! She’s kooky and gets some of the best songs and touring the country with a show you love is a great feeling.

You have recently announced your Love Letters concert tour for next year, how does it feel to be headlining your second solo UK concert tour?

I’m so excited to head back out on tour again! My first solo tour last year was so enjoyable and I can’t way to get to do it again. I love creating a setlist and finding a way to weave those songs into my own script and narrative and then proudly presenting that to a like-minded audience.

As a successful author, you have released many books including On The Other Side, With This Kiss and The Double Trouble Society, do you have a favourite aspect of writing your own books?

When I work in theatre, I’m very much part of telling someone else’s story. When I write, I get to create the story, the world and the characters. It’s lovely to be involved in so many ways to tell stories because that’s what I love doing the most.

How did you get into performing and writing, and did you always want to have a career in both?

Again, it’s all part of telling stories and that’s what I’ve always been passionate about. Whether it’s playing a role in someone else’s story or creating one myself, it’s the best.

Do you have any favourite theatre shows to watch, and how do you like to spend your free time?

Les Mis is my favourite but I’ve always been a huge fan of Wicked (seen it eight times!), Oliver! and Sweeney Todd. I love going to the theatre in my free time but equally I love reading and spending time with Joel (Montague), my husband and Edgar, our cat!

Can you say about some of your further stand-out highlights of your career so far, which have seen you be nominated for two Grammy Awards, have a successful YouTube channel and release your debut album in 2018?

I’ve been so lucky to have a great career so far and play some dream roles of mine but I never imagined this would be where I’d end up. I would have been happy playing third tree from the left if it meant being involved in musical theatre. I’m so, so grateful my path has led me here but my passion for musicals and theatre and performing remains ignited no matter what form that takes. So, all my highlights are basically any time I’ve been able to perform in front of an audience alongside brilliantly talented people and there have been many of those moments in my career so far! So I’m very lucky!

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