Felicity Walton is currently performing at the Shaftesbury Theatre in Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical, playing the youngest of the three siblings – Natalie Hillard, with the musical starring her on-stage father Gabriel Vick as Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire. Last year, Felicity made her professional musical theatre debut as Gretl von Trapp in Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of The Sound of Music, and away from stage, she voiced Miss Weather in Charlie’s Colorforms City over multiple series, and Wilder Truckley in Toot, Toot Cory Carson. Catching up with Felicity, she told us about making her West End debut as Natalie Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical, playing Gretl von Trapp in The Sound of Music last year and voicing Miss Weather in Charlie’s Colorforms City.

How are you finding the experience making your West End debut in Mrs. Doubtfire at the Shaftesbury Theatre?

I am having such a great time in Mrs. Doubtfire and there isn’t a moment when I don’t feel happy or grateful for the opportunity. The company are so lovely and they have made me feel so welcome, right from the first day of rehearsals.

Had you seen Mrs. Doubtfire the film before auditioning for the musical and how did you feel finding out you’d be playing Natalie Hillard on stage?

I had first seen the film of Mrs. Doubtfire when I was quite young but I only watched it once because the choking scene with Stuart Dunmeyer in the restaurant scared me a little but it is all fine now. Then when I watched it again for the audition to refresh my memory, it was great and I wondered what I was worried about!

Finding out I was successful in securing the role was a huge shock. It was quite late on a Friday afternoon when we got the call from our agent and because a little time had passed since the final audition, I had almost forgotten about it, so it was even more of a surprise.

What is Natalie like to play and how did you prepare for the role?

Natalie is brilliant to play, as she is just an average child in a modern American family. I particularly love saying the lines that get a lot of laughter or a reaction from the audience and my favourite line in the show is ‘It kinda smells like farts’ which usually gets a big laugh. Natalie is brutally honest and has some funny lines but she also shows her vulnerability, particularly with the situation between her parents. This makes her an interesting part to play. The new cast children that started with me only had about three weeks rehearsal to learn the whole show but it wasn’t stressful at all and our lovely directors made it fun and engaging. We also had lots of time actually rehearsing on the stage at the Shaftesbury Theatre and on the set, so by the time I had my first show, I felt quite at home! We also had a US accent coach in rehearsal and I enjoyed these sessions learning how to create a very natural accent for the show.

How is it performing alongside Gabriel Vick as Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire and the rest of your on-stage family?

Gabriel is very kind and he is great to interact with on stage. We don’t get to see him much backstage during the performances, as he rarely gets a moment to breathe. His role is so demanding that, when he isn’t on stage, he is usually getting changed and then straight back on again. All of the cast are incredible and so supportive. If we make any little mistakes, we all giggle about it and then move on. I have made such good friends with the other children playing Christopher and Natalie, and Carla Dixon-Hernandez, who plays my big sister, and Laura Tebbutt, who plays my mum, are equally lovely and comfortable to work with.

What do you enjoy most about being part of Mrs. Doubfire in the West End and what are you looking forward to for continuing your run as Natalie Hillard?

I just love performing as Natalie and hearing the audience responding to the show. Another thing I enjoy about the show is being on standby at the theatre. Standby is when we sit in the dressing room during the show, just in case one of the other children performing is unwell during the performance. This is always so much fun, especially as all the children get along so well. We play board games (our favourite is the Sock Game), draw, colour and chat. Our chaperones are really kind and the atmosphere is always exciting and positive. If we are really good, we can even choose a sweet from the sweetie jar!

Last year, you played Gretl von Trapp in The Sound of Music at the Chichester Festival Theatre, what was the show like to perform in for your professional musical theatre debut?

The show was amazing and it was so thrilling to be part of such a beautiful production. It was particularly exciting to be part of a new production and I learnt so much from the fabulous creative team. Adam Penford, the director, was so kind and patient with the children in the cast and it made us all feel very relaxed and confident. All the children became great friends and we had such a good time together both on and off stage.

How was it rehearsing the songs and choreography and how did you feel on your opening night in the show?

Learning the choreography was quite tricky at first because it needed to be very precise and strong. We even had someone from the army come in and teach us how to march and stand correctly! The choreography in The Lonely Goatherd song took a while to learn perfectly but it ended up being my favourite part of the show. The singing was wonderful and I learnt so much. I loved learning the harmonies and how to listen and blend with the other children’s voices. Often, people thought our acapella singing was recorded but it was all 100% live.

I was very nervous on the first night but my team were so supportive and gave me a huge hug and told me just to have fun. The show went so well and the response from the audience was incredible.

What are some of your favourite memories from your time in Chichester with The Sound of Music?

One of my absolute favourite memories was definitely living down in Chichester over the summer in The Sound of Music house with all the other von Trapp children. I had my own room with a double bed and an ensuite and we even had our own area to set up our Barbies! When we weren’t performing, we went on trips out to the beach, the park, cinema, bowling and lots of other activities.

Probably the most memorable day was on my ninth birthday. We were just eating cake, when I was called to go to the theatre mid-show to cover the other Gretl, who was sadly feeling poorly. There was a show stop and I had to run down the road to the theatre in my sliders with the chaperone, get into costume, hair and makeup and go on. The adrenaline was rushing through me but I had no time to really think about it or get nervous.

What is your process of learning your lines in a theatre script?

I usually sit with my mum at home and learn them with her reading in the other parts. Thankfully, I can learn them quite quickly but do need to keep refreshing, otherwise I can also forget!

We understand you voiced Miss Weather in Charlie’s Colorforms City and Wilder Truckley in Toot, Toot Cory Carson for Netflix, what are both characters like to voice?

It was actually quite tricky at first, as it was my first experience of voice work and being in a recording studio. As I was only six at the time, my sight reading wasn’t particularly good but the lines were broken down for me and I recorded them a line or two at a time, which made it much easier. Wilder Truckley was a very young character to voice and so the lines were very short and I had to do lots of giggles! Miss Weather was much more involved and I had to voice several episodes and multiple series, over about 18 months. It was great fun and my favourite episode was when Miss Weather had the hiccups and she kept changing into different characters. I had to hiccup a lot and do lots of silly voices.

How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do?

So, both my parents went to drama school and trained in musical theatre and so we grew up with musical theatre and singing always in the house. I think I could sing before I could actually talk! Although, knowing how difficult the industry can be, my parents did for a long time try to steer us away from doing anything professional. However, it was a bit of a losing battle in the end and when my brother got the part of Michael Banks in Mary Poppins and I saw him performing at the Prince Edward Theatre, I knew then that I also wanted to follow in his footsteps.

What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch?

I love them all but the last show I saw was The Witches at the National Theatre and I absolutely loved this production. Obviously, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Sound of Music will always have a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to see FROZEN the Musical and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical very soon.

How do you spend your free time?

I love dancing and gymnastics and I also play the flute. Other things I enjoy are making bracelets, reading and playing board games with my family.

Have you been given any advice over your time as an actor so far that has stuck with you?

Something that has really stuck with me is Adam Penford saying to us in The Sound of Music about how ‘acting is reacting’ and this is so true.

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