Alicia Belgarde is set to play Frenchy on the UK & Ireland Tour of Grease, having previously covered the role as well as Cha Cha at the Dominion Theatre in 2023. Grease opens at Churchill Theatre in Bromley this Friday (12th April) before heading to Dublin on 23rd April, and is directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips. Whilst making her West End debut in Grease last year, Alicia got the chance to perform at Big Night of Musicals, This Morning, Olivier Awards and West End Live. Over Christmas, Alicia played Jill Goose in the Cambridge Arts Theatre pantomime of Mother Goose, and on the 2022/23 UK Tour of Bugsy Malone, she was choreographed by Drew McOnie and was Swing and cover Tallulah. Further projects for Alicia have been Bring It On at the Southbank Centre as Eva and cover Campbell, and she made her professional debut in 2019 in Little Miss Sunshine, having left Bird College three months early to take on the role of dance captain. Alongside acting, Alicia films content for her successful YouTube channel, and currently uploads her vlog series weekly called Frenchy Fridays. We recently talked to Alicia about playing Frenchy on the UK & Ireland Tour of Grease, her time in Bugsy Malone and filming for her self-titled YouTube channel.

What are you looking forward to most for returning to Grease for this year’s UK & Ireland Tour and how does it feel to be taking on the character of Frenchy, having covered the role in the West End production in 2023?

I am SO excited to get back to performing Grease. This year I’m switching out my trusty ensemble character, Trixie, for the iconic role of Frenchy. The show feels completely new as I have a very different tracking throughout! I covered Frenchy last year but didn’t get the chance to go on and perform the role to an audience and so I feel very blessed that I’ve been given the opportunity to make the role my own and perform it every night. My version of Frenchy is very close to my heart. It feels like I’m playing the best friend that I needed as a kid. She also has so many personality traits that I have as Alicia and so it really is like playing a heightened version of myself which I’ve never had the opportunity to do in my career.

How is it performing the musical’s songs and choreography and how are rehearsals going so far?

The music and the choreography is truly what makes Grease the show that it is. It’s so lovely when you hear audiences singing along in the Megamix with all the iconic songs from the film and also spotting audience members dressed up as the Pink Ladies or The Burger Palace Boys. This show has such a strong fan base and it’s a real privilege to be able to bring that music into the 21st century. With choreography by Arlene Phillips, I truly don’t think it could get any better! Rehearsals are going so quickly and we’re already so close to opening night. It’s so lovely to have a fresh energy from our spectacular new cast and seeing the show come together again has been a wonderful experience.

What is it like working alongside the rest of the cast and being directed by Nikolai Foster?

The cast members in our show are unbelievable. The talent that is in the room every single day completely blows my mind. Especially some of our younger cast members. They bring some of the most exciting fresh ideas, which really does make the show a spectacle. 

Nikolai is one of the most caring and knowledgeable directors that I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. I will never forget the way he sat me down in my audition and really wanted to get to know me as a person. It really makes you feel valued as a cast member and that means a lot as an actor. He also brings so many ideas to the table that you would never in a million years think of but he also allows you the freedom to make your own choices and bring new ideas to the table. He’s a wonderful director.

Why would you recommend booking tickets to see Grease on tour, which opens at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on 12th April?

Grease is the type of musical which will make you go away on cloud nine. You know the songs, you know the iconic characters and one-liners. I can’t think of a better musical to lift your spirits. It’s a real joy to be part of and I think that translates to our audiences.

How was it making your West End debut in Grease at the Dominion Theatre last year and what was it like covering Frenchy and Cha Cha?

Making my West End debut was a bucket list experience for me. I think every performer dreams of performing in the West End from the get-go. To make that debut in an absolutely huge house like the Dominion was an experience that will stay with me forever. That feeling of a full house with a roar of applause was absolutely insane.

Covering Frenchy and Cha Cha was a huge responsibility. Particularly because they have the longest Hand Jives in the show and are neck and neck at the height of the number. Learning to jive was one thing but learning three (including my own ensemble track) five-minute jives was extremely challenging. With this being said, I loved every second of the learning process. Sadly, I didn’t get to debut the roles at the Dominion and so I’m very pleased that I get to give Frenchy a go this time round.

How did you find the experience performing at the Big Night of Musicals, This Morning, Olivier Awards and West End Live?

All of the TV opportunities that have come with being a part of Grease have been incredible experiences. I think the one that just about tops them all though, is the Big Night of Musicals. I cannot explain the feeling of performing in an arena. I’ve performed in many theatres over the years but standing in front of 13,000 people screaming out our Megamix will be a core memory forever.

You played Jill Goose in Mother Goose at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, what did you enjoy most about performing in pantomime?

I had never done a pantomime before and so this was my first and I absolutely loved every second. I have to give a shout out to the wonderful Cambridge Arts Theatre who really made my panto experience epic. They are such a lovely, small in-house production company and they really went the extra mile in looking after our team and cast. The best part was honestly the school shows. Seeing all these little faces, that could barely reach over the seat in front of them, absolutely beaming and singing along was a real heart-warming experience. For many of them, it would have been their first experience of theatre and that gave us a duty to make it an excellent one!

What was it like being in the cast of Bugsy Malone as Swing and cover Tallulah in the 2022/23 UK Tour?

Bugsy Malone was one of the most hilarious jobs I’ve ever done. There’s splurge guns, whipped cream pies, kids playing adult gangsters, it was just so much fun. Bugsy was my very first experience as a Swing and it was the perfect job to throw myself into it as I ended up covering nine tracks in the end, performing Drew McOnie’s incredible choreography. I love being a Swing as I’m a little bit of a control freak and adored getting all of my swing bible sorted. That feeling of being thrown on stage last minute is incomparable to anything I’ve ever experienced and on an eight-month tour it really did keep the show fresh every single day. Tallulah is such an iconic role that we all know and love from our childhood and to be able to perform it a few times on the tour was incredible.

How was your time playing Eva and cover Campbell in Bring It On at the Southbank Centre?

Bring It On will always have a very special place in my heart. Eva was a dream role of mine since I decided I wanted to make musical theatre a career and so as soon as I got the breakdown through on Spotlight, I called my agent right away and said “I need to play this role”. I come from a competitive cheerleading background and so it really is the perfect show for me. I got to sing my heart out, dance and also perform all of my cheer and tumbling skills that I’d done all my life. Performing such a big role at such a young age was a massive challenge for me but one that shaped my career. I remember shaking like a leaf when I first performed Killer Instinct in my audition but the fact that I was given the role was a real confidence boost.

When I was asked if I would like to cover Campbell, I really couldn’t believe it. I remember just standing there on the phone to my agent with my mouth wide open not able to really compute what he was saying. Honestly, I almost turned it down. I was so young and completely terrified to be covering a leading lady. And not just any leading lady, Campbell in Bring It On which, if you don’t know the show, is a huge sing and she barely leaves the stage. The role was also played by the brilliant Amber Davies, which created very big shoes to fill but I’m so glad I accepted the challenge.

In 2019, you made your professional debut in Little Miss Sunshine, how was this?

When I think of Little Miss Sunshine, I just think of the incredible weight that was put on my shoulders as a graduate. I left college three months early to be dance captain on this show and at this point I had no idea what a dance captain even did. I didn’t even know what a ‘cut-show’ was or how on earth to organise that. Not to mention, our cast was full of very experienced actors who had been in the industry for years and years and had so much more knowledge than me as I was one of the youngest in the cast. I really had to put on my big girl pants and figure the role out very quickly and it all turned out okay with the guidance of our wonderful choreographer Anthony Whiteman. I loved being dance captain in the end and it’s definitely something I’d like to do moving forward in my career if the opportunity comes up.

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

I actually didn’t start acting properly until I was around 16 years old. Dance has always been a part of my life and I did the classic dance shows and exams since as far back as I can remember. Acting and singing was always daunting for me and it wasn’t until I went to sixth form and did a performing arts course with brilliant teachers that I realised that I could actually pursue musical theatre as a career. I didn’t even know what a drama school was at this point! That performing arts course at Thomas Telford really did change my life and I thank them to this day for encouraging me to take this path.

You also run your own YouTube channel, can you tell us about your channel and what do you enjoy about vlogging?

YouTube has always been something I’ve liked the idea of. I enjoy documenting my life but more than that – I love editing. Video editing is so therapeutic to me and it’s a massive reason why I started to put time into making videos. It wasn’t until last year that I started to get some real traction on YouTube and earning a (very small) income from it. I’m trying to be the source of information that I really wish I had access to when I was in drama school, dreaming that I’d be in a show one day. People have said to me a couple of times that my videos are like having a best friend on FaceTime and that is exactly the space that I’d like to create. Just a safe place for performers to join and learn about their future careers.

How is it seeing the viewers’ response to your videos and what future plans do you have for YouTube?

Again, I cannot tell you how much it means to me when people interact with my videos. I try to answer every single comment on every video because I want to help as many people as possible with my videos. Even though we go to drama school to train to be in the industry, there’s so much that they can’t teach because they can’t show you exactly what a rehearsal process is like or what a tech week is like or an average day in the life going to perform in a show in the evening. I was desperate for more information when I was training and so that’s the type of content I’m trying to create. In terms of future plans, I have started a vlog series called Frenchy Fridays and every single week I am posting content about what it’s really like to be in a show. Some are more casual ‘day in the life’ videos but I’m also trying to do more ‘sit down videos’ with a tonne of information that I’ve learnt over the years as an actor. I hope my channel will grow this year so that I can help as many young performers as possible!

What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch, and how do you like to spend your free time?

My favourite show of all-time has to be Memphis. I watched it while it was in the West End several years ago now and to this day it is my all-time favourite. Recently, I went to watch Guys and Dolls and was absolutely blown away by the performances and the immersive element. I have to say, my favourite type of theatre show has to be one with a huge dance ensemble. I will forever be in awe of seeing a full stage of beautiful dancers.

In my spare time I absolutely love to read. Sometimes I can get through two books a week because I get completely obsessed with the stories and love having another world buzzing around in my head. If I have a spare minute in a show, you’ll absolutely find me with my head in a book. I, of course, love making YouTube videos and editing them and I’m also an absolutely massive Disney fan. If I can’t get to the parks, I’ll be watching the films, listening to the music and also watching vloggers.

Follow Alicia on:

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok