Katie Rowley Jones on Idina, Whoopi and Jumping from Wicked to Sister Act in London

You won’t find many lawyers singing and dancing on the West End, but Sister Act’s Katie Rowley Jones successfully made that unusual career shift—and she’s had juicy parts in three big musicals in a row. First seen by London audiences as Janet in the 30th anniversary run of The Rocky Horror Show, Rowley Jones went on to play wheelchair-bound Nessarose in the 2006 London premiere of Wicked opposite Idina Menzel, and she's currently raising her voice in song under the firm but sprightly guidance of Patina Miller as Sister Mary Robert in Sister Act. Broadway.com caught up with Rowley Jones in her dressing room at the London Palladium just after the premature departure of guest star Whoopi Goldberg, who returned to America after her mother suffered a stroke.

It must be a busy time backstage at the Palladium. I’m sure everyone was quite concerned when Whoopi Goldberg had to leave the show so suddenly.
We’re all feeling absolutely gutted for Whoopi. She did the show on a Thursday night, then we all found out the following day that she had gotten some terrible news and had to leave straight away. But even in that shock, she found the time to write a beautiful letter to the company that really summed up the lovely person she is.

Did it feel daunting sharing a stage with her? Whoopi not only originated the part of Deloris in the two Sister Act movies but she’s a producer of the musical, as well.
I remember going to the cinema at age 12 and watching her in Ghost! When we got the news [that she would join the cast], everyone screamed. It just felt like a massive privilege. So there was the excitement, obviously, of standing on stage with her and wondering if I would ever have an experience like this again. But it was bizarre, as well, in that famous people are human beings, too, and it’s quite easy to forget that sometimes. You couldn’t forget it with Whoopi because she’s such an amazing people person; she blended right in. Yes, she’s one of our producers, but she was just there doing her job as an actor. I’m full of admiration for her as a performer and for all that she’s achieved in her career, but she came here as one of our team.

You play Sister Mary Robert, a timid, fresh-faced novice who finds her voice, literally and figuratively, thanks to Deloris. It struck me that the role has some similarities to Nessarose in Wicked.
It’s very rewarding as an actress to be able to go on some kind of developmental journey, which— you’re right—is very true of both characters. The difference is that Nessarose goes down the self-destruct route, whereas Mary Robert’s epiphanies are positive ones. Nessarose is really quite vile, and it’s not always easy to play such a bitch. Can I say that word?

Why not?
OK [laughs]. And especially when [Nessarose] starts off so vulnerable and has such run-of-the-mill aspirations and just wants to be loved. In Sister Act, Mary Robert says, in effect, “I won’t go on playing dead,” but that’s exactly, by the end, what Nessarose does. What I love about Wicked is that it has taken a story we all know and love and twisted it round to present another possible meaning so as to introduce the idea of political corruption and the idea that the epitome of evil—Elphaba—actually may not be evil at all. It’s about truth prevailing over the corrupt.

Wicked also allowed you to share a stage with Tony winner Idina Menzel in her West End debut.
Yes, and I’m touching my wooden framed mirror [laughs]. I had kind of grown up on the Rent soundtrack and to put that voice and that face to a person was again extraordinary, as it was with Whoopi. Idina was always different every night, and she was so willing to go with me if I did something different; she was such a listener. She had already done the show for 18 months or whatever on Broadway, and yet she was so open and lovely with me, on and off stage.

With Sister Act, part of what’s interesting is that it makes a pop culture phenomenon out of a sector of the populace—nuns—that most of us know nothing about.
That was my main thought when rehearsing this show: I don’t know a real live nun! I was so anxious to portray a nun in a truthful and representative way, which is quite a responsibility. Yes, we’re a musical comedy, but the point is that nuns don’t know they’re funny: You can put someone in a nun outfit and get them to do a lot of things and it’s funny. But the bottom line is that nuns are real people, and I just have to try and make Mary Robert real.

Is it difficult dancing in a habit? [The show’s choreography is by Anthony Van Laast, who also did Mamma Mia!]
Well, I’m lucky: The Palladium gets so hot, especially during the summer, but I have a shorter novice’s dress, so I’ve lucked out [laughs]. Also, I don’t have the full wimple, just a novice’s veil. Claire Greenaway, who plays Sister Mary Patrick, has to wear a fat suit under her costume!

It’s fascinating that you did a law degree at the University of Nottingham before going to Guildford [in Surrey] to study theater. What prompted that shift?
I had realized in my late teens how much I loved performing, and did theater studies as one of my A-levels [in school]. But I wasn’t prepared to put all my eggs in one basket at an early age and thought it was best, really, just to do something else that was well-recognized, like law. And, you know, I did enjoy that degree—it was a real achievement and bloody hard work, and I am very proud of it, even though I can’t remember a lot of it. Parts of it were very dry but there were parts, like criminal law, that were fascinating!

What did your parents think about your career change?
They’ve always encouraged me and my three sisters to do what we want as long as it was thought through. My father began his career as a GP [doctor] but spent most of his life in the pharmaceuticals industry. Having said that, he was always a huge lover of all things pertaining to music. So is my mum.

Does your legal training mean you’re especially good at reading your West End contracts?
Yeah, I suppose it does, though I would never have been cut out to sit in an office. It would have driven me bonkers!