Charlie Stemp on Going from Playing the 'Monkey Number Three' in Wicked to Starring in Half a Sixpence

Newcomer Charlie Stemp looks set to be stamped for stardom when a revival of the 1965 British musical Half a Sixpence starts previews on October 29 at the Noel Coward Theatre, in advance of a November 17 opening. A sensation in Chichester, south of London, where director Rachel Kavanaugh’s production was seen over the summer, the young leading man spoke to Broadway.com about following in the footsteps of legendary British performer Tommy Steele and standing on the cusp of fame.

How does it feel to be the unknown who is about to become a star?
I feel very honored, I really do. It’s been exciting seeing my face all over town, on the tubes and buses and wherever else. That’s something I’m not used to!

Were you nervous about signing on to a show produced by the legendary Cameron Mackintosh, who has launched many a musical theater performer over the years?
Throughout this whole experience, I was ready to be petrified of Cameron because he is so well-known throughout the industry and is one of the biggest producers of the world. Going to his office for the first time was so daunting that I tried on three shirts because I was sweating so much.

How was it when you got there?
What’s amazing is that he gives you time—he listens and focuses on you and gives you his full undivided attention. It was all about making me feel relaxed—though I did have 11 auditions before I got the part!

What was that like?
When I did find out, I remember doing backflips! I couldn’t tell my mum for two weeks—it was the best-kept secret in the West End.

Was it difficult being the new kid on the block?
From the first set of rehearsals onwards, it’s been exhausting but also a brilliant experience. I had never had to sing on my own before and never had more than a couple of lines. I’d played Eddie in Mamma Mia! on tour but this whole experience was entirely new to me, and the cast was so helpful.

What did you know about Half a Sixpence prior to this?
I’d actually done the show at college [Laine Theatre Arts] in 2011 when I was 17. Andrew Wright, our choreographer, had seen me do it there and had said he enjoyed it, so when I saw him three or four years later for our auditions I was like, “I hope you remember me!”

How do you see the appeal of a 1965 British musical to contemporary audiences?
What we have going for us is that we’re the most British show in town. It’s always amazing to have your Wickeds and Lion Kings, but if you want to come to the West End and see a show that I think symbolizes the British side of musical theater, you need to catch [Half a Sixpence]. These songs are so famous throughout my nan’s and mum’s generation, and though it was of course made famous by Tommy Steele, we’ve put a completely new spin on it while trying to keep the same magic.

What do you make of the character of Arthur Kipps, the drapery shop assistant who inherits a fortune? [The show is based on a satiric 1905 novel by HG Wells].
The rags-to-riches story of this guy is still with us today. Arthur comes into quite a lot of money, which happens these days to people who win the lottery, and suddenly his life is changed and he has to realize that money can’t buy him happiness. He has to wrestle with his conscience and whether he stays with the friends and family he had before he came into money or whether he tries to move up to a different class where people treat him differently but don’t have the honesty that he has. For me to make that decision every night as an actor is something I find hard.

So it’s about that time-honored British topic, class?
Yes, and there is still a class system [in England]. I know a lot of people say it isn’t there but it still is, though slightly less heightened.

Might those who liked Downton Abbey on TV respond well to this?
The connection is there since we have Downton’s writer and creator, Julian Fellowes, working on this, along with some new songs from George Stiles and Anthony Drewe—so it’s not just the old musical dusted down and restaged.

How are you coping with the banjo-playing required at each performance?
I got given a banjo, which I named Babs the Banjo, which I look after—or maybe I should say it looks after me! I had to learn to play four weeks before we started on top of a 120-page script with Arthur on every page and then these wonderful, energetic dances, so there were many late nights—but I have loved every second!

Are you pleased to have tested the piece out already in front of the Chichester audience?
One of our new songs, “Pick Out a Simple Tune,” regularly got its own standing ovation, and we’re talking at the Chichester Festival Theatre, where the audience is the older generation. We were warned not to expect standing ovations there, but we got three on one particular evening, which was amazing. I am sure that won’t change now that we’re at the Noel Coward Theatre.

Have you been in the West End before?
My first job out of college was as “monkey number three” in Wicked here at the Apollo Victoria. I’ve always loved dancing, singing and acting, but dancing was always the thing I did for fun. It was great to be in a show where I was dancing through life 8 times a week! I was 19 when I went in so was the youngest in the cast and from there I went on to the international tour of Mamma Mia!

Does the positive energy of Half a Sixpence have an impact on you as a performer?
Absolutely. It just picks me up, as I hope it will also do for the audience. If you can sit through [showstopping number] “Flash Bang Wallop” without a smile on your face, then I owe you money. I owe you half a sixpence!