Theatre

Q&A: Bonnie Anderson on choosing Godspell for her theatre debut

Bonnie Anderson will appear in Godspell in the Gardens at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens this month.

You’ll remember Bonnie from winning Australia’s Got Talent at age 12 but now she’s taking the theatre world by storm in her first stage role.

We caught up with Bonnie ahead of the production’s arrival in Melbourne to find out why this was the role that brought her to theatre, what we can expect from the show and which artists are on her backstage playlist.

Scroll down for our full interview with Bonnie Anderson…

What was it about Godspell that felt right for your musical theatre debut?

“I’d never been in a musical before and this particular musical came to me asking me if I’d like to audition. I did, not really knowing what was going to come of it, but I always like to give everything a go. Once I’d auditioned I heard back a week later and I got the show. I was super excited and I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew it would be great fun because I’m not just on stage being myself, but it’s a team effort and you get to go up there and sing, dance, act; it’s an all-round show and it’s amazing to be a part of. That’s why I did it and I’m so glad I did.”

You’re no stranger to being on stage as yourself but how does portraying another character differ?

“It’s nice to step away from what I do day to day, and what I do love is that it’s a team effort. You get up there and it’s about being together. Everyone is so beautiful; everyone involved in Godspell is so great to work with. Being the new one on the show, they were so comforting and I’ve learnt so much being a part of the show.”

For anyone who’s more familiar with your work, and not this show, what is Godspell all about?

“Godspell is about the story of Jesus but what I take from the show is about being a good person, being good to each other and accepting people for who they are. It’s fun, the songs are great and it’s a laugh as well; it’s way funnier than I was expecting and there’s a lot of comedy throughout the show. It has great music – it’s quite rock. You can go and have a good laugh, which is what we all like to do.”

We heard you used YouTube to prepare for the role…

“When I first knew I was getting the gig, I didn’t have any scripts or anything so I was just YouTubing everything I could and learning the songs; just getting my head around Godspell. It’s been around for years so I asked my parents and my grandparents about it; a lot of the older generation knew Godspell, which was cool because it meant I got to have an insight into what they thought of it. I love the music and that’s what I studied most, then I got into the script with the team, and that was super fun, [along] with the the choreography.”

How do you think the production will now translate to a younger audience?

“We’ve recreated the story of Godspell so it suits every generation and I think the fun part of it is that it’s funny. I think it’s hilarious and I love being a part of it.”

Do you get time to see many other theatre shows during down time?

“The last theatre show I went to was in Sydney and I got to see Aladdin; it was unbelievable and the whole cast and set was amazing. It was really cool to watch because I’d been on the stage and to see it out front was very different. Especially after I’d done my first musical!”

What artists are on your backstage playlist right?

“I’ve been listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran. Spotify is my new favourite thing because I can discover new artists every day, but I’m always a sucker for old school because it always reminds me of my mum and dad.”

The next time we’ll see you will be at Royal Botanic Gardens for Godspell – what are you expecting from the venue?

“It’s going to be amazing! I’m really excited because it’s summer and I think it’ll be a totally different atmosphere. It’ll be great for the crowd because they can sit back, relax and have a picnic.”

See Godspell in the Gardens at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens on Sunday 12 and Sunday 19 of February, secure your tickets now at Ticketmaster.com.au.