Welsh actor Mark Evans achieved theatrical success as Troy Bolton in the London production of High School Musical, Brad Majors in the UK National tour of The Rocky Horror Show and Curly in the UK National tour of OKLAHOMA! After reaching the final of BBC’s Eurovision – Your Country Needs You in 2010, performing in front of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mark’s career launched into the West End and he landed the role of Fiyero in the smash-hit musical Wicked early in 2011. Mark is currently embarking on his next big West End role, this time as Sam in Ghost, and is releasing his debut album The Journey Home.
How would you describe your experience playing the leading roles in Wicked and Ghost in the West End?
Both experiences were incredible and very different. Although Fiyero is the lead guy and the love interest in Wicked, the show is centred on the two witches, Elphaba and Glinda. I therefore had much less to do than in Ghost, where I barely leave the stage and I have a lot more responsibility. It’s Sam and Molly’s intimate story and to be given the opportunity to tell that story on stage every night is incredible. I am very proud to be a part of such an amazing show!
Who inspired you to pursue a career in musical theatre?
I wasn’t sure whether I specifically wanted to pursue a career in musical theatre at first. I knew that I wanted to perform, and actually the thought of being in a boy band or pop group interested me most. But then, during my training, I discovered the challenge of having to tell a story through song and dance, all the time acting with sincerity and truth. It was at this point that I became very passionate about musical theatre.
If you could star in any musical in the future, which would it be?
My main goal is to one day create a role in an original musical. I would also love to work in New York on Broadway. Of the musicals that already exist, I would like to play Chris in Miss Saigon, my favourite musical.
You were a finalist on BBC 1’s successful reality TV show Eurovision – Your Country Needs You. How has this impacted your career?
It gave me the opportunity to be included in some high profile casting. Having value to your name and an ability to bring in the audiences is obviously very important to anyone producing a large scale musical, so it worked very well with me. Since then I have been fortunate enough to play a number of leading roles in the West End, which now means that I have a good reputation and CV.
What advice would you give to any aspiring performer?
Ticket sales in the West End have never been at such a high, so I would argue that the production companies are not really suffering due to the economic crisis. There is, however, the age old problem of too many actors and simply not enough work, so my advice has been and always will be that if you’re coming into this industry you need to have passion, bucket loads of self-belief, confidence and, above all, strength, because it is not an easy career and it most certainly isn’t the showbiz lifestyle that many people perceive it to be! Having said that, I personally adore working in this industry and could not imagine doing anything else!
