Marisha Wallace talks Hairspray, her inspirations and hard work
"Lillias White was the first person I saw that looked like me"
Last updated 11th Mar 2020
Marisha Wallace, star of Dreamgirls, Waitress and now Hairspray, joined us on Magic at the Musicals and answered fan questions for all the budding thespians and enthusiasts out there in a new social series called Show Circle.
Born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, Marisha went on to be in Broadway and West End musicals such as Book of Mormon, Aladdin and Something Rotten. She’s also performed at the Royal Albert Hall and London Palladium, and her debut album is coming soon. We can’t wait!
Who is your biggest inspiration as a performer?
“My biggest inspiration as a performer, would be, I think Lillias White. She was the first person that I saw that looked like me who was doing all different kinds of shows. She was an Effie White, from Dreamgirls as well. Also Jennifer Holiday. They were the people I looked up to the most and they sounded like me. They both came from the church and made their way to Broadway.”
What advice did you follow when you wanted to become an actress?
“The advice I followed was to keep going, because it was the people who stuck around and didn’t give up who made it. It’s so easy to just give up on your dreams when things get tough. I think the best thing to do is to just keep going.”
What advice would you give to an aspiring West End star?
“I would tell them that it’s going to be a lot of work. There is a lot of work behind all the glamour that you see. Be prepared and don’t be afraid of hard work. Also enjoy your success, whatever that may be, whatever level you are. Enjoy that level of success because then you’ll go to another and another, but just keep enjoying it.”
What’s the one thing you always do before going on stage?
“One thing I always do before I go on stage is warm up. Don’t forget to warm up your voice. You want to sing forever, not just for today.”
What’s your favourite thing about being in theatre?
“My favourite thing about being in the theatre in the community is the people that I get to meet and the families I create on every show. I also love the audience. I love that people put down their phones for two and a half hours, and watch us sing. Whatever they have going on in their life, they get to go another world for two and a half hours.”
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
“Getting a standing ovation at the Royal Albert Hall, that was a pretty big highlight. And the first standing ovation I ever got for “And I Am Telling You” at the Savoy, that was definitely a career highlight.”
What are you most excited about, being in Hairspray?
“I’m most excited about getting to perform at the Coliseum. That’s a legendary place that lots of people have performed at and I get to sing the iconic song, ‘I Know Where I’ve Been”, in that space, with the original creative team, in the original costumes. I’ve always wanted to do Hairspray, it's a dream.”
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