… when she comes to Swindon
Punk princess of the 1980s Toyah Willcox is now trying her hand at stand-up comedy. This spring she is on the road with Hormonal Housewives, a sketch show covering all things woman.
Toyah and her stage cohorts, Julie Coombes and Sarah-Jane Buckley, stop off in Swindon as part of the UK tour next Tuesday.
The singer says she is having a good giggle every night, not just with her mates on stage, but with a whole room full of women on a girls’ night out. “It is like nothing I have done before,” she said. “It is an observational piece, little scenes where women recognise themselves when they are moaning about their men or boasting about their kids. We cover book groups, erotic literature and a gym scene, which is all girlie bad, and the audience love it.”
• Continue reading at the Swindon Advertiser.
Another new interview, this one from the Derby Telegraph.
Learning how to be a housewife proves ‘big eye-opener’ for Toyah Willcox
After years of living the touring life as a musician, actress or TV presenter, all-round performer Toyah Willcox has now been forced to learn about the type of life she didn’t choose – that of picking the children up from school and doing the housework.
“It has been quite an eye-opener to take on this role,” says Toyah, who stars in the sketch show Hormonal Housewives alongside Julie Coombe, who also wrote the script. “It was interesting to find out more about the things which are just commonplace to most women and mums such as chatting at the school gates, competitive parents and going to book groups.”
• Continue reading at the Derby Telegraph.
IN2 talks to rock legend TOYAH WILLCOX about her starring role in Hormonal Housewives, which comes to Chelmsford in May…
“In rehearsals I thought it was going to be really scary, because this is something I’ve never done before,” says Toyah of working on a comedy. “But the laughter really lifts you and as soon as I stepped out on stage for the first time I knew I was going to enjoy it. When you’re touring with a band and you’re the lead singer, there’s a lot of weight on your shoulders, but being a three hander, it’s like an equal ride.”
Indeed, joined on stage by writer Julie Coombe and former Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley, the show features sketches covering everything that makes today’s women tick.
• Continue reading at The Enquirer.
A new Toyah interview from South London Press, published yesterday.
When Toyah Willcox burst on to the pop scene in the 1980s with her multicoloured punky hair and her songs I Want to To Be Free and It’s A Mystery, she embodied fun, excitement and energy.
In the 30 plus years since then, the pop icon has notched up 13 Top 40 hit singles, released more than 20 albums, written two books, appeared in more than 40 stage plays and 10 films, been on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity and presented TV programmes as diverse as The Good Sex Guide Late, Watchdog and Songs Of Praise.
Charismatic and often outspoken, she has become a household name with an energy which is still like a force of nature and that shows no signs of diminishing.
• Continue reading at South London Press.
Following 2012’s celebrated reception as they caused mayhem and mania in theatres across the land, the irrepressible Hormonal Housewives are back and return to The Sands Centre, Carlisle on Friday 3rd May, 2013 and they have three pairs of tickets to give away.
• Enter at the Worcester News website (Registration required).
Another new interview with Toyah, this one from the North East’s Chronicle Live, published on Friday.
Interview: Toyah Willcox who is in Hormonal Housewives at the Tyne Theatre
Singer-actress Toyah Willcox is gearing up for two performances in Newcastle. On Sunday it will be in her acting capacity as she stars in Hormonal Housewives at the Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre. Then, on July 20, she is back in Newcastle to headline Northern Pride at Leazes Park.
• Continue reading at Chronicle Live.
… Long-Distance Relationships
4. Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp
She once famously said: “I see my husband 12 weeks a year.” After marrying in 1986, the 80s punk pop star and the guitarist decided to live separately. At one point they even went 11 months without clapping eyes on each other. Toyah said of their set-up: “We’re never bored of each other, just always thrilled at the thought of meeting up again and leaping into each other’s arms.” Awww, and they say romance is dead!
A new print interview with Toyah, from Thursday’s Wimbledon Guardian.
Prepare yourself for an evening of insightful observational comedy – looking into what makes women tick – and the opportunity to witness a star in action.
The irrepressible Hormonal Housewives is back and at the New Wimbledon Theatre on April 19, featuring the fantastic Toyah Willcox, who describes the show as ‘like Al Murray in drag’.
Toyah, 55, famous for 80s singles ‘It’s A Mystery’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’, describes the stage show as: “Very light-hearted, and incredibly funny. “It seems to have just caught the audience’s imagination in the right way.
• Read the full interview here. The article has also been made available online at the ‘Wimbledon Guardian’ website today. (Thanks to Larwi for the scan)
An interview with Toyah, from The York Press, published on Thursday.
Theatre: Hormonal Housewives, Grand Opera House, York, April 18
For Toyah, appearing in a three-hander is a new concept. “It’s pure comedy with the three of us playing ourselves and various characters, so we’re the glue that holds together this celebration of women,” says the 54-year-old performer from King’s Heath.
“I don’t think the show is patronising, but nor is it feminist or political at all. I think shows like this exist because feminism has paved the way for them. It’s your everywoman show, looking at aspects of being a woman, such as the competition at the school gates; dress sizes; book groups; going to the gym; and staying thin.”
• Continue reading at The York Press.
Could Toyah be the next star on another Midlands “Walk of Fame”? There’s a possibility it may happen.
Who will be the next star on the Birmingham Broad Street Walk of fame?
Front-runners include athlete Denise Lewis, members of Duran Duran, TV presenter Cat Deeley, singer Toyah Willcox – and surely there must be a place for Led Zeppelin soon.
• Continue reading at the Birmingham Mail.
Toyah Willcox, pictured below, reveals to Steve Pratt how she found her hormonal side in spite of living the kind of life that doesn’t lend itself to motherhood and being a housewife
Hormonal Housewives is the title of the show, but Toyah Willcox isn’t one of them. Only on stage every night in the show of that name. She doesn’t have children or teenagers, and has lived a life out of the ordinary, mainly in a man’s world.
She’s gone from Derek Jarman’s punk movie Jubilee to playing Billie Piper’s mother in Diary Of A Call Girl on TV, she’s flown high as Peter Pan on stage and continued to rock with her band in concert.
• Continue reading at The Northern Echo.
An interview from the North Wales Chronicle, published on 5th April.
Interview: Toyah comes to Rhyl for Hormonal Housewives
Singer and actress Toyah Willcox takes to the stage in Rhyl for the first time as a popular production returns to north Wales.
Hormonal Housewives comes to the Pavilion Theatre on Thursday, April 11 for what is sure to be an entertaining exploration of modern women’s lives.
Toyah explained what attracted her to the show, which also stars its co-creator Julie Coombe and former Hollyoaks actress Sarah-Jane Buckley.
• Continue reading at the North Wales Chronicle.
The Toyah Story Continues
It’s clear, as soon as she starts talking, that Toyah Willcox means business. When we say that, we don’t mean she’s forceful or forthright; it’s just, right now, Toyah’s touring the country with a show called Hormonal Housewives and she’s committed to the cause. She has to be.
“It’s 67 shows in two-and-a-half months, only one night in a place (as opposed to a week), four hours’ travel a day and two hours’ press. I’ve got a string of calls lined up after you. It’s intense,” she says. Oh, okay. Bang goes the plan for a long chat about those pink haired punk-pop days then. “I think every decade brings new challenges and new life experiences,” she says.
• Continue reading at the Leicester Mercury.
Stars of the play Hormonal Housewives were treated to a special pampering session courtesy of students from Poole and Bournemouth College.
Toyah Willcox joined co-stars Julie Coombe and Sarah Buckley at Poole Lighthouse to relax before the show with the full Girls Night Out package comprising of beauty treatments, cupcakes and cocktails.
The Hormonal Housewives comedy arrived at the Lighthouse for one night on Thursday following a hugely successful tour last year. It features sketches looking at everything that makes today’s women tick – from the joys of teenagers to the insanity of DIY.
• Continue reading at the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Two great shows to cheer up even the coldest nights come to Milton Keynes Theatre this week
Toyah Willcox, self-confessed ‘teenager from hell’, has clearly grown up – but it’s still hard to envisage Toyah, the rock star, writer, television presenter and serious actor of stage and screen, as a hormonal housewife. Nevertheless, next Sunday, at Milton Keynes Theatre, that is exactly who she will be!
Hormonal Housewives, a series of sketches, gags and stories would appear to be one for the girls but, Toyah says, it’s actually a great night out for all.
• Continue reading at Bedfordshire on Sunday. The article does also say there is a full interview: “Judy Riley talks to Toyah Willcox about being on tour, the show…and her iconic hair styles!” but it doesn’t seem to be available yet.
• Birmingham Post: Arson suspected as fire hits Birmingham venue where The Beatles played: Kings-Heath-born Toyah Willcox was the first person to be honoured on the Kings Heath Walk of Fame which was unveiled along York Road last July. Bob Prew, who helped organise the initiative, said the plaque now lies under the building’s smouldering rubble. He said: “It’s devastating because the Ritz Ballroom was one of the major venues in the 1960s.”
• Birmingham Mail: Fire at Kings Heath venue where The Beatles once played: “The roof is totally collapsed. It’s the old Ritz Ballroom . It’s sad for Kings Heath as on Cash Converters – which has collapsed – there was a plaque for Toyah Willcox.”
• BBC News: Ex-Beatles gig venue destroyed in Kings Heath fire: A Kings Heath Walk of Fame, honouring the area’s musical and comedy heritage, had also been planned to start outside the building with a star marking singer Toyah Willcox.
• Buzzfeed: 23 Amazing Smash Hits Covers From The ’80s: Quite clearly the greatest magazine of our time – 7. Toyah, May 1982.
• Telford & Wrekin Council: Hormonal Housewives on tour!: Hormonal Housewives are in Telford as part of their Spring Tour 2013 and you are in for a treat with this hilarious show presented by British pop icon Toyah Willcox.
• An Actor Pantos: Let’s get Critical – The Sequel: SLEEPING BEAUTY, Marlowe Theatre Canterbury: Toyah Willcox and Gareth Gates were the stars and really worked hard for their billing. Willcox especially proved particularly eager to take part and was a very good baddy!
Toyah talks health, touring, Bournemouth, Hormonal Housewives and more to the Bournemouth Daily Echo in an interview published Saturday.
If Toyah Willcox is describing it as ‘outrageous’, there’s a fair chance her new show, Hormonal Housewives, doesn’t fall into the realm of vanilla-coloured.
The former punk princess has never been one to happily slink under the radar. From being a rebellious teenager she morphed with astonishing fluidity into roles including huge rock icon (she’s had 13 Top 40 singles and released more than 20 albums), successful actress, writer and even Songs of Praise presenter.
On Thursday she’s coming to Lighthouse with the comedy sketch show she describes as ‘celebrating modern womanhood’.
• Continue reading at the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Toyah is the cover star of the latest Journal2, the ‘North Devon Journal’ magazine. It’s likely that the accompanying interview is the one, by Rosanna Rothery, that we mentioned on Friday.
Rosanna Rothery chats to Toyah Willcox ahead of Hormonal Housewives
Hormones can wreak havoc with your life. Just ask Toyah Willcox. The singer and actor visits Barnstaple next week with the hilarious show, Hormonal Housewives.
• Read our previous post about the accompanying interview, or view it at the North Devon Journal. View a larger version of the cover here. (Thanks to Owen Jones)
Toyah is the subject of the latest “My Family Values” series in The Guardian today. A poignant interview.
The actor and singer talks about not getting on with her mother, but idolising her father
My father was having a dirty weekend in Weston-super-Mare with a woman he was engaged to when he saw my mother and fell in love with her. He pursued her for about 14 months, followed her around the country and proposed to her. He was nine years older than her when they got married, and she was pregnant immediately, aged 19, and I think she regretted it.
My early family life was incredibly happy but I was very, very protected and very much living in a bubble.
• Continue reading at The Guardian.
Toyah talks family life, her varied career, Hormonal Housewives and much more to Wales Online.
Toyah Willcox prepares to bring the Hormonal Housewives to Wales
From punk princess to pantomime, Shakespeare to the Teletubbies, Toyah Willcox has certainly had a diverse career. Abbie Wightwick chats to her about it and discovers why she’s happy to be hormone free
She may be appearing in Hormonal Housewives but Toyah Willcox is happy to be free of pesky monthly mood swings.
The former high priestess of punk cheerfully announces she has had a hysterectomy, been through the menopause and, as she approaches 55, has never felt better. “I had everything removed four years ago,” Toyah declares as she prepares to tour to Wales with the stage show.
• Continue reading at Wales Online.
Another new, Hormonal Housewives related, interview. This one from today’s North Wales Daily Post.
Toyah Willcox stars in show at Rhyl Pavilion
It’s naughty fun and guaranteed to make you “howl with laughter” according to Toyah Willcox one of the stars of a show called Hormonal Housewives on tour right now.
Former punk icon Toyah joins writer Julie Coombe, and former Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley, in a follow-up to a much-enjoyed 2012 production which starred Margi Clark and Carol Smillie.
• Continue reading at the North Wales Daily Post.
