Vampires Rock
is coming to Weston, the town which for the stars
of the show - Toyah Willcox and Steve Steinman -
holds some very special memories. Toyah Willcox has
been gracing our screens and airwaves ever since
she appeared in Derek Jarman's 1977 film Jubilee
and 1979's Who album-inspired Quadrophenia.
But now, after achieving
numerous chart-topping hits and an appearance on
I'm A Celebrity, Toyah is back treading the
boards in the musical Vampires Rock.
Here she plays the Devil
Queen, the 2,000-year-old long suffering wife of
Baron Von Rockula (played by Steve Steinman).
"He wants to get rid
of me so the evening is spent trying to get rid
of me and persuading a young, much more beautiful
woman [to marry him]," said Toyah.
The new bride in question
is an innocent, aspiring singer, Pandora (Emily
Clark). Cue a host of classic rock, played live
by the Barons hand picked band, The Lost
Boys, and a hint of comedy, as the Baron and his
sidekick, Stringfellow (Mike Taylor) attempt to
convince Pandora to lose her soul to rock and
roll.
The musical features many
classic rock songs, some of which appear on
Toyah's new album.
"The whole of
Vampires Rock is about classic rock anthems. Its
hit after hit after hit and we let the anthems
tell the story," said Toyah.
"It is dramatic, but
it is also spinal tap with teeth and it is very,
very funny. The audience are in for a good laugh
and I think the reason why it is so funny is
because were all relatively good at what we
do and Steves a comedian at heart. It is
dramatic and it is visually inspiring. Theres
no corners cut whatsoever, youve got your
pyrotechnics and stage set, fabulous costumes...
so its quite an eye-opener."
It was written by Steve,
who is well known for his abilities to rock-out
as he appeared on Stars In Their Eyes as Meatloaf
and he is working on a stage show based on his
idol.
So as he stepped through
the famous smoke-filled entrance, did he think,
in years to come, that Meatloaf would still play
a big part of his life?
"Did I eck.
When I did that I was actually running a hotel
and restaurant, that was my business, I think I
must have been 20, 21. And I did it, and I was a
proper contestant and I had a business and three
or four years later I started singing
professionally," he said.
Pier showgirl
November 6th won't be the
first time the pair have been to Weston. Steve
used to ride motorbikes along the beach when he
was younger while for Toyah, it could be said
that without Weston, she would not exist.
"My mother was a
dancer on the pier at Weston and my father saw
her on stage there and pursued her around the
country so my life, you could say, started in
Weston and they visit Weston-super-Mare every
month to have fish and chips."
So what do they think of
the now fire-ravaged pier?
"It's awful isn't it.
It's just the history in these piers. I was
watching a programme about how many piers have
burnt down across the country and really they
need to be brought back," said Toyah.
"Theyve got to
come back because culturally Britain does piers
beautifully and theyre Edwardian /
Victorian structures and I think it would be sad
if all of them became ultra modern. I think there
is something quintessentially family about the
sea and seeing the pier."
BBC Somerset
October 2008
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