Lucy Lawless has played plenty of attention-grabbing, bold characters throughout her Hollywood career, but her new role as Sappho – a sexy, hedonistic nightclub owner in the upcoming musical extravaganza Pleasuredome – will be her most challenging yet, she tells us.
“It’s a lot of singing, there’s a lot of preproduction ahead of stage rehearsals … it’s mammoth. It’s a show unlike anything we’ve had before,” she reveals.
The role – which was written with her in mind – is one she’s been circling for 10 years now, in various incarnations. Initially, the team envisioned it as a film, but when that didn’t pan out Lucy took it to the stage herself in a short run at the Roxy in Los Angeles.
Now, however, director Michael Hurst and producer Rob Tapert (Lucy’s husband) are bringing Pleasuredome to life in all its glory in a fully immersive experience located just off Auckland’s Rosebank Road.
The actress is taking on an exciting new role with Pleasuredome.
The set promises to bring audiences inside the show in a whole new way, built as it is to look like a real Manhattan streetscape in the ‘80s complete with fully functional food trucks and bars.
The cast – which also includes Moses Mackay of Sole Mio, Ashleigh Barlow (Wicked), Vince Harder (The Lion King) and Stephen Lovatt (Neighbours) – play out a story of desire, addiction, greed and the power of love, all set to some of the biggest hits of the era.
“This is not a children’s show,” Lucy emphasises. “It’s got themes of cocaine, the ‘80s, all the destruction that causes – that’s part of the story. But it’s housed in this pumping nightclub where we have all that great music.”
Lucy and her Ash vs Evil Dead co star Bruce Campbell at the premiere of their Starz series.
The Ash vs Evil Dead star is hoping Kiwi audiences take the spirit of the show on board and go all out when they come to see it.
“I really want people to come all dressed up in their favourite ‘80s look and just rock out. It’s the Studio 54 experience that none of us got to have because we were too young, too poor, and living 15,000km away,” she quips.
“I want them to have the joy, I want them to feel transported. This is not just a tiger of a show, it’s a dragon – it’s so high octane.
“Everybody’s invited and that’s a really key part of Pleasuredome. Anybody can be a somebody – we want people to bring their best selves and rock it.”
Pleasuredome will open on September 28th. Tickets for the premiere are available now from Ticketek.
