That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Jason Donovan

Episode Date: July 2, 2024

Actor, singer, and musical theatre star, Jason Donovan, joins Gaby this week - and these too go way back! They talk about 80's television, dodgy waxworks, musicals, and the joy of singing. (there might even be some singing...cover your ears) We hope this joyful, uplifting chat brings a little smile and a little joy to your week... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today, Jason Donovan, and as I hugged you today, I really mean what I say. You are the nice, you're my favourite person in the industry. Oh, very nice. Very, very kind. Likewise. We have a big history. A big history. So I'll just remind you your very first TV show ever was with me on MotorMouth.

I was going to say Mono, that trip from London down the motorway. Made Stone. To Maidstone. Great days. I remember so we did, you did Phil, you were on a lot. Tony Gregory. Tony Gregory. Yeah.

Wow. Yeah, that's a long time. So this is 1989 when we were both about four years old. Probably around about four, but sort of had to have the mental capacity of a 50-year-old to try and deal with the stuff that was being thrown. Oh, my goodness. Thrown at us or at me. You were having a lot of stuff thrown at you. I was.

But you wrote it. You really wrote it. And the lovely thing is, I remember we did some road shows together and then you came on the big breakfast and all sorts of things. And I remember being at events and just looking at you and I used to really loudly, as loudly as I possibly could, always say to everybody, nicest person, you were always,

I don't want to embarrass you, but you were always, even in your really rough times and we don't need to talk about it, you've written about it, you've talked about it, dumb. You were always the politest person. Oh, I think. But you remembered every, you said hello to every cameraman,

Every sound person. You remembered people's names. You remembered who'd had children. And that's why I said you're the nicest person. Well, I'm pretty bad with names now, but that's another story. But I think, you know, particularly with my dad and working in the business, and also having, you know, when you do television particularly and you do a TV show as an actor, it's really about the team and not say music doesn't have the same scope.

But when you become a recording artist as I did, and it's very much focused on you, you are the sort of the center of attention. And if you're dealing with, you know, like in neighbours, you'd have, you know, 80-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 5-year-olds on set, there's sort of a whole psychological dynamic of your day-to-day routine that requires you to sort of look out and be mindful. Yeah, but not everybody's like that. No, true, true. true. Well, I don't know, I don't know why.

Your dad's very charming. I interviewed him. My dad is charming. He's, he can be extremely honest. He's, he's still with us. He's 88. I spoke to him today. How's he doing? Yeah, he's okay. He's okay. You know, I think he's, you know, I think the mind is still there definitely, but the body is tiring a little bit. Yeah, and I was brought up by my dad's, I don't know why, you know,

I just think, never forget where you're coming from. It's all the people, you know, I was always reminded of the people you meet on the way up or also the people you meet on the way down. Absolutely. And, you know, I think being generous and being able to accommodate everyone and aware of people sort of helps what you're doing, really. It helps you. I hear that. I mean, I don't know why this came into my mind as I was riding here on my push bike. I passed Madam Two Swords and there's Harry Stun.

there on the left-hand side. You were there? Are you still there? I don't think so. I was with a rock circus. I was the Plan B, which was the Piccadilly Rock Circus. I remember. Which was done by Madam Two Swords. When was that? I bizarrely remember it.

I think that was in the opening when they unveiled you. Yeah, yeah. I've still got clips of that or cuttings, you know, not clips. Oh, my word. Sorry, you were saying. Yeah, no, no, I'm just thinking there's all. also that wonderful horrific wax work if you Google wax works in Great Yarmouth. You should check that out to anyone that's listening if you really want to be inspired by waxworks.

Go to the Great Yarmouth Wax Work Museum. There's a picture of Kylie and I am, David Beckham and Victoria. I'm looking now. I'm going to look. Anyway, I was driving past, riding along Tottenham Court Road and Harry says, styles. And, you know, I hear through people that I know that he's a very polite guy and a very, you know, decent person. And I think it really helps, you know. And also, it doesn't just helps. It should be how you just live, shouldn't we? We should be, you know.

I totally agree. Be kind and be polite. And I'm trying to be kind about the wax work I've just seen. Great Yarmouth. How's that? Oh, Jason. Isn't that sexy? That's quite something. I know. I mean, I don't think it exists anymore. But to your listeners out there, you should definitely go and check that out. Yep.

Because it's just not aspirational. It's the hands. It's the hands. The hands slight to frighten me. It's everything. You two aren't scary in the slightest. Actually, I saw Kylie, it was a couple of months ago because we did a thing for the BBC, make a difference.

Okay. And just it's so lovely that the two of you, this is a really weird thing to say, you haven't changed. Right. But I think, I mean, because she's always, she's always so lovely to everybody. And she remembers, and it's like neither of you forget where you come from. I think that's what I mean.

Yeah, well, that's good. Maybe it's an Australian thing. You know, we both started very young. How old were you? I was probably about 11. We did the first job together in a TV series called Skyways in Australia, which I have talked about a lot before we played brother and sister, ironically. Yeah, and I think

we come from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, different backgrounds, you know, different parents. Yeah, and I think, you know, on a commercial sense, is, you know, if we're talking work-wise, going back to neighbours finishing, or the supposed

of the neighbours' end, that was the sort of the overriding factor of why we felt it necessary just to have that sort of small appearance at the end to pay respect. to the past and to acknowledge, you know, what that show changed our lives. And it's funny, I don't think many performers, you know, of a certain ilk necessarily go back.

You know, I mean, Guy, Guy Pearson, his CV of films and stuff. I mean, you know, he wandered into that place for two or three weeks and everyone just said, completely normal, you know, and just got on with filming scenes. for neighbours 35 years after he left. It's sort of, it's funny, isn't it? But that's lovely. That's a proper love.

But the thing about you is, and I've known you all of those years and the ups and downs that you've gone through. And there's a Sondheim song, I'm still here. And I know a woman always sings it. In fact, Bonnie Langford did it in the West End recently. Okay. But that, to me, is your song, and I'm still here.

Yeah. And I love that. And you're touring. I love Sondheim. Yes. I mean, Sweeney Todd is, you know. You were brilliant than that. I was, I was good.

You were? I was good. Did you? Yeah, I saw that. I, um, I loved doing it. I was a, it was a difficult choice. It's not really a sort of, you know, I wouldn't class myself as a classical, musical, musical theatre. Oh, hello.

Vocal. Okay, you've done a few now. But I, but I wanted to take the challenge. And if you look at sort of, you know, I think. Interesting about if we just try to have totally digressing about musical theatre in the sense that Sweeney Todd, if it's played operatic, it sort of loses its purpose in a way. You know, it has to have a bit of rough around the edges. Oh, yes.

It's too hard and the tale, you know, it's too big. I don't know. The 10, Sweeney Todd. Yeah, it's a great, great piece. And I did enjoy it, but theatre eight shows a week. Oh, God. You've done enough of it. I remember seeing you, you very kindly brought my first baby girl who's now in her 20s,

but just a bit younger than yours, but bringing her to Chitie Bang Bang. Okay. And she sat in the car and she has never, ever forgotten that. She's never, ever forgotten. You know, those little moments and taking it onto that stage and everything. There are some musicals are magical. So I can wax lyrical about musicals. I love them, passionately love them.

And they just do something inside for me. If I go and see a musical, I feel. I feel happy. I feel sad. I feel emotional. I go on that journey. And did you ever think all those years ago that you'd end up doing so many musicals? I never set out to be a musical theatre star in any way, shape or form.

I mean, ironically, you know, it's the natural preference. regression, particularly for producers or particularly for an artist like myself, you know, you have a huge TV profile, which was where I was back in 1990. And, you know, and Andrew, and singing in Andrew Lloyd Weber's daughter or something and seen, you know, as a fan. And, you know, he thought of, wow, you know, you look at what he did with Michael Crawford. Yeah. I mean, Phantom, you know, it's a natural, it happens across theatre.

It's, it's, it's, with respect to the talent, it's also about the profile and bums on seats as well. But you're an actress singer. It's a long-distance sprint. And I would certainly argue that my pedigree, you know, in that sense has laid the foundations to have a good musical theatre. Because for me, musical theatre comes from more, most importantly, is a good acting. Yes.

Because if you can't tell the story, I don't care how well you sing the song. I agree. You will not feel anything for a character if you can't tell the story. story. And that is really difficult to teach. I think you can teach people to sing if they've got a bit of confidence to hold a tune. But you can't teach people to have the presence and the ability to bring an audience in and feel emotionally connected to a story. And that's unique. That's her. But musical theater, my dad, Chicago when I was young, look, I love musical theater. I have a love-hate relationship with it because it's hard work.

It's athletic. It's disciplined. It's disciplined. It's hard to stay on. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. strictly and dancing on eyes. I remember speaking to you when you were doing strictly. And I think I've, I WhatsApped you just saying the concentration. I couldn't get over your concentration. And then I interviewed you in that as well. And I wasn't teasing you about the concentration. But it was incredible. I mean, you were so focused, but in a good way.

Yeah, I came off. And you need that for musical theatre. Look, you know, acting is probably the first. Singing was the second, and I would say, you know, dancing's been a pretty slow burning third. But I just come out of Priscilla, and they approached me about doing that show, and I thought, right, I'm match fit. If I'm ever going to do it, now's the sort of the time to do it.

That was 2011. And also, for me, you know, Strictly was about... It's not that long. ago. 2011, yeah. What? Yeah. It was, yeah, 13 years ago.

If you said to me what year was that, I would have said, oh, six years? Yeah. Yeah, crazy, man. The other thing for me with a show like that is, is that it's so, it only enhances what I do. So it's like a, it's like a training lesson, you know, to, and what a, what a room. I've always talked about this, is that room on a Saturday night, I don't think I've ever experienced a more electric.

space, you know, it's live TV. It was 12, 13 million people watching. There's Jeopardy, there's Celebrity, there's Athletes. You know, those dancers are a unique breed because they're athletes, probably first and foremost. And they're celebrities as well. And then there's this crossbreed as they become more exposed where, you know, they want to win. And so it's a really unique, and that's why it's lasted so long on television. I think, but yeah, I mean, great experience, great experience.

I was very nervous on that, you know. You were nervous? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was nervous on that show. But that's understood. That's good. I get nervous. I get anxious quite a lot, actually. I still get anxious going on stage.

It's interesting, I had somebody saying this the other day. Somebody on the radio, I can't remember who said it. And I would, oh, if I could, I'd say it. But they said, the thing about nerves are, then you realize you care. Yeah. And I love that nurse-sighted feeling. the nervous, excited. It means you care.

Eight times a week, that anxiety I could do without sometimes. Or seven, I'm trying to push that ratio down to six. Do you still, so Rocky Horror? Yeah, that's next. Yeah, next again. Still get nervous for that? I do, but it's very much, this is what we were talking a little bit beforehand, Gabby and I, you know, I think I choose projects that I really are comfortable in,

even if I'm not feeling comfortable in now. I'm not really at that Sweeney Todd point where I'm going to push, push yourself, push yourself, you know. And of course, one does want to push oneself, but, you know, I'm mid-50s. I just want to enjoy the process. You know, recently I've taken probably a lot less bigger roles, you know, even just doing the Pharaoh and Joseph, which was a three, four-minute job for me, was fantastic. I got, you know, I got this incredible adulation.

And, you know, I didn't have to go to physio on a Monday morning. It was perfect. But you were Lindsay. You know. You were Lindsay back together. Yeah. Yeah. No, it was lovely.

It was lovely. Lovely. And I had a few vocal issues about five, six years ago that I've managed to sort of work around a lot. So that played a big part in my life. So, yeah. So, yeah. But now you're matched for it again. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. It was just a sort of a muscle tension that wasn't really, wasn't really, you know, it's, I think I just pushed myself too much, too much. You do? Yeah, I do. You do. Yeah, I don't relax enough either. So, so, yeah, so you're saying talking about you want to do more and relax,

you're then going off on tour next year. Yes. This is you on your own, back out on tour. Yeah, I mean, you know, I do love to work. It's probably, I have a big work. ethic. I always have had, you know, I think it's really important, you know, particularly with my children, I try and set that example. And I've always worked hard. Even in my cravesy 90s periods, I still kept working, you know. I, you know, so, you know, you sort of just set yourself goals. And this

was just, you know, we've done a tour, I think, I can't remember the last one was doing COVID, 2019, 2020, 2025, five years on. It gives me the opportunity to sort of produce my own show. It's sort of, you know, it gives me the opportunity to work with my band and just play old and some new songs. I'm just in control, and sometimes that's a nice thing to be. But you know what you're doing? Maybe that's what it is.

Yeah, you do. I do know what I'm doing. I mean, I'm a sort of an interesting act, you know. I'm a historic nostalgia. act. But also, but also, but also, you know, through my acting and through musicals and through, you know, what I do, whether it's radio, I do have another, another completely other side too. So, so it's, it's, I'm an entertainer.

That's what I put down on my, my passport, always have done since I love that. In fact, Kylie puts that down on hers. I always, I stole that one from her. Entertainment. Yeah, as entertainer. Yeah. I mean, I think that's... I mean, it's funny how that word went off. If I said to you in the 90s,

oh, Jason, you're an entertainer. You probably would have sworn at me. Well, no, because I have put that down when I first started flying to the UK. But even in your crazy time when you were music. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You would have... Oh, really?

Always entertainer. Oh, I love that. From day one. Day one, it was always on the... Oh, I like that. You know, when you go into Australia or coming to the UK. Well, you don't do it when you come into the UK. But in Australia you have to, even with a passport,

you still have to put your occupation. It's funny because people, when you hear you don't in for the UK, and people always say... No, they don't. No, they always say, you know, when people ask me what I do, and I say, well, what do you say? Entertainer. I'm a TV presenter, radio, podcast, musical theatre.

So it doesn't, there's not a term, okay, entertainment, that's what I do. I hopefully entertain. And actually people go, oh, you mean like in the olden days? No, that word is, people want to be entertained. No matter how it is. You know, it's different these days. It is ever-changing. And television is changing.

And film is changing. It is. It is. But I think, you know, I do still think great songs will always come through. Great television shows. Great films. Great stories. It's just the distribution will just continually evolve as we were sort of.

of, you know, talking about before. And that's good, you know, Terrestrial TV. My daughter is not interested in watching television. She's just not. And that's the next generation. I've got a son who's a producer on Sunrise in Australia. And, you know, he's probably part of a new breed of kids that will be trying to see what my daughter at the age of 13,

he's 23, is going to want to be watching. Do you know what I mean? so it's a different, you know. Does she probably, does she watch Netflix? All the streamers. Oh, I don't know what. She spends too much time on the phone. I mean, but, you know, I mean, I spent too much time playing Space Invaders, you know, or Pac-Man when I was a kid, you know, putting my 20-cent coins up on the machine, you know, growing up.

So I can't, it's just a different. It's changes. Yeah, it's just different. We consume in a different way. So we were saying about how everyone talks about, oh, it's not like the golden lens. It is. The every day is a golden day. Yeah. It's just changes.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What is the golden days? That's just a bunch of old farts. Getting bitter. Getting sentimental. Yeah. And bitter.

Yeah. Oh, there's my phone. I'm going to turn that off. That's all right. That's okay. Do you need to take it? No, I don't. I don't.

I don't take it. It's probably my blinds being delivered to my house. Your blind? What color are they? They'll be beige just to be mutual. Bays. Bales. I always don't want to be too, too.

concerned about whether I've got the colour palette right. I tend to be more in my household, the one that does the sort of the flowers and the blinds and the carpets and, you know, and make sure aesthetically it all looks right. Ange is the one changing the tyre on the car. She loves her football and she loves her. She's quite sort of mechanical in a way. She's lovely. Gosh, I haven't seen it for a long time, but I remember meeting her many years ago.

We were at an event. What was that one? I can't remember. You've got a good memory. I'm like an elephant. I don't remember anyone's name, but I remember meeting everybody. I do remember faces. I'm bad with numbers. Oh, I'm dreadful with age. But I remember standing there talking to her,

and she made me laugh so much because she was ripping the piss out of somebody that was... Me? No, it wasn't you. It wasn't you. It wasn't you. And you would just... And I remember you turned around and going, both of you because we were being really naughty

I don't know why she's not big on celebrity and she's not big on sort of you know her being plus one she's not being she's not great at plus one she doesn't like that stuff she was making me laugh

was she a lot yeah she's she's great you've been together a long time we've been together since 1998 Rocky Horror show yeah we met on the Rocky Horror show and the 25th anniversary and we're doing well I mean

when I say we I'm doing the 50th sort of plus version of this one that's coming into town. How come it still works so well? Well, I think, look, firstly, it's great songs. Oh, it's great fun. It's great fun. It's a cheeky story that appeals to sort of, you know, those alternate musical theatre fans, you know.

And that market is so broad but so small in its content. And, you know, it's, it is a story about being different and yet being, wanting to be accepted. Don't dream it, be it. It's adult pantomime. It's turned into something, you know, on various nights where the audience becomes as much part of the show. It's so well art directed in its conception, Brian Thompson, Jim Sharman, the film. It's iconic, you know. This man, you know, dressed as a sort of a transvestite, yet, you know, he's camp and masculine.

It's everything. He's very sexy. It's a very sexy, sexy, glamorous type of show. And I just, I don't know, 50 years, you know, we did in Australia, you know, and it's, it goes off. It still goes off. Oh, that's fantastic. I don't know what I can say is the magic other than, also it's short. Do you know what I love that?

I love a short show because actually I can't stand sitting there going if there's too much fat. Give me the fillet a stake any day. Do you produce musicals as well, don't you? I co-produce Priscilla with a guy called Mark Goucher. You know, very much as a sort of advisory type of role. I think, you know, in a way I produce, you know, my own tours. You know, I put those sort of together a lot. So I'm aware of, you know, but I've, you know, I've raised finance for a few things.

So, you know, you didn't put Greece on? No, I didn't put Greece on. No, no, no. So you were in Greece. So Rocky Horror, so I, in my head, there's Tom also who's working on this. We were talking musicals before. I think rent needs to come back and I think you need to be in rent. Oh, geez.

I don't know Rent there. Oh, some beautiful songs. Promise me you'll listen to it, so soundtrack, because it's really lovely. I think there's I'd like to see the producers back Yeah, that's one show You'd be good enough?

Yeah, that's one show I probably would be good That's probably one show I would be good in actually There's one show that is it The problem is these days You know, you've got to be a little bit careful You know There's a whole world out there that's changed

And there's some unpecy bits of it You know You know and I think You know It's a it's a It's a minefield out there to try and listen, I, you know, I think the world has gone slightly nuts. Yeah, it's rather frightening.

Actually, that's why we need entertainers. That's why we need shows like yours. That's why the tours, your music and all of that, all of you guys, you're vital because there's so much, you know, every day you turn on the radio, put it on the television, you read a newspaper, however you read these stuff, you just sometimes want to say, I can't take any more.

It's really frightening what's happening around the world. And that's why entertainment now is more vital than ever. And it's interesting, there's people saying about career paths. Years ago, when I was at school and I said, I want to be a TV presenter, you what? But now people say, I want to be in the entertainment industry and they're saying, do it, because that's what we all need. We need people in it.

It's communication. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think there's a lot of things that needed to be corrected that are being corrected, you know, which is a good thing. But I think it's an elastic band and it's sort of stretched a bit too far and it probably might snap or not. I don't know. Oh, let's hope not. You know, the future.

You know, a lot of it's coming from phones and, you know, and how we digest communication. I don't know what the future holds. But listen, I think as long as you keep fit and healthy, And your mind is, you know, you keep, I'm a real believer in that, you know, a healthy mind, physical fitness and mental health sort of. And singing. Singing, good for you. And singing, doesn't it? Singing is really good for you.

You look at the monks, the Buddhist monks, and, you know, you look at chanting, you look at, you know, church gospel, you look at. And you're right, you know. I think one of the things, Gabby, I have to say, and, you know, in my life, you know, in my life, which I'm very lucky to do is, you know, I have this sort of, you know, moment in time, there's catalogs of songs, whether it's theatre or whether it's the pop songs. And I can go out and actually relive those moments, you know. So, and to sing, you're absolutely right.

I feel very young and very, you know, relevant in my own world. You are. You know, so, yeah, I mean, I'm not saying I'm not irrelevant, But I'm saying, I'm saying, I feel, you know, I feel very lucky in the sense that there's always that next show, there's always that next audience. That also can be quite a trap, too. It's quite addictive, you know. It's a drug to go out there and get a round of applause, you know. I mean, in Rocky Horror, I'm a rockster at the age of 56.

I always wanted to be in a rock band and I've got the band. And now I'm just in a musical theatre, so it's fitted into my sort of. sort of format. So I feel probably more so even than when I did it in 1998, I feel, you know, a rock star. It's great. And I see some actors, particularly, you know, I see a lot of my contemporaries and people that I respected,

admire, quite serious actors, wanting to become rock stars because they're wanting that adulation. Because to be honest, when you're shooting three and a half minutes a day on a film set, it can be sexy and great. fun, but it's not, it's not that, you know, there's something, there's something about music. It's the closest human beings have to magic. That's what I believe. It's the closest we can get to being a magician without being a magician. Well, you are, and you do, you do spread magic, and you do spread joy. It's really interesting that, very often, you know, I'll say to the family

or I'll say to friends or whatever, what are you doing today? I'm going to go. I'm going to go and do the podcast, or who's on. And I said that you were on, and I said it to people, mutual people that we worked with, and I go, oh, I love him. To family, oh, I love him. To friends, oh, I love him. You have that very unique thing that there's not anybody that doesn't hold you in their heart. If they've met you, if they haven't met you.

And that is magic. And that's what you've got. Jason Donovan, thank you. Well, let's ring my wife and see whether she feels a sudden. Or my daughter, my son. I'm sure they might have a different opinion, but Gabby always love you to be here with you.