Antony Costa best known as a member of the boyband Blue is currently starring as Milton, in Save the Last Dance for Me. Produced by Bill Kenwright and written by the same team as Dreamboats and Petticoats and is coming to The Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells between 4th and 9th July. Sammi caught up with Antony and asked him a few questions about himself and the role.
Anthony Costa | Interview
You have been on the road with Save the Last Dance for Me since April, how is the tour going?
Yes we are three months in. It is going really well, the audiences have been fantastic and it is being really well received.
What is it all about?
It is a 1960s jukebox musical with lots of songs and it has a lovely love story running through it. It is about two sisters who go on holiday for the first time without their parents and they meet two American Air Force guys who invite them to a dance at their base. The younger sister falls in love with my character’s best friend Curtis. In the early sixties, inter-race relations were very much frowned upon and this production is really about their love and their journey, with some fantastic music thrown in as well.
Do you find it easy doing an American accent?
I love it! Luckily for me ever since I was a child I have been quite good at accents. To do the American one I just focus on different film stars and other Americans I have heard over the years. I pour my heart and soul into it.
Do you relate to Milton your character?
Milton is very much larger than life, wherever he lays his hat is home. He is also a ladies man and likes to go out, chat up all the ladies and invite them back to the base for a parties. I related to him in my younger days, not so much now.
If it is anything like Dreamboats and Petticoats, I presume that it is all based around the music?
Absolutely, but Save the Last Dance for Me has a much more meaty storyline and much more dialogue. People love this show because it really sends out a message. The music is really an added bonus.
Being all 60s music, do you find that the audience are ‘usually’ of a certain age?
Yes, the audience is very much of an older generation, and Save the Last Dance for Me is perfectly aimed at them. By the end of the show their faces are lit up and you see them getting up and dancing, singing and clapping. It is so lovely to see and be a part of.
You are best known as part of the boyband Blue, have you done any other stage work before?
I was lucky enough to do Blood Brothers a while back both in the West End and on tour. I have done a few other musicals but it is nice to come back and work with Bill Kenwright and his team again.
Your co-band member Duncan James has just also finished touring in the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Do you think that it is an easy transition to go from a popmusic superstar, to musical theatre?
For me, acting is my passion, and it is now where I want to be. I had done a fair bit of acting when I was young. Getting into Blue meant I had some amazing times and made some amazing memories, stuff that I shall always treasure. Now I definitely have the acting bug and I would like to carry on with that to see where it takes me. I just love to perform as a character, every night to an audience for two and a half hours every day. I love to get my teeth into new things and thrive on doing so.
I am very close to Duncan still, we speak to each other every now and then, and see how everyone is doing and it is lovely.
Are there any particular roles that you would like to do in the future?
That is a tough question there really are so many. But I love the Jersey Boys, it is one of my favourite musicals so I would love to be in that one day.
Could you imagine Blue ever performing any of the music from Save the Last Dance for Me?
No, we love 60s music but it really isn’t ‘Blue’.
It was your birthday last week, how did you celebrate?
Cheltenham was an alright place to go out, we went to a nice bar and had a couple of drinks. It was a late night though and the next day I sounded like Barry White and I really needed to rest my voice.
Next week you are in Tunbridge Wells!
I have never been to Tunbridge Wells before so I am really looking forward to that. I am going to try to get out and about and see the sights.
You can catch Antony Costa in Save the Last Dance for Me next week at The Assembly hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells. Blue fans can also catch our interview with Duncan James