“One Night With” Heathers stars Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jodie Steele

How very! On Tuesday 16^th October, I was incredibly lucky to catch the leading ladies of the West End show Heathers: The Musical in a memorable one-night performance at Studio 88!  

Jodie Steele and Carrie Hope Fletcher at Studio 88 (photo: Mia Alicia)

Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jodie Steele, playing respectively Veronica Sawyer and Heather Chandler in Heathers: The Musical at the Haymarket Theatre, launched the first-ever “One Night With” organised by Studio 88! The concept is to spend the night with a host and some very special guests from the West End. This unique event, taking place every Tuesdays from now on, but only for a limited period of six weeks, allows musical theatre fans to “get up close and personal” with their favourite West End stars, right after they finish their own show.

On Tuesday, 16^th, this fabulous evening was hosted by YouTube sensation Doug Armstrong and brilliantly accompanied by a 6-piece band, which played restlessly all night long. Not only was Doug was an incredible host, interviewing the guests, making the audience laugh and playing games, he also performed one of his own songs, I really want a boyfriend (so here’s my number), spoiling us with his talent and keeping us entertained with his witty sense of humour during the entire night!

Now, let’s move on to the two superstars that are Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jodie Steele! After a short introduction from the host, Jodie finally made her way to the stage under the loud applause of the audience and kicked off the show with her beautiful and mesmerizing rendition of the song “No Good Deed” from Wicked, in which she played Elphaba in the UK and international tour last year. Following this incredible performance, Carrie was then introduced to the stage in a beautiful emerald green dress (was this a wicked theme?) to perform the moving anthem that is “On My Own” from Les Misérables, having played Eponine a few years ago. A thunder of applause filled the room as she sang the last notes of the song, which only grew louder as Jodie joined her on stage to perform the heartfelt duet “For Good” (Wicked). Barely ten minutes had passed and I was already overwhelmed with emotions (and I wasn’t the only one)! The night couldn’t have started better!

Jodie, Carrie and Doug Armstrong (photo: Studio 88)

Over the evening, the two phenomenal actresses went on to perform more of their roles over the years. Jodie blessed us with her hilarious rendition of “So Much Better” (Legally Blonde), as Carrie transformed herself one more time into Wednesday from The Addams Family as she performed “Pulled”. Carrie poured her heart and soul into it, showing us how much she missed the role! Following this, Jodie sat down and began a slow, gorgeous version of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston) and Carrie went on to reprise “Hushabye Mountain” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, leaving us all in tears. And, as if it wasn’t too much for our poor little hearts, they concluded the show with “A Tale As Old As Time” from Beauty and the Beast, with Carrie as Belle and Jodie as the Beast! Not only was it stunning, but also adorable as they started to dance together along the music!

And that’s not all! Between the songs, our amazing host would take a little time with these West End stars to ask them a few questions and even played a game of “Who’s most likely to”! Many truths, most of them hilarious, were revealed as the two leading ladies answered genuinely whatever was thrown at them, either by Doug or by the audience. We also got to learn who’s most likely to get drunk at a party (Carrie) or who’s most likely to go to a nudist speech (Jodie). Let’s just say that between that and their out-of-this-world voices, everyone in the audience was completely obsessed with them!

Seeing these two powerhouses was a dream come true and witnessing not only their talents but also the love they have for each other was truly magical. Carrie and Jodie are so down-to-earth and gorgeous souls; it is hard not to have a crush on them by the end of the night!

Jodie and Carrie (photo: Danny Kaan)