Caroline Sheen stepping into Louise Redknapp's 9 to 5 shoes proved that West End stars are true pros

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Despite the hours of practise I’ve put into the Les Miserables soundtrack, the producers have sadly never phoned me up when they’ve needed a last minute understudy. (Perhaps they don’t think Eponine should sound like a drunk Kate Nash.)

Someone who did get a last minute phone call from panicked producers recently was Welsh actress Caroline Sheen. Things don’t always go as planned in the theatre: just two and a half weeks before its West End opening in January, Louise Redknapp sustained an injury that meant she had to postpone her performance in 9 to 5 the Musical . A new Violet Newstead was needed, stat.

Having performed lead roles in Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, Grease, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Les Mis (whilst not sounding like a drunk Kate Nash) to name but a few, Sheen’s assured reputation as a top musical theatre talent made clear she was a safe pair of hands from the start. She’s no stranger to treading the boards in high pressure situations, having played the lead in the Donmar’s 2015 City of Angels with just 24 hours notice.

Her co-star Amber Davies, who plays Judy Bernly in the stage adaptation of the Dolly Parton film classic, told us that “wonder woman” Sheen had learned the entire role in just three days. Following the announcement that she’d be stepping into the workplace girl power tripod made up of Judy, Doralee and Violet, Sheen herself tweeted: ‘9 to 5? More like 24/6 to get this role under my belt by the 28th!’

But her feat was twofold. Not only did she prove to be an unflappable pro with the singular focus to learn a leading role in a fraction of the required rehearsal time, but she made that role her own. Everyone loves a ‘show must go on’ story, but usually it all passes in a cloud of adrenaline without much of a spare moment to dwell on any of the finer details. This time Sheen had to dig in fast and hit the ground running - and keep running for 8 shows a week.

This week marks Sheen’s final performances before a fully recovered Redknapp takes on the role at the Savoy Theatre next Monday. Some might think she’s simply been ‘filling in’, while others have incorrectly described her as Redknapp’s understudy. (Sheen herself tweeted to clarify that this was not the case.) This does her a total disservice. With great poise as well as having the pipes, Sheen has proven that West End stars really are true pros.

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