Louise Redknapp shows off her flair for performing in newly released photos from the stage production of Cabaret, just days after confirming she and husband Jamie Redknapp are living apart.
The former member of Eternal made her stage debut as Sally Bowles in the musical in September alongside pop star Will Young, who plays the Emcee and returned to the show after previously being nominated for an Olivier Award for the role.
Redknapp, 42, recently spoke of her marriage and how she wanted to return to performing after feeling she had become a “sort of Stepford Wife”, and that things started to change for her after she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing last year.
In an interview with The Telegraph’s Stella magazine, she said she still loves her “amazing” husband of almost 20 years, but that it was time for her to get back to who she is after years of pleasing others.
She said: “I feel I’m coming back to who I really am. I have spent most of my life pleasing everyone else, worrying about being judged and thinking I should always do the right thing by staying at home, looking after my kids and my husband.”
The star, who felt she “lost” herself, said her turn on the Strictly dance floor gave her back her zest for performing.
“I didn’t want to continue running around after everyone else, and occasionally promoting a yogurt or doing a little TV presenting job,” she said.
“I wanted to sing, I wanted to perform. I wanted to go back to work on a stage in front of an audience.”
She married the former footballer in 1998 and they have two sons together and, while they are now living apart, she said they still speak every day.
In the first look at the official production photos from the musical, Redknapp is seen in an array of costumes in her role as Sally Bowles, the role made famous by Liza Minnelli in the 1972 film.
The revival of the hit Broadway musical is directed by Rufus Norris, the artistic director of the National Theatre, and features songs including Money Makes The World Go Round, Two Ladies, Maybe This Time and Cabaret.
The show opened on September 21 at the New Wimbledon Theatre and broke box office records for its 12-show run, and it has continued to see a huge demand for tickets across the country – at Brighton’s Theatre Royal, Cabaret is officially the highest grossing single week-long musical in the venue’s history.
Currently at the Malvern Festival Theatre, Cabaret will tour the UK until December.
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