‘It’s nerve-wracking’ Jennifer Ellison makes theatre return at Sunderland Empire

Soapstar Jennifer Ellison has been announced as the lead star in the Take That jukebox musical, Greatest Days which will be heading to the Sunderland Empire in November.

Liverpool-born Jennifer found fame after starring in the Merseyside-based soap Brookside as Emily Shadwick, from 1998 to 2003.

This role led to a short-lived pop career from Jennifer, as well as further acting roles and reality television appearances.

But one field Jennifer has always excelled in is the world of musical theatre especially as she is trained dancer, and now she is set to make a return to the stage for the first time in a decade.

Jennifer said of her return to theatre: “It’s nerve-wracking but also really exciting. I’m telling myself that it’s just like riding a bike and it’ll all come back to me when I get back up there.”

Jennifer has starred in various musical theatre productions as well as pantomimes, including the likes of Chicago, Legally Blonde and Singin’ In The Rain.

Now, she will take on the role of Rachel in Greatest Days, a musical which focuses on five friends in the nineties, who share a love for the boyband Take That, and how they come back together as adults for a Take That reunion concert.

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The musical originally opened in 2017, and has since had a movie adaption made, starring Aisling Bea as Rachel and the three remaining members of Take That themselves in cameo roles.

Jennifer said of the opportunity to take on the lead role in the heart-warming musical: “I’d seen the show on the first leg of the tour and I absolutely loved it.

“I was so captivated by the story, I laughed, I cried, and I was on my feet at the end. It’s such a feel-good musical.”

Jennifer also discussed how she can relate to her character, who is a 40-something nurse, who has lost touch with her childhood friends.

She said: “When you grow up and you have a family and stuff, I think you forget yourself sometimes and you lose touch with friends.

“A lot of women and indeed a lot of men are guilty of that. We lose touch with people too easily because of how busy we are.

“One thing that really hit home with me when I watched the show was how you should keep in touch with people you grew up with and the people you love.”

Jennifer also expressed excitement to star in the musical due to her love of Take That, as she explained: “Their music is fantastic.

“They’ve been in my life from when I was a young girl to now, because they’re still touring and making new music.”

Greatest Days: The Official Take That Musical, will be at the Sunderland Empire from Tuesday, November 14 until Saturday, November 18.

For more information and to book tickets please visit the ATG Tickets website.