You are here: Home » Features » Interviews » Super Hoofer – Tim Flavin

Super Hoofer – Tim Flavin

Posted Tuesday 7th July 2009by Nige Burton

One Nation Magazine’s Nige Burton talks to Tim Flavin about singing in the rain, modern celebrity and a life in the theatre.

I had been looking forward to interviewing Tim Flavin with some relish; having been a devout fan of musical theatre since my late teens, for me Tim was the embodiment of what a theatrical superstar should be – handsome, athletic, charismatic, a superlative dancer with one of the strongest, purest, most melodic voices in the business and – just for good measure – a real acting talent.

We met up in his dressing room at Blackpoolʼs famous Grand Theatre, where Tim is currently wowing audiences with his magnetic portrayal of Don Lockwood in UK Productionsʼ superb reworking of Singinʼ In The Rain. I was greeted with a warm, genuine smile and, to my delight, we were chatting like friends within minutes.

In his soft but conﬁdent American accent, Tim told me how England had become his home: “Iʼve been here twenty-ﬁve years now,” he said with a knowing incredulity, “itʼs hard to believe really, the time has gone so fast!”

I wanted to know what had prompted the move to the UK. “It wasnʼt really planned at all,” he said. “My career wasnʼt off to a very good start in the States. Iʼd been living in New York for about six years working hard as a chorus dancer, but in 1984 I was offered a role over here in the West End production of On Your Toes. It was amazing in so many ways, and was certainly my big break. I won an Olivier award for it – in fact, I was the ﬁrst American actor to be presented with one. After that, I was offered more work and there you have it – Iʼm still here and working after all these years!”

Tim has also notched up a number of TV and ﬁlm roles, most recently as Mark Travis in Clone for BBC 3, the newsreader in Guillermo del Toroʼs Hellboy 2, Joe Bulik in the BBC 2 ﬁlm The Spy From Moscow and Johnnie Ray in the BBC drama The Long Firm, based on the book by Jake Arnott. But itʼs undoubtedly in the world of musical theatre that he has made the biggest name for himself. I asked him if this was a deliberate career decision.

“No, not at all. I would love to do more ﬁlm and television work, but itʼs just not the way things have panned out – Iʼve just done what Iʼve been offered. And Iʼm so grateful that Iʼve always been working; that means so much when itʼs a job that you love, too!”

Tim is a professional hoofer in the Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire tradition and, as such, has worked incredibly hard to achieve the success he enjoys. I wondered what he thought of the cultural shift towards using TV talent shows to cast major West End leads.

“Oh, donʼt get me started!” he exclaimed with a deﬁant wince. “I guess itʼs something we have to take on the chin because itʼs the way the industry seems to be going, but it can be frustrating that a ʻnobodyʼ can appear on a television contest and go up against the cream of theatreʼs pedigree performers without necessarily the experience or technical skill to carry it off. I think some shows are compromised by this, which is a shame.

Thereʼs no such compromise in Singinʼ In The Rain. “All the performers are hoofers like me,” said Tim. “And theyʼve all earned their place through hard work and dedication rather than short cuts through talent shows.

“We seem to have drifted into a strange world – I suppose weʼre in the era of ʻthe celebrityʼ and it all gets a little surreal. Take Jade Goody – and I say this respectfully: she was famous for being on a reality TV show. Nobody liked her, the press told us to hate her. And then she gets ill, the press tell us to love her and we actually watch her die! Itʼs just so unhealthy and obsessive. Creepy, even.” The show is touring until November, and I wanted to know if Tim had another project lined up for when it ﬁnished. “No, I havenʼt. I suppose it would be nice to have the security of something else to step straight into but, you know, it would be kind of nice to have Christmas off for once. I have a seven year old little girl, and Iʼd love to spend Christmas with her, so I might just do that and see what happens next year. Iʼll certainly be glad of a rest after eight shows a week for all those months!”

Itʼs fair to say that the role of Don Lockwood is a very demanding one, but Timʼs performance is both sparkling and technically brilliant. The famous dance routine of the title, performed towards the end of the ﬁrst half, is a stunning masterpiece he carries off with aplomb, and one of which he should be very proud. Itʼs one of those extra special moments in theatre which really puts a smile on your face, and is hugely enjoyable. Supported by a superb company, Singinʼ In The Rain has a tightly packed schedule at venues up and down the UK. I asked Tim how the tour was going generally.

“Itʼs going well,” he replied a little cautiously. “Itʼs a fantastic show, but unlike the ﬁlm, we have to do the whole thing in one take. Each performance gets a little slicker, and I think between us, weʼve managed to create something very special. And all the cast share the same level of professionalism, which is really great. You know, you can get up in the morning with a terrible cold, or have a ﬁght with your partner, but when you get on the stage you have to remember that the audience is paying to see this, and it might be a cliche, but you have to put a great big smile on your face and go out there and give ʻem what they want.”

And the audiences so far seem to love it. “Itʼs been incredible,” said Tim. “The reaction to the show really makes you feel like youʼre doing something worthwhile. Itʼs fantastic to see people genuinely enjoying themselves!

“I just wish I could bring my Mom over from the States to see it, but sheʼs not quite up to the journey. She would love it, though!”

And Iʼm sure sheʼd be justiﬁably proud of her multi talented, award winning son.

The Grand Theatre Blackpool – blackpoolgrand.co.uk

UK Productions – www.ukproductions.co.uk