Super troupers!

How do stars of long- running hits keep the pizzazz pumping? Theatre's epic endurance performers reveal how they keep the magic alive

- Arifa Akbar

“I thought I'd do a year and leave,” says Sara Poyzer, who played mother Donna in the Abba musical Mamma Mia! “But the things I gained outweighed the things I lost.” She ended up staying in the part for an entire decade, before leaving in January 2024.

Among all the glitzy new openings in London's West End, there are a sturdy cohort of shows that seem to have just always been there. Audiences still seem to be delighted by The Lion King, now in its 26th year, and other long-running hits - but what's it like for the actors who play the same part seven or eight times a week, year after year? How do they keep their performances - and the shows - fresh?

Poyzer infused the role with aspects of her own character to keep Donna energised. “So if I was feeling particularly emotional, a song might be a more emotional piece of storytelling that night. If I was pissed off, I'd be more fiery. I felt there was enough licence to be able to tell the story afresh.”

It is important to understand that no two performances in a show's run are ever the same, says Sean Jones, who has starred in Willy Russell's musical Blood Brothers, in the West End and on tour since 1999. “There is always one new cast member and that's the audience,” he says. “If you're paying attention to them, you know you've got a different show on your hands every night. For example, we've just had a school audience in, which requires a different tack.”