G4 star’s rugged new role (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

G4 star’s rugged new role

8:33am Monday 21st June 2010 in

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Jonathan Ansell has come a long way since entering a TV talent show for a laugh with his college mates.

Six months later, they were household names, as pop opera boyband G4, and were runners-up on the first series of X Factor.

Fast forward six years, and Jonathan is an accomplished solo tenor star, with a chart-topping album under his belt.

He’s relishing his new role as a musical theatre leading man, starring in Whistle Down The Wind, which comes to Bradford next month.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman’s stage adaptation of the beloved 1960s film, starring Hayley Mills and Alan Bates, transfers the action from rural Lancashire to the American Deep South, where a teenage girl called Swallow discovers a mysterious man hiding in her family’s barn. When asked who he is, he utters the words “Jesus Christ” and, for a girl grieving the death of her mother, it’s as though her prayers have been answered.

While an angry mob of townsfolk search for a fugitive escaped from jail, Swallow gathers local children who vow to protect their new found saviour from the cruelties of the outside world.

“It’s Bible-belt Louisiana,” says Jonathan, 28. “The show addresses racial issues and has a dark twist. It asks the question ‘if Jesus was to come back, what form would he come in?’ At the crux is the children’s innocence, against the cynicism and violence of the adults, who are out to shoot the fugitive. The two dynamics work well on stage.”

The score, which includes Boyzone’s hit No Matter What, draws on blues, jazz and gospel influences. “The music reflects the American setting,” says Jonathan. “The film is well-loved – it’s my dad’s favourite film – but has a bleak element that wouldn’t work on stage. Transferring it to the Deep South brings new layers.”

For Jonathan, playing the enigmatic stranger known as The Man was an irresistible challenge. “A lot of people questioned the casting, and I had to prove to (producer) Bill Kenwright that I could do it, but, fantastically, it’s gone well,” he says.

“People see the fresh-faced me on posters outside theatres, then I’m on stage covered in blood with a tattoo and facial hair! It’s been a huge challenge, but I think I’ve proved myself.”

It’s whetted his appetite for musical theatre. “I’d love to play Jean Valjean in Les Miserables,” he says.

Meanwhile, he has another challenging role to look forward to – being a dad. He and his wife Debbie are expecting their first baby in November. “We’re beyond excited,” he beams. “My brother has just had his first child too, so it’s going to be a memorable Christmas!”

Born in Bognor Regis, Jonathan was introduced to opera via his mother’s Three Tenors tapes and, aged eight, joined the West Sussex Boys Choir.

“Opera wasn’t cool and I was teased, but these days it’s easier for kids to get into opera – they can listen to it on their iPod and nobody knows!” he smiles. “Downloading opens up new musical genres, something that didn’t really happen when people were just leafing through CDs in the rock and pop corner of a record shop.”

Music was Jonathan’s passion. It was while he was at the Guildhall School of Music that he discovered he was dyslexic. “I’d always loved expressive subjects, particularly music, but as school got more academic, I struggled. When I was diagnosed dyslexic, I knew why I had such issues. I’d felt alienated all through school and the only time I chilled out was on stage doing musical stuff.”

He describes his X Factor experience as “surreal”.

“We did it for a laugh. We never imagined we’d end up in the final,” he says. “We were fortunate in not winning because the pressure would’ve been enormous. If you don’t get to No. 1, you’re dropped.

We had training behind us so if we hadn’t been successful, we could’ve gone into opera, but thankfully we did well.”

The group’s debut album, G4, went to No.1 and follow-up album G4 And Friends reached the Top Ten. They completed sell-out tours before splitting in 2007.

Jonathan’s debut album, Tenor At The Movies, topped classical and pop charts. This summer, he’s performing with Faryl Smith and Hayley Westenra, fellow young singers making classical music cool.

“It’s not just Pavarotti anymore; now kids sing opera on Britain’s Got Talent and it opens up people’s eyes and ears,” he says. “Ultimately, people just want to hear the song. I don’t get audiences too bogged down with operatic context. I hate to alienate people because I know what it’s like to feel alienated.

“Hopefully, like me, they’ll fall in love with the music and if they like it, they’ll find out about the opera its from.”

Whistle Down The Wind runs at the Alhambra from June 28 to July 3. For tickets, ring (01274) 432000.