We're AJ & Curtis Pritchard and we can't wait to perform in Blackpool, our second home, this weekend
Although the country’s most famous brothers have sadly missed out Lancashire on their reunion tour, lucky for us we have the next best thing as AJ and Curtis Pritchard are heading to Blackpool this weekend!
Professional dancers turned reality stars AJ and Curtis Pritchard are about to kick off a 24-date national tour of their new show ‘Come What May’ this weekend and they’re heading to the Blackpool Opera House on Sunday.
The former Strictly Come Dancing and Love Island stars sat down for a chat with our celebrity reporter to talk all about their upcoming show in Blackpool, which you can buy tickets for here.
So read on to find out what AJ and Curtis had to say, including why Blackpool is like their “second home”!
What can we expect from the show?
Curtis: “Come What May is the all out show for anybody that loves musical theatre, loves live performances, loves singing, dancing and just some great acting. It's a Moulin Rouge tribute show with other musicals in there as well, like the Greatest Showman, featuring some amazing songs, like ‘Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend’, ‘Your Song’, ‘Come What May’.”
AJ: “I've never been to an audition before where I’ve sat down and gone ‘this is a real headache because there are so many fantastic dancers,’ We've been to a lot of auditions and seen some fantastic dancers and it was overwhelming to see the talent, the energy…”
Curtis: “The tricks! People were doing backflips”
AJ: “It made me feel bad. I was like ‘oh, my god, I need to go back and train, I need to work harder’ but that's a good thing!”
Curtis: “Yeah, I thought ‘wow, I need to get in the studio before these rehearsals start.’”
So will you both be performing on the stage as well?
AJ: “Yeah so we will be dancing in them big group numbers you see on Strictly but also the personal ones, where it's like a duo or a solo. We will also be hosting. I am not a singer -that is not my forte, I'm just gonna throw it out there in advance- Curtis, on the other hand, always sings during pantomime and does a fantastic job so I know Curtis will be itching to make that happen.”
Curtis: “You may see me singing, if the vocals are on point!”
Why have you decided to do a musical theatre themed show?
AJ: “The competition of live shows is so high right now and it is great, but we want to have a show where you purchase a ticket and you know the storyline, you know the songs and you know that it is the hit songs from all the best musicals that are truly timeless. For example ‘Your Song’ is very emotional, it can be quite deep for certain people, it can link to stories, and then you've got, like ‘The Greatest Showman’ and the ‘Can Can’; and these songs are so enthusiastic that all you can do is smile and stand up and get involved.
“That storyline is so powerful that you know when you're purchasing the ticket that you're already smiling before you've even got to the theatre And I think it's very hard to do that with something you don't know. If it’s music you already know, you already love, you’re already guaranteed a great performance.”
Did you two grow up watching musicals?
Curtis: “It came a little bit later to be fair because there weren't many musicals around up north where we were. Now, living in London, I go all the time. But I tell you what I do love, though, I love the ballet. That's a big passion of mine…
AJ: “There's no ballet in this!”
Curtis: “No, there isn't any ballet in this, or is there?...”
AJ: “No, there's not, unless Curtis is pulling out a ballet number that I didn't even know about!”
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So there may be some surprises on the show you mean?
AJ: “There's definitely going to be some good surprises in there, because, hey, if we're really enjoying ourselves performing then we create that aura that people want to get involved in. In theatre, you wouldn't break that fourth wall, whereas, when you’re performing live in this sort of capacity, it's about getting the audience involved and really enjoying the performance with them. And it makes it very easy for us to feel energized.”
Do you think being brothers gives you more energy than two other people on stage might have?
Curtis: “It depends if we've had an argument before going on or not! But no, it does to be fair, we know each other inside out, and we've always done shows together and danced or built a den in the garden together so we really do gel and know how we work together on stage.”
How are you feeling about bringing the show to Blackpool?
Curtis: “We love it!”
AJ: “I do love Blackpool and obviously it is where I won my National Champion, European Champion and my World Champion medals- all of my best memories in my life are in Blackpool- but at the Opera House, they do have a lovely rake on the stage, which, for anybody that doesn't work in theatre, it means the stage is slightly angled down towards the audience. The audience can see a better view but it means I've got to have my balance, my weight over the balls of my feet, even more so than usual, just to prepare myself for that. But it always keeps me on my toes!”
Curtis: “The Opera House is a great one to perform in though, Blackpool is the home of dance.”
AJ: “Oh, the venue is amazing. I love it. Blackball just do it right.”
Curtis: “Blackball is also one of my favourite places to go. I have got so many memories from childhood, from coming to watch the World Championships, to go to the Pleasure Beach, to the slot machines. I have so many amazing memories of Blackpool that any chance I can get to perform there I am, down.”
But you both grew up in Stoke, so did you travel up a lot?
Curtis: “All the time. We were there four or five times a year, because all the dance championships are in Blackpool at the Winter Gardens or the Blackpool Tower. We’d always be there in November, January, May and then sometimes there's some other competitions as well. If we we weren't performing, we'd be watching.”
AJ: “It was like our second home and the Imperial Hotel on the seafront there in Blackpool.”
Curtis: “I used to love the smell of that hotel for some reason, I'll never forget it!”
So it sounds like Blackpool is one of the more nostalgic venues on the tour list?
Curtis: “Definitely.”
AJ: “Blackpool and Stoke on Trent- those two are very emotional venues?
Do you think that'll make you perform differently?
AJ: “There will definitely be more friends and family there so not that we're gonna go above and beyond at just these two venues, but they will definitely get an extra spicy…”
Curtis: “They'll be a bit loose, let’s say. The script may get thrown out the window a little bit. There's family members and friends in so you can really take the mick out of the audience, because you know who's there.”
Can you remember what audiences in Blackpool are like?
Curtis: “Awesome.”
AJ: “Good! I think in certain venues, let's take London for example, they've purchased a ticket and they may be a bit more reserved because they do it all the time, they’re more blase, whereas other areas, for example Blackpool, Stoke on Trent, when they're purchasing a ticket, the value of the ticket is more to them, and therefore they make that experience their whole thing of that month or even THAT year. And we value that as well, very much so, coming from Stoke on Trent, that we always like to give it everything.”
Curtis: “And let's just be honest, the Midlanders, the northerners, they love a good drink and it Makes a great audience”
On that note, is there anything else you plan to do whilst you’re up in Blackpool?
Curtis: “Yeah, go to the slot machines before the show! Maybe after the show…,
AJ: “Get a bit of Blackpool Rock.”
Curtis: “Yeah and I would love to go the Pleasure Beach but I don't think we have time, just the logistics of traveling from here to there. That's the problem On a tour like this, you're up and down the country like a blooming Yo yo, back and forth like a Fiddler's elbow.”
How would you persuade the people of Lancashire to buy tickets if they haven’t already?
Curtis: “Do you want the show of a lifetime? Hopefully you answer yes and if the answer is yes, buy a ticket!”
AJ: “It's honestly going to be amazing: singing, dancing, live entertainment, and for us, being more so local to the area, we're always going to go above and beyond and you definitely won't regret it, that's for sure. “
Curtis: “The thing is, everyone knows all of the big songs, they know the numbers, they've heard of the show so even if you don't like me and AJ, you'll love the elements of the show because you love the music already.”
AJ: “I think it's just really nice to have a tour travelling like this with, for example, behind Cuff and Taylor and Live Nation behind the scenes like the quality of the clothing, the quality of the performers, the quality of the headliners, the quality of everything, is always the best. It’s travelling around the UK, so there's no excuse for people not to be able to come and watch the show.”
Have you got any final words for the people of Blackpool?
Curtis: “Yeah, people of Blackpool - thank you for all the support, the fun and the laughs you've given us throughout the years, you lot are absolute legends, and love you to bits.”
AJ: “And we'll see you soon!”