If you’re anything like the women in the Pride offices, then being a bona fide Dreamgirl is one of your wildest, weirdest wishes too. We mean, who wouldn’t want to wear the some of the most glittery dresses known to man, and (attempt to) belt out some classics a la Jennifer Hudson and Jennifer Holliday in front of hundreds of adoring fans?
For Moya Angela, however, this is no simple wish – as along with Karen Mav and Marisha Wallace, she gets the chance to play Effie White on the West End stage, multiple times a week! Coming from an established Broadway career, as well as being a former semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent, Moya’s no rookie when it comes to tearing the house down with her vocals – and she filled Pride in all about her show-tastic life.
So, Moya, when was the first time you realised you had an immense talent: singing?
Moya Angela: Definitely in high school, in my show choir – and I sang in the church too. I knew I could sing, but I just never thought about as an actual thing I was going to for a living. In my second year of high school, my music teacher told me to go to school for music, and eventually I realised that she was right – it was, and is, what I love to do: there’s nothing I’d rather do more than this. So I went to college for musical education and it was the best idea I ever followed through with.
Of course, this isn’t your first time playing Effie – you first took on the role in 2010. What was it like, stepping into this massive role from the first time?
MA: Honestly? Overwhelming, at first. We opened at the Apollo Theater in New York, which is so iconic – so, pressure! Plus, back then I was doing eight shows a week as Effie – no-one shared the role with me. I just remember coming back to my dressing room every single night and bawling so hard, because I just didn’t know if I could do it. I was like, “what did I sign up for?” I just kept pushing through and I found my strengths on the stage, taking on every single thing I had ever learned as a vocalist and putting it into every show. Then I just started thriving. I got stronger and better and confident. It was just me tapping into the things I already had but I didn’t know at the time.
Moya Angela on America’s Got Talent (NBC)
How does your West End experience compare to your previous Broadway experience?
MA: For one, I am a lot older now, so I’m a lot more mature. This is my fourth time playing Effie, which makes it that much easier to know what I have to do. I have an Effie list: what you have to eat, the environment to be in, in order prepare… plus, I know what it’s like to sing the role eight times a week and I don’t even have to sing it eight times. I’m able to have a bit of a life and still be able to knock it out of the park when I go on stage – win-win!
You took a break from Broadway to teach, and also to compete in America’s Got Talent in 2016, all the way to the semi-finals – what gave you the push to audition for the show?
MA: I wanted a chance to be Moya Angela, and not a character. It was just such an eye opening experience to the world of television. I loved getting on stage with such a different type of energy and people, and it really opened my eyes and boosted my confidence as a performer, to know that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing and that I’m in the right place.
And finally, since June’s theme is ‘The Home Issue’, what comes to mind when you think of ‘home’?
MA: When I hear the word home I think of my family and I think of my dogs. Unfortunately, I think of my suitcases because I am a gypsy to the tenth power and I am constantly travelling! But I’m a firm believer that home is where the people you love are.
To see Moya Angela as Effie White at London’s Savoy Theatre, visit www.dreamgirlswestend.com – and follow Moya on Twitter (@MoyaAngela) and Instagram (@moya_angela)
