Lesley Nicol Gets Ready to Bring HOW THE HELL DID I GET HERE? to NYC

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

Leslie Nickel, who is best known for playing the lovable Mrs. Pat Moore

on the worldwide phenomenon Downton Abbey, has brought her brand new one-woman musical called

How the Hell Did I Get Here to the McKittrick Hotel? And we dropped by for a spot of tea and to catch up with Leslie

and her director Luke Kurtigan to find out the show. Just a light supper, you can do it, kid

Open up the peas, rinse them nice and slowly Toss them in the pot like the teacher showed me

Add a little butter, don't forget the bacon I don't like to brag

But look what I'm making, it's a life surprise Well, first of all, how excited are you

You're about to open here in New York. I know, I know, I can't even believe it. I'm going to pinch myself a bit, actually

because when you see the show, you'll see how I started out in life

which was very, very shy. And I just suddenly looked at New York today, I only arrived yesterday, and I thought, can you believe that little thing

If you'd said to her, you're going to do your own show in New York when you're considerably older, but either the way, I'd never have believed it

I can't believe it. It's fantastic. So how did you decide to put this whole beautiful show together

Well, it was the weirdest thing. I was living in Los Angeles with my husband and my two dogs not many years ago

and we became friends with a very, very successful songwriter called Mark Muller

Now, I knew he was a songwriter, but we were friends first and foremost

and we get on really well, we make each other laugh. That's what it was all about. And so I'd never worked with him

and never expected to work with him because also I'm an actress who sings. I'm not a cabaret artist or a recording artist

He works with the top people, you know. So long story short, one day I said to him

I've got this bug, I want to do something, but I don't know what it is. I know it's not cabaret because many people would be better at that than me

but I'm an actor who sings, so that's different. And he said, well, that's vague, isn't it

And I said, yeah, it is. So he said, shall we have a sit down and talk about what this might be

And we did. And then we couldn't stop. And I wondered if he might, you know, it's a big ask because he's so big and successful

might he write me a song, maybe, because that would be a fabulous thing to have

Well, once he got going on this, he couldn't stop, and he's written me ten. original songs and the bit I love about this is that not only did he absolutely get on board with

me and it's a complete double act you know we've co-written it lyrics and everything I mean we've

done it together but now he plays the piano every show he will not I mean most people like that

wouldn't come on the road with you he doesn't want anyone else to play it so that tells you

something about how much we both feel about this and how much we want to share it with people

How do you describe the show? Well, that's tricky. We have fiddled around quite a lot thinking

what do we call it, it was a one-woman musical at one point, then it was a one-woman autobiography

It's hard to describe because I don't think it's quite been done before. It is my story

I tell people stuff that's happened to me, but it is specifically and categorically designed

to make you sit there and think about how the hell you got here. It really is

it's not the Leslie Nichols show it was never meant to be I think of nothing I'd be less

interested in it's meant to be about being a human being having highs and lows we're all the same in

that you know regard aren we you can get away with missing out on either of those things stuff happens I talk about some of my stuff but what my favourite thing that happened in Chicago because we just did a little run there was four drag queens came

Not in drag, sadly. But one of them said to my producer afterwards, he said

I've just sat with Leslie for just over an hour, and I've just sat and cried with her

and I've just seen my entire life in front of me. That is what we want this to be

And I think that's what it is. At this new school, I was doing French and English, and I decided to do a basic cookery course

Though I didn't really give a shit about cooking. I suppose I just thought, well, I'll have to fend for myself sooner or later

Well, you never can tell. Maybe one day, who knows, I might need it for a part

So, a few months later, it's time to do my first cookery exam

We're all in the kitchen together and I'm feeling okay. Because I've done my homework and I'm ready for this

So, you were given a situation. You had to create a menu and make the food within a restricted time

And I thought I'd get, you know, an afternoon tea for the vicar

or a cooked breakfast for your mum and dad. But no, no

No, what did I get? Yeah. A light supper for an invalid

So on that basis, I decided to knock up a ham omelette with some peas and a nice egg custard for dessert

It was just a light supper for an invalid. Just a light supper

You can do it, kid Open up the peas, rinse them nice and slowly

Toss them in the pot like the teacher showed me Add a little butter, don't forget the bacon

I don't like to brag, but look what I'm making It's a light supper

For an invalid Just a light supper Nothing to it, kid

Take an egg or two, time to make my omelette Gotta cook them well, hate to see them vomit

Next I add the salt and a hint of Tabasco Thinking to myself, this is just a fiasco

It's a light supper Pouring in my lid Just a light supper

Knew you could do it, kid It's also a great thing because people come

They have tea and these beautiful sandwiches. I mean, this is like a high tea

I know. Then they get to see your show. You get to eat as well. What could be wrong with that? And this is a very exciting, intimate venue

I mean, the place we were in Chicago was also, but this is even smaller

And I think it will really work with what we're doing because it's really me and them

It's the audience and me. And it will be different every night. And I think that will be fantastic in here

You are known to millions of people, millions and millions of fans around the world. What

has being a part of Downton Abbey and of course playing Mrs. Pat Moore meant to you personally

and professionally and how it's changed your life? How long have you got As long as you have All I can tell you is it been enormous It been life personally and professionally I mean I wouldn be doing this show here now in America

if I hadn't have done Downton Abbey. I mean, I've been working for 47 years

but this put me in a different sort of place in the world

because people know who I am, and they didn't before. In England, they kind of went, oh, I know, yes, I think so

but this gave me a different sort of profile. and as far as personally goes a lot of it's in the show actually just I ended up in China being

an ambassador for a bear rescue charity that to me was life-changing and they thanked me for being

part of it but I can't thank them enough because I went backstage at a bear sanctuary and I can

actually help them out because apparently 160 million people watch the show there so people

actually know who I am and that goes for all the Downton cast by the way we all got involved with

our various things and we all supported each other and you could make a difference you could

actually fill a room and get a lot of money for that cause and what's what could be wrong with

that do you know what I mean we're doing the job we love and we can help out in that way

it's pretty nice actually it's a pretty good feeling so um I can't think of anything bad

to be honest that's happened as a result of this it's been it's been a positive experience

completely and long may it last. And because of your success on that you you

may be introducing someone to the the live theater, the live art form because

they know you and like oh my gosh this is a whole other world now you're gonna

introduce them to what that means to you. And you know I did this I did this a

very very basic version of this this is the first time we've done a proper full

theatrical production with the set and the brilliant lights and everything but

We did a very basic version at my old drama school in London a few years ago. And there were students there

And it actually really does work very, very well for kids who are about to enter this world

Because it gives a very real account of what it's like. It's not, well you know, it's not always going to be easy

Sometimes it's fabulous, sometimes it's horrible. You get rejected, you get this, you get that

Sometimes it's funny. And all of that is in the show. And it's not just, by the way, about being in show business this show

It's about, as I say, about being a human being. But for youngsters, I think it's an honest account of what happens

But by the way, it came good rather late in life, which is kind of inspiring and encouraging, I think

Finally, you're sitting on your beautiful set here at the McKittrick Hotel, gorgeous hotel

What's going through your mind? Can't wait to get in front of an audience now because we're just, Mark and I are so thrilled to be here

And it's, yeah, we just want to share it with people. So tell them, tell them to come

They'll come. Luke, how excited are you getting ready to bring this one-woman musical to New York

I'm incredibly excited. Seriously, we always knew that we wanted to come here

I think New York audiences will love this show. I think that Leslie's story feels so exciting

because it feels like something that you connect with. It's not just a celebrity telling their wonderful anecdotes

and there are wonderful anecdotes, but actually it's so much deeper than that

It's really, it's about a woman's journey through life, and I think everyone resonates everyone connects with different aspects of this show and it is laugh out loud funny you get tears in your eyes I mean I cry there are certain moments that still I get a little bit teary at and

yet I still laugh throughout all of it as well it's a very beautiful piece of theater. So when you

first met Leslie how did you all meet? I was introduced to Leslie uh through our producer Tim

and I thought we were just going to meet for a half hour, quick cup of tea

Two or three hours later we were just gossiping and it was wonderful

And we connected on things like our relationships with our family. Her background is in theatre and I'm a theatre director

So even though I knew her obviously from Downton Abbey and TV and film

really what we connected on was theatre and talking about theatre shows

and what it was like to get into the industry. and then also we were talking about our relationships with our mothers

and things like that. And that was when I think we both sort of realized that we got on very, very well

And that was a few years ago and we've just been creating this show since then actually

So she wrote this with Mark Muller, the composer. And sort of being in a room with the two of them together is remarkable

They've been very generous in allowing me in because actually they wrote this together quite a while ago

and they've been incredibly warm and generous in letting me as a director come in and give my voice

and my opinion to this and to help shape it to what it is now. I love it that people come here for high tea and then they get to see her show

Absolutely. I mean, you can't imagine a better thing. A wonderful cup of tea, a scone, some sandwiches

and then to come and see an incredible piece of theatre, to share all of that together is a really special thing

I have to say, though, I'm only allowed to eat scones twice a year. Otherwise, I will put on so much weight

They're my favorite thing in the world. And I say that as a Brit. So I'm in trouble here

We've already sampled them. They are heaven. I know. They're really too good, actually

Oh, God, no. Don't even let me look. It's really delicious. I have to say, what a wonderful way to come and see a piece of theater

It feels, especially here at the McKittrick, I think it really feels very immersive

And that's really what we want. because actually, ultimately, this is a one-woman show

where it's a direct conversation, relationship with the audience. So it feels immersive

We want you... It's not an anonymous piece of theatre. You know, Leslie connects with you

She tells you her story. And I think that that's what's really wonderful

is that you respond individually to her story. So I think this whole aspect of tea and having some food

and then watching the show, I think, really is the best way to do it. I was offered the part of Mrs. Beaver in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the BBC

I was classically trained, you know. So filming started in January in the snowy mountains of Scotland

Now, as you can see, we wore big, furry, egg-shaped costumes. But early on, we spotted a rather serious wardrobe malfunction

Mr Beaver and I wore these webbed booties, the bottoms of which were made out of leather

So what started happening was one or other of us would slip on the snow, fall flat on our face

and go rolling down the mountainside. And the director would shout out

Beaver down! And these two guys from the crew would run down the hill

and stand us upright again. They became known as the Beaver Retrievers