Christmas sparkle comes in many different guises. For Sam Buttery, the festive season will see her looking like a rock and roll version of the purple chocolate from the Quality Street box with added tentacles.
For she’s starring in Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch which is back at the Lowry following two previous sold-out runs.
The show takes us into the world of the Disney villain we know from The Little Mermaid. But the musical is about as far removed from Disney as is possible.
Ursula is loud and proud spreading the message of ‘love the skin you’re in’.
“It’s got such heart and is a big story,” said Sam. “It’s also just great fun. There are elements of cabaret in there but it’s also this big musical with some great songs. It’s really special.”
This new production of the show featuring a new set and new costumes has seen Sam working with the creative team.
“Having those creatives in the rehearsal room has been brilliant,” she said. “It gives you more flexibility. I love to work collaboratively and and it means that no questions go unanswered.”
Just as Cruella told her side of the story and Maleficent’s had her moment, now the legendary sea witch is ready to spill in this tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers.
It’s a laugh-a-minute dive through Ursula’s backstory filled with a filthy pop soundtrack and much-loved characters as you’ve never seen them before.
“For anyone who is perceived as a villain they are like that because of a series of events which has made them that way,” said Sam. “Ursula may be a bit conniving, a bit maniacal and even a bit insecure but that’s a result of events that have happened to her.”
Aimed at an audience aged 16-plus, Unfortunate is not your typical Christmas show.
“It’s nice to have something unconventional that doesn’t appeal to the sentiment of Christmas necessarily,” said Sam. “It is the perfect antidote if you’re fed up of traditional Christmas but I think it still has all the things in it that you would want to see in a Christmas show which is lots of laughs, uplifting joy and great music.
“It is certainly a show which you will leave feeling elated which is very Christmassy even if the material is a little unconventional.
“The reason I love acting is that it can provide an audience with an uplifting escape from reality. It’s a lovely thing to have two hours with this group of people you don’t know and where you can’t really create that specific performance ever again.
“It makes every show special and you can connect with people. I just love seeing people’s faces and getting people who don’t like to laugh laughing. It feels like you’ve won them over.”
Although originally from Tamworth, Sam now calls Salford home and lives close to the Lowry.
“There’s no excuses for me being late are there?” she laughed.
She is well-known on the cabaret circuit in the city and believes that experience will help her bringing the larger-than life Ursula to audiences.
“My goal is always to make it the most enjoyable show for the audience that I can and if there is an opportunity to interact with them then I’ll take it,” she said.
Sam saw the show when it last came to the Lowry.
“I had load of fun watching it,” she said. “It’s a bit rude, a bit silly but it’s just such fun. The fact it’s aimed at an older audience does give you much more freedom but we’re Celebrating differences and uniqueness and it’s just so nice to be part of something that does that.”
Audiences may recognise Sam from being in first series of The Voice in 2012. Since then she has made regular appearances in the Netflix series Kaos. She’s also starred in the Addams Family Musical in the West End as well as being a regular cabaret performer - all part of the life of a performer.
“It’s not like any other profession,” she said. “There’s no real structure to it.
“In most jobs you achieve a certain status which means you get some kind of security and get paid more.
“I was going from being on set with Jeff Goldblum to working as a teaching assistant at a school in Wythenshawe. Having said that I loved being with the kids. When I had to take time off for acting work they’d say I was going to do my drama.
“For past couple of years, I’ve not had to get another job which is a relief but this is the weirdest profession ever.”
For Sam, playing Ursula at the Lowry is the perfect job over Christmas.
“I’m so lucky I live so close. I love having people round and there are always waifs and strays staying with me so I think I may well be hosting a party or two while we’re doing the show.”
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch is at the Lowry, Salford, until Sunday, January 11. Details from www.thelowry.com
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