The next interview in our stagey chat series is with Karl Queensborough. Karl is currently playing Philip Vandamm in North By Northwest at Alexandra Palace. As well as this, you may have seen him recently as Alexandra Hamilton in the West End production of Hamilton.

Get yourself comfy and join us for the next segment of Stagey Chat!

Hi, how are you doing today? Thanks so much for chatting to Stage to Page! Would you mind introducing yourself to our readers and telling us how you first got into acting?

Hello, I’m Karl Queensborough. 

My first introduction to acting came when I was around 6/7 in the school productions. But when I actually had that moment of decision to wanting this to be a career was when I was 11 and saw the first Harry Potter film. 

You're currently in the UK touring production of North By Northwest, which concludes in June at Alexandra Palace. Can you tell us about the story and the character you play?

This is a classic cat & mouse spy thriller set in 1950’s America. A businessman called Roger Thornhill gets mistaken for a CIA agent by my character (Philip Vandamm) and what pursues is a man hunt of mistaken identity and pure action. Think 007 on stage! Complete with twists, turns & surprises. 

My character is a charismatic boss who charms his way into getting what he wants, he is relentless, full of class… "And only slightly sinister"

How does it feel to be performing in a production based on a thriller by the iconic Alfred Hitchcock, and does that come with an additional layer of pressure?

It’s an honour to portray such an iconic film into a staged production. I know this film is much loved by a multitude of people, so it’s a good pressure to have because you want to do the film and legacy of the film justice. But it’s got a lot of added elements you don’t see in film, which is a great added bonus (even more reason to see it!)

The production is known for its role-hopping cast members. How do you tackle playing more than one character in the same piece?

What’s great about playing multiple characters in this show is that each is written so completely different to the other, costume and accent of course help. But having that swift fast paced action gives you the opportunity to just follow your instincts and bring a different energy to each part. 

My blog is called Stage to Page. But if you could turn any book, from page to stage, what would it be and why?

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.

I think there is such an opportunity to take the audience of a mesmerising journey into personal discovery. So many technical aspects can help bring the vision of the book to life too, along with an inspirational soundtrack to match.

And finally, why should people book tickets to North By Northwest?

Forget every price of theatre you have seen. Emma Rice has done it again and created something you can’t really compare to anything else. It’s high stakes, swift action, visual treats for the eye & story telling at its finest. The audience really get sucked into the story & feel like they’re on stage themselves, part of the unfolding mayhem that commences on stage.

You can book tickets to see Karl in North By Northwest, here.