Blue's Antony Costa talks ahead of appearance at Wolverhampton Grand
He’s best known as the boy band singer who enjoyed hits with Too Close, All Rise and Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word. But before Antony Costa was scoring number one hit singles with the all-conquering Blue he was in fact, a child actor.
One of his earliest roles was a pupil in Steven Moffat’s sitcom Chalk and he then went on to appear in the BBC’s Grange Hill.
Having surfed the waves of the Blue reunion in recent years, Antony is returning to his roots. He’s treading the boards in theatre, starring in Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement In Stone. From Monday until July 8, he’ll line up alongside a starry cast at Wolverhampton’s Grand, featuring Andrew Lancel, Sophie Ward, Mark Wynter, Deborah Grant, Shirley Anne Field and Ben Nealon.
“I’m thrilled,” he says. “It’s been really, really good. We’ve had some fantastic reviews and it’s a great cast of people.”
The Bill Kenwright-produced show builds on the phenomenal decade-long success of The Agatha Christie Company. It is a new production adapted from one of the most celebrated works of the writer often hailed as the successor to Agatha Christie.
The action centres around Eunice, who struggles to fit in. When she joins a wealthy family as their housekeeper the very reason for her awkwardness, long hidden and deeply buried, leads inexorably to a terrible tale of murder in cold blood – on Valentine’s Day.
The brilliant plot unravels a lifetime of deceit, despair and cover-ups which, when revealed, brings a shocking revelation almost as grizzly as murder itself.
Antony loves it. “There’s something not quite right with Eunice and no one can see why. But I think what Ruth Rendell did so well was to more or less go on the psychology side of things. Why do these people do it? Why do they murder and everything else? It’s a great show, a very fast-moving thriller and people are with us from start to finish.”
Though Antony started his career as a child actor, he admits he still has much to learn. And featuring alongside some of the best in the business – like Andrew Lancel – has been inspiring. He’s learned much from old hands of the stage and hopes it will hold him in good stead.
“There are a lot of old school people in the show, but for me I’m always learning. If you stop learning, that’s the time to quit. For now, I’m loving every minute of it. I hope the people of Wolverhampton do too.
“The thing is that I’ve always acted. I was a trained actor as a kid. My life went a different direction when I was 18. I loved pop videos and I was so interested in that aspect. When we were in Blue, it wasn’t just about turning up, singing your song and going. I wanted to do more. So when this came up and Bill Kenwright called, I jumped at the chance. It gives me another string to my bow.”
For a man who’s spent most of his life in the spotlight, Antony is enjoying the chance to be out of it. He’s very much part of the supporting cast, rather than a lead player, and feels the pressure is off. He can relax into his character and watch as experienced pros lead the line.
He also enjoys the fact that the audience are going to see a play – rather than see him sing. He knows it’s about his character, rather than him.
“This gives me a new lease of life. I’m always learning. Nine out of 10 people at a pop concert are there to see me sing. That’s why they come. It’s about me, rather than the show. But this is the opposite. It’s about the show, not me. And that takes the pressure off. My job is simple – I just need to give 110 per cent.”
Some things don’t change, of course, and Antony is back on the road with the show, just as he was in Blue. He’s travelling the length of the country – though his visit to Wolverhampton might be punctuated by an important arrival.
“I love being on the road and I’ve done it since I was 18. But it will be a weird week in Wolverhampton because my baby is due. If I get the call, I’ve got to go. For the first couple of days, I’ll be there. But then the baby is due on the July 6. So we’ll just have to see what happens. But I’m looking forward to the Grand Theatre. I’ve never been before.”
And once A Judgement In Stone is done – and he’s finished changing the nappies – he’s keen to come back. Antony is open to more stage work and hopes it’ll lead to TV acting roles.
“I want to do more stage work and if TV arose I’d jump on the chance. It all depends on timing or whether the part’s right. You never know what’s in the audience watching you. But I love it mate, I absolutely love it. The cast getting applause at the end is amazing.
“When we used to do a Blue tour, people booked tickets to see us which we were thankful for. But it’s different now. I could sing a couple of lines of a song to a Blue crowd and they’d cheer. But for me, I like to get into the depth of a character. I like to be someone else for two and a half hours.”
Not that Antony’s acting ambitions spell the end of Blue. They’ll be back every now and then.
“Listen mate, you know, if there’s gigs coming up with the boys and the climate’s right, we’ll do a few shows. If there’s an album and it’s right, we’ll do it. Bu it love being on stage right now and I need this for me. I don’t want to live with regret because I didn’t do this. You got to be selfish and do something yourself once in a while.”
