Hancock slams acting world snobs (From Harrow Times)

Hancock slams acting world snobs

12:48am Tuesday 16th March 2010

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Sheila Hancock has criticised the acting profession for turning its nose up at musicals.

The 77-year-old star, who is a judge on Andrew Lloyd Webber's TV search for an unknown to play Dorothy in a West End production of The Wizard Of Oz, accused the acting world of snobbery.

The veteran actress, who has been starring in the £7 million West End stage adaptation of Hollywood film Sister Act, told the Radio Times: "There's an incredibly grand attitude towards musicals. I don't understand why my profession is so snooty about it.

"It's not just my profession, it's critics too. They say there are too many in the West End. But the big houses have got to do musicals to fill them."

She added: "You're never going to get 2,400 people a night for a play. I'm sorry, you really aren't.

"We should be so grateful for musicals and the amount of work that goes into these shows is easily comparable to things I've been in at the National (Theatre) and the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). Why do we think it is less important?"

Sheila, who was married to Inspector Morse star John Thaw until his death from cancer in 2002, said of the forthcoming BBC show Over The Rainbow: "It isn't making fun of people.

"On The X Factor, they deliberately have people on that are awful just to laugh at them. That certainly doesn't happen here. The judging is very intense."

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