Wendi Peters is torn between theatre and television.
Television has served her well – her face will be familiar to fans of Coronation Street, where she had a four-year stint as Cilla Battersby-Brown.
But theatre holds a special place in her heart. It is where she first started her acting career as a fresh-faced 16-year-old.
Now, she makes a return to her roots as she travels round the UK for the tour of Wonderland. The visual extravaganza is a musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Wendi will step into the familiar role of Queen of Hearts – but don’t expect anything average about this performance.
“It’s not a straight adaptation of Lewis Carroll, and the musical element already makes it fairly different. To make it more unique, Alice is now a 40-year-old with her own daughter,” Wendi said.
“Not only that, the Mad Hatter is a woman desperate to become Queen.
“What’s great is that this performance is completely new – it has not been done here before. It has a brilliant score which is what, mainly, attracted me to it. I heard the two songs and I knew I had to be involved.”
Frank Wildhorn, the composer, began working on the project in the late 1990s. It premiered in Tampa in 2009, before appearing on Broadway in 2011.
After a six-year hiatus, the musical had its European premiere at the Edinburgh Playhouse in January 2017, marking the start of a UK tour.
In the past four months, it has visited everywhere from Sunderland to Belfast.
Speaking of the response in the cities they’ve been to so far, Wendi said: “Belfast and Manchester have been particularly good – they’re both really welcoming cities, and the audiences have been fantastic.
“I always enjoy the shows nearer London because it’s close to my home. Visiting Manchester is also great because it gives me the opportunity to catch up with all of my old friends.”
The production comes to Aberdeen on Tuesday as part of the UK tour.
Performing at HMT, Wendi will be joined on stage by Dave Willetts, who rose to fame for playing the title role in Phantom of the Opera, as White Rabbit and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Rachel Wooding, who is playing Alice.
About Aberdeen, Wendi said: “I have been, only for a couple of nights, where I performed with Grumpy Old Women and The Vagina Monologues. I’m really looking forward to spending a week there this time, so I can get to see some of the sights properly.”
The downside of a gruelling seven-month tour is that Wendi doesn’t get to see her family as often as she’d like.
“It is hard being away, but that is the nature of the job. We make sure we have a fun time at the weekends and my husband works from home which makes it a lot easier,” said the actress.
The tour ends in Bournemouth, mid-August, and she’s looking forward to taking a much-needed break: “I’ll definitely be taking a holiday – to somewhere hot, where I can lie on the beach and relax.
“I’ve been working straight through from November, going from panto right into this, so I feel like a holiday is in order.”
As far as pre-performance rituals go, Wendi likes to arrive early and pop the kettle on. She said: “I always make myself a cup of tea in the run-up to a show. I don’t like to rush – I’d much rather take my time.”
With the tour hitting the halfway mark, the cast remain focused on putting on a good show, and Wendi is enjoying every minute.
Wonderland runs until Saturday, May 20 at His Majesty’s Theatre. Call 01224 641122 or see www.aberdeenperformingarts
