These days, recognition for people that are not featured on a television show or do not have an extensive list of top ten hits is scarce. That is not to say that television stars and chart toppers do not deserve applause, they do and there is no doubt that it will continue decades from now. However, there is plenty of applause to go around so it might as well make a trip to some other contributors to the arts. Carrie Hope Fletcher should be on the list of visits to make.
Anyone that was around during the 2000s, ie. anyone reading this, probably knew McFly and their lead singer Tom Fletcher. Tom is not the only talented Fletcher though, as his sister Carrie has been keeping herself very busy for the last few years. Over the summer, the bestselling author, musical theatre star and YouTuber took on Ireland for the first time.
At only 24 years old, Fletcher has starred in musical productions most can only dream of. Many of these include original UK productions, for example Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Jemima Potts and Mary Poppins as Jane Banks. She may also be recognisable from her time playing Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which hit Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre’s stage last summer. In 2014 she was awarded the “WhatsOnStage.com Award for Best Takeover In A Role” for her three year portrayal of Eponine in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre, London.
This year she is currently bringing an iconic family to life by playing the distinctive role of Wednesday Addams in the UK’s first production of The Addams Family Musical. The show resided in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin from the 15th to 26th of August and will return to Irish soil to play Belfast audiences from the 3rd to the 7th of October this year.
‘Carrie Hope Fletcher displays a seriously powerful vocal talent as Wednesday,’ praised the Irish Mirror of Fletcher’s performance in the role.
Ireland hasn’t been the only place singing Fletcher’s praises lately as she has received high praise from respected specialised theatre websites such as Whatsonstage.com.
‘Carrie Hope Fletcher as Wednesday is superb and her duet “Crazier Than You” – sung with her boy Lucas (Oliver Ormson) – is one of the most enjoyable in the show,’ said the London based publication.
As if being highly successful in the world of musical theatre wasn’t enough, Fletcher released her second novel and third book ‘All that she can see’ across the UK and Ireland on July 13th of this year. Falling into the same women’s fiction and magical realism genres of her second novel ‘On the other side’, the page turning novel offers readers a welcomed escape into a world of personified feelings, romance and magically delicious baked goods.
One month after the release of ‘All that she can see’, Irish fans had the chance to get up close and personal with Fletcher. Eason’s O’Connell Street store hosted a book signing on the wet, dreary morning of August 20th. Despite the gloomy weather fans showed up in their hundreds to get their copy signed and a photo snapped with their favourite quadruple threat.
Fletcher showed her appreciation to her Irish fans by liking and retweeting Twitter and Instagram posts by people in attendance at the signing. A live story was also posted to her Instagram account, followed by 449,000, thanking fans for attending and for their thoughtful gifts.
On the off chance that after reading this article you wouldn’t mind a chance at meeting your new favourite author, a second book signing for ‘All that she can see’ will take place at Eason’s store in Donegall Place, Belfast on Monday 2nd October at 4pm.
Youtubers cannot be accused of receiving no recognition in today’s social media world but Carrie Hope Fletcher is a diamond in the rough sea of makeup tutorials and monthly favourites. The channel ‘ItsWayPastMyBedTime’ has 647,932 subscribers and counting and has already been active for over six years. The name, which is inspired by a line in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, offers a good indication of the content type to be expected.
Along with plenty of footage of what she gets up to behind the scenes of whatever show she happens to be performing in; countless book suggestions, covers, original songs and random nonsense can be found to keep you entertained for way longer than college assignments want you to be.
One recent video is entitled ‘In love with Dublin’ from her ongoing mini series ‘Watch me Wednesday’ in which she uploads weekly vlogs giving an inside look at her time playing Wednesday. This particularly Irish themed video shows what Fletcher got up to during her trip to Dublin. From getting on the plane, watching the Rock’n’Roll Dublin Half Marathon, eating in many food and drink establishments around the city (shoutout to O’Connell’s Bar), stopping outside a random Tesco, taking an open top bus tour to go to see ‘Once: The Musical’. There is a good chance you might actually spot yourself going about your daily duties. After all she’s clearly just like us, right?
Gillian Hogan