F E S T I VA L F E AT U R E S | Female Impressionists P H O T O
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S T E V E U L L A T H O R N E
C H R I ST I N A B I A N CO RO N N I A N CO N A
Do you prefer to be called impersonator, impressionist, mimic, or something else entirely? I always say that I’m an impressionist. I’m not striving to look like a particular celebrity, like an impersonator typically does, and for some reason the word mimic often has negative connotations. So, impressionist it is!
What was the first impression you ever attempted? Although I’m told I did impressions constantly as a kid, the first one I remember doing with the intention of entertaining someone other than myself was Celine Dion. I’d been singing along to her songs for my whole life and would often mess around singing in her accent and including her particular pronunciations.
What is the finest impersonation you’ve ever heard by someone else? Marilyn Michaels doing Lena Horne on the Kopykats TV show absolutely knocked my socks off. I only saw it about ten years ago but I can’t count the amount of times I watched it since, trying to analyse just how she does it. She’s extra broad with the physicality of the impression, as is the way of most sketch comedy shows, but her vocals are completely dead-on and so incredibly nuanced. Is there one impersonation that you’ve tried and tried, but just cannot quite get right? There are a few I’m thinking of but the one that hurts most is Joan Rivers. What an icon! I know I’m close to getting it but Joan would be the first one to say that close is no cigar. The problem is, I simply don’t have a raspy voice. For me to put that vocal effect on, I would essentially have to wreck my voice completely.
Who is your favourite impersonator working today? Tracey Ullman’s ability to completely transform herself into men, women, mythical creatures, inanimate objects and everything in between is astounding to me. You know who she’s impersonating immediately, by the way she simply raises an eyebrow. She’s my gold standard. n Christina Bianco: First Impressions, Assembly Checkpoint, 3–25 Aug (not 12), 6.20pm, £13–£14 (£12–£13). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £7.
Do you prefer to be called impersonator, impressionist, mimic, or something else entirely? I don’t think of myself as an impersonator / mimic / impressionist. I’m not sure what I am to be honest! More of a comedy actress who does some voices. At the risk of sounding too pretentious, I think I would probably use the term ‘performer’ as it covers all areas. What was the first impression you ever attempted? The first impressions I attempted were Basil Brush and Miss Piggy. Or at least I thought it was. Then I did a programme talking about how I started off in comedy and went back to my old primary school. Evidently, as it transpired, I was taking off a lot of teachers as my first impressions. I do remember getting into trouble when a teacher caught me once. Classic cliché of trying to make people laugh to make them like me, I’m afraid. What is the finest impersonation you’ve ever heard by someone else? I can’t choose my favourite impressions of others as all impressionists have one particularly sublime ‘voice’. For example, Jan Ravens’ Theresa May, Alistair McGowan’s Richard Madeley, Lewis MacLeod’s Jeremy Vine, Rory Bremner’s Nelson Mandela . . . the list goes on. Is there one impersonation that you’ve tried and tried, but just cannot quite get right? David Cameron. I found him very difficult! Seriously though, there are loads that I find tricky but the stand-out one that fills me with shame is when I was doing The Big Impression with Alistair McGowan all those years ago when Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan were incredibly popular on This Morning. Alistair did the most sublime Richard you ever heard, and I just couldn’t get Judy right. But because it was Alistair’s favourite, we did so many sketches of them and I felt very inadequate. Who is your favourite impersonator working today? Really difficult question. Not trying to wriggle out of it, but I love different impressionists for different reasons and am friends with most of them. But as I’m doing a show with Lewis MacLeod, I better say him or it could get unpleasant on stage . . . n Ronni Ancona and Lewis MacLeod: Just Checking In, Gilded Balloon at the Museum, 3–17 Aug, 9pm, £14.50–£15.50 (£12–£13). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £8.
Go to list.co.uk/festival for much more of these Q&As. 26 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2019