As the West End production of Annie prepares to grace Cardiff this month, Amy Wild spoke with Strictly star Craig Revel Horwood about his experience playing its iconic character Miss Hannigan.

Having portrayed the role of Miss Hannigan four times, have you changed your interpretation of the role across different adaptations?

Craig Revel Horwood: I have, as a matter of fact. I think I learnt a lot more about the role after having finished playing it, and coming back to it. Every cast is very, very different, so every performance is going to be different.

When I started in 2015 it was a very new company, and we were all sort of making it up as we went along – I guess we devised the show that way – but I learnt a lot when I came back, and it was a completely different cast to bounce off of and I think you have to move with the times. So absolutely, it is a completely different interpretation.

I think Miss Hannigan is a little bit more free and easy – I play her a little more loveable because I fell in love with the character. She’s either drunk or hungover in every scene…

Do you do the makeup for Miss Hannigan yourself?

Craig: I do – I learnt that in a show called La Cage Aux Folles in 1985. We were taught to block out our eyebrows, like in RuPaul’s Drag Race, but this was way before that – but yes, La Cage Aux Folles was the show that taught me how to do it properly and how to change looks for each character. Of course with Miss Hannigan, it’s set in New York in the 1930s so it’s more stern makeup – a smoky look that I love doing. Which is good because I’m 58 and I need that look now to soften the face!

For those who have followed you for so long as a judge on Strictly, do you feel your approach to judging has changed throughout the years?

Craig: Yes, I think I was a lot harsher in the first two series and then I think the audience got on my side a little bit more – because I wasn’t hated, people just didn’t want to hear the truth. But now I think people look forward to it, I play it a bit more tongue in cheek nowadays. I used to just always end on the negative, but now my style has changed – in that I list the negatives first, and what they need to work on, and then finish with something positive about the performance.

We hear you have had two hip replacements? Were you worried it would affect your dancing career?

Craig: I have, and I really did think my dancing career was over, but I had no idea that, actually, I’d still be dancing at this age. That is because of my two titanium hips and my wonderful, wonderful surgeon, Professor Cobb, who has just got me back on the stage and dancing pain-free – which is absolutely amazing.

I can’t do the splits anymore – which was my party trick – and I am slightly restricted in what sort of dance I can do, so I find myself adapting what I can do in different shows, depending on the night and how it feels. We do big warmups before the show, and it has been absolutely fantastic. Obviously, I’m not a teenager anymore, but as Miss Hannigan it’s all character-driven dancing which I find fantastic.

Do you still get a thrill from performing in live shows?

Craig: I love performing live, there is nothing better than it. I love when Strictly is live – pre-records tend to go on for an age because everyone wants it to be perfect. But Annie is different every single night, because we have different kids all the time, changing cast all the time. If people are off ill, you’re working with different people and that changes the energy you bounce off. Similarly, I mix it up a little bit to keep the show fresh.

How do you get the balance between humour and being a bad person without scaring a young audience?

Craig: Well, I think people fall in love with the character of Miss Hannigan. She is funny because she’s drunk – she’s not hitting the kids or anything, she’s just really not pleasant to be around or be with. She makes them work too hard… I think everyone knows a Miss Hannigan. So I don’t think it scares a young audience because they can see themselves in the children.

What can audiences expect from Annie?

Craig: Fantastic singing, fantastic dancing, a gorgeous set, brilliant costumes, incredible performances from all the children. They’re just amazing really, they’re so professional and so well behaved. They bring a lot of fantastic acting to the stage. And of course, we have a multi-talented team of ensemble and support leads which is just incredible. That always makes for a good show.

I always say this on Strictly – when you’ve got the costumes, the idea, the concept, the choreography, the acting and everything comes together it’s amazing. And this has been tried and tested with people who absolutely love it. It’s a great design and it really is a show not to miss. Even if you have never seen Annie before, you will absolutely fall in love with it and leave the theatre singing the songs. The sun will come out tomorrow, hoorah!

Annie, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Mon 3-Sat 8 July.

Tickets: £18-£81. Info: here

words AMY WILD