Alana Bridgewater

Twenty Questions with...

When we say that Alana Bridgewater is ‘guaranteed to blow your mind…anytime’ as Killer Queen in the hit musical We Will Rock You, man, we ain’t kidding.
With vocal credit’s including the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus, Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, she has even lent her voice for the 2008 Olympic bid. The Markham born, North York raised singer/songwriter has accomplished more to date as a vocalist than most actors have in a career.
You’d never suspect We Will Rock You is her first large scale commercial offering by the way she commandeers the stage. And when the casting call went out for the sinister, self absorbed Killer Queen, Alana Bridgewater just couldn’t resist.
And nor could TorontoStage.com resist when presented with an opportunity to chat up the operatic chanteuse about all things Alana Bridgewater in online theatre’s most exposing feature, Twenty Questions With…
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What was your nickname in high school?
It was ‘Bridgewater.’ It was an organic thing as people always thought I had a cool last name. I still have one friend from Grade 1 and another from high school and they both still call me ‘Bridgewater.’
What posters did you have on your bedroom wall growing up?
McKenzie Astin. He was relatively way too short for me but that was o.k.
Also River Phoenix, Wham!, and Michael Jackson.
Who were your childhood heroes?
Jem and the Holograms. No, I didn’t have time as a kid to watch television. It was all about climbing trees and stuff like that.
Did you play sports as a kid?
I played basketball, volleyball, and soccer. I don’t play anything today. A lot of it has to do with time but I’m terribly out of shape now. Being fit is one of those things you want to get back to but I just haven’t really focused enough energy on doing that.
Were your parents strict?
My mother was strict on some things but not everything. She’d say ‘o.k., go out and have a good time.’ She’d never give us a time to come back. But we knew if we came strolling home at 1:00 am that we blew it.
What was your first concert?
I saw Martha and the Muffins with Parachute Club at Canada’s Wonderland. My sister danced for Martha and the Muffins so I was VIP and got their autograph.

You can tell I’m Canadian, huh?

What was the first job you've ever had?
Delivering the North York Mirror when I was eleven. You didn’t have to collect money for the paper so I was really lazy so I would stand at the corner and hand them out.

Have you ever been fired from a job?
The first time I was fired was at Baskin Robbins. I had a wedding to go to and one of the managers said she would work for me on that Saturday. Then I got a call from the manager saying ‘that can’t happen, and you’re fired.’ But I was 13 so it didn’t mater.
And then the next time was at Sears. The sweet justice in that was that I ended up singing in commercials for Sears.
Who was the first person you were sexually attracted to?
Leon Jones. He was from Brampton where my cousin lived. I would go there on the weekend and we would all go to church together. But he’s probably about 4’11” and I’m 6 feet talk so it’s not going to work.
What do you remember about the first time getting drunk?
Believe it or not it wasn’t until I was in university. Because of my Jamaican background, we always had a taste of wine and rum punch, it wasn’t a novelty.
When I got to university I would try different drinks and mixing them. I think the first time it happened though I remember falling down the stairs.
What is the hardest thing about being a woman?
Child birth. I had a really terrible pregnancy. You see people on TV and they’re smiling and glowing. I was sick to my stomach and on IV the whole time. When it got to the end I thought ‘oh no, this thing has to come out.’ That was scary.
What did you want to be growing up?
I wanted to be an advertising copywriter just like Angela from Who’s The Boss? I thought her job was so interesting.
My mom wanted me to be a lawyer.
When did you realize that you had grown up?
When my baby looked up at me and called me ‘mommy.’ I was 23.
What did you believe in at 18 that you wish that you'd believe in now?
I believed in honest government and that people in power were actually concerned with real issues. I would like to believe in that, I really do. But it’s the bureaucracy of it all that won’t let me.
What is the best advice your parents ever gave you?
‘Cockroach no business in a fowl fight.’
It’s a Jamaican term meaning that a cockroach should never try to break up two chickens fighting. At the end of the day, the chickens are going to turn on the cockroach and try to eat it.
So it’s kind of like ‘mind your business.’
What have you done that you will never do again?
I wont’ be having a child again. I love the one I have. She is absolutely satisfied being an only child.
What is the best lie you ever told?
Because I’m so good at lying I just don’t know.
I think what I’ll have to do is write a book and at the end of my life I’ll release it. And then everyone will know everything.
What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
There was a time when my daughter fell off of the bed onto a hardwood floor. When they’re that young, you don’t know they can roll but they do.
She started screaming and I thought ‘Oh my god! She has brain damage, I’m a bad mother.’ I started crying.
I called my mother who was laughing at me.
If you were the leader of our great country, what’s the first thing you’d change?
Our deeply flawed welfare system.
I think there are people who do need the help and it should be there in place for that. I feel that there are also others who really drag down and take advantage of the system.
If you offer people jobs and give them an opportunity to do well, they will. If you make something easy, they’ll just live there.
If somebody made a movie about your life, whom would you want to play you?
Martin Short because no one draws a comparison to the real me.
Honestly, I’d love for my daughter to play me. She’s going to be tall and I expect her to have an understanding of who I am so she’ll bring truth to the character.

- www.Torontostage.com

"This soul siren is a rising star, who can move easily between soul, R&B, jazz, blues, gospel and classical styles."
— Eye Weekly

"Alana Bridgewater delivers a strong gospel style vocal over a great bass line and churchy organ."
— UKVibe

- Eye Weekly and UKVibe

Bridgewater is maturing rapidly as a soloist. Wow, what a voice! Her powerful range touched gentle sultry moods while her body shook almost in a gentle jingle while her instrument filled the theatre with that feeling of soothing authority. The audience felt her appearance was too brief as she delivered a tribute to Roberta Flack’s Feel Like Making Love; then journeyed on a The Slow Boat To China before George Benson’s Masquerade closed her capsule.
- Trinidad Guardian

Alana Brigewater's 'Deception' is Feel The Soul Mag's favourite song off this entire collection, with it's Jazz fused modern Soul vibe. Prove's that Erykah Badu isn't the only one with a good set of rim shots and Jazz scat! - Feel The Soul Magazine