This dream will do

Two refugees from the Nancy and Joseph TV quests are reaping some Fringe benefits, finds Kelly Apter

SHE failed to become Nancy on BBC TV show I'd Do Anything and he was pipped at the post to play Joseph in Any Dream Will Do. Yet Niamh Perry and Keith Jack couldn't be happier with the way their spell on reality TV turned out. As these two musical theatre stars of the future prepare for their Fringe debut, they talk about life after television and why they're dressing up as a nurse and a soldier in Second World War musical, Only The Brave.

FROM TESCO TO TV

Keith: "I was working at Tesco in Dalkeith before taking part in Any Dream Will Do. I just went into it for the experience and because all my friends were telling me I could play Joseph. I thought I was too young because I was only 18 at the time and I never expected to get as far as I did and come second."

Niamh: "I went into the I'd Do Anything auditions never thinking in a million years I'd get past the first round. I come from a classical music background and there's very little musical theatre in Northern Ireland so I didn't have much experience. But when I made it from 7,000 girls down to the final 12 my confidence grew."

ON BEING A LOSER

Keith: "It's such a strange situation to be in, and you can't think about anything. When Graham Norton pauses before saying who's won, it looks like just a few seconds on TV but it felt like an hour to me.

"But when I was standing next to Lee, in those last few seconds before Graham announced the winner, I suddenly realised deep inside that I wasn't quite ready for it. I was just an ordinary Tesco boy before I went in, just liked to have a bit of a laugh. But I came out knowing exactly what I wanted to do. It changes you as a person and makes you stronger – it was the same for everybody who took part in the Joseph show."

Niamh: "When you're standing there waiting to find out if you've lost, there's absolutely nothing going through your head – it's just blank. You feel completely numb. It's only the next day that you realise you've performed in front of seven million people.

"Taking part in the Nancy show was such a learning curve and I've grown up so much. It's really changed me for the better because I was quite naïve before, but now I'm very focused on what I want to do. Although I loved being on the show, I was ready to leave when I did – I knew I couldn't win."

LIFE AFTER NANCY AND JOSEPH

Keith: "After I left the show I went back home and it was quiet for about a week and I thought, 'Oh no, nothing's going to happen.' But then I got a phone call to sing in front of the King and Queen of Spain; then Andrew Lloyd Webber asked me to join the Joseph tour as the Narrator and I haven't stopped working since. I've got an album coming out this month and I'm doing a tour straight after Only The Brave. I'm living out of a suitcase but it's great to see lots of different places."

Niamh: "I only finished my A-Levels in June and it was weird going back to school after being on the TV programme. But now lots of my friends in Northern Ireland are into musicals, whereas nobody talked about them before. The Monday after the Nancy show finished, I got a call about doing Only The Brave, I've got lots of auditions lined up and I'm doing panto in Eastbourne at Christmas. I want to start small and build up my stamina. I've only just turned 18 and I want to take my time and not harm my voice in any way."

LEARNING THE FAST WAY

Niamh: "We've had a crash course in this business. A lot of people go through years of training and don't deal with people like Andrew Lloyd Webber until later in their career. There are advantages and disadvantages to doing what we have – obviously we've got there earlier, which is great. But because you've started so high part of you wonders where you can go from here. If I had walked straight into a West End part like Nancy, my biog would have been empty because I've no experience. So doing something like the Fringe is great because it's so intense. There are no airs and graces about it, it's complete hard graft, rushing in and out of a slot each day – which is exactly what I need at the moment."

Keith: "When I finished the Joseph show two years ago, I wanted to do small projects as I hadn't much experience and needed to learn about the different parts of the industry. I wanted to go back to the start and work my way up to the West End in a few years."

CASTING 'ONLY THE BRAVE'

Keith: "It was strange at the auditions for Only The Brave when they were casting the other parts, because I had to sit there with everyone singing in front of me and write down my comments. It was tough because they all looked really nervous and I thought: 'That must have been what I was like on Any Dream.' You know what they're going through."

Niamh: "Yeah, we really empathised with them because we've been in that position – although ours was a lot worse because we were dealing with people who weren't as nice as the ones involved in Only The Brave. I was quite fortunate that nobody said anything too personal about me on I'd Do Anything, but for some of the other girls there was some really harsh criticism – but then that's just part of the industry."

PLAYING THE FRINGE

Keith: "The assistant musical director on Joseph, Matthew Brind, wrote the music for Only The Brave, and he sent it to me to listen to. I fell in love with it straight away, it's just incredible. I start off as a fisher boy who isn't very brave or strong, but gets talked into joining up as a soldier. It's a beautiful show. After proving myself as a reality TV performer, I've had to prove myself as a musical theatre performer, and doing different shows like this is the fun part."

Niamh: "When I was kicked off the Nancy show, the casting director for Only The Brave sent me through a prologue and a demo CD of the music. I didn't know much about the Fringe so I just stuck it in the CD player and, like Keith, I completely fell in love with it – the music's outstanding. I play a 21-year-old nurse who's quite aware of herself and her sexuality and becomes attracted to some of the soldiers and the story goes from there."

• Only The Brave is at Musical Theatre @ George Square, at 6:15pm. Until 25 August.