Ever wondered what a day in the life of a Showstopper on tour is like?! Look no further! Ruth Bratt is here to reveal all…!

“Most tour days begin at home. Those of us who live in North London tend to jump in Phil Pellew’s car and have a daytrip. We do a lot of single night touring, and we’ve been on tour for about 7 years now, so we’re all getting to a stage where we REALLY like our own beds. If a venue is within 3.5 hours drive from my bed, there’s no debate. Home! Phil and I share the driving - he used to do it all, but it seemed unfair and I miss having a car so I’m more than happy to do a bit of driving. I love driving. Love it.

We have a series of games which we have played so much we have broken them. These include “10 songs”, “the A-Z game”, and “guess which Showstopper I am thinking of”. These can all be very dangerous while driving as they can cause too much hilarity, and laugh-crying, which obscures the driver’s view. If we played them anywhere other than in the car, they would no longer be funny. Close proximity and hours of driving do create a certain atmosphere…. We’ve had long discussions about feminism, history, and have even done a CD pub quiz. We did it twice and didn’t realise. We did worse the second time. We no longer listen to Sherlock Holmes because I made fun of it so much I ruined it for Phil, so now we sing along to Meatloaf, all the musicals, and sometimes listen to The Worst Witch (because Phil is a family man!).

If our trip is a long way from home and we have to stay away, often the Stopper ladies will share three to a room (hurrah for Travelodges!). Oh yes, it’s all glamour. Last time we did this, we ordered a frozen pizza (which they heated in the microwave) and had some carrot sticks. We are nothing if not classy. I then entertained Lucy Trodd and Alex Atty with a bedtime story from a Facebook “appreciation society” group from where I live. I did all the posts and all the comments with different voices for an hour. Again, proximity and hours to kill create a certain atmosphere where this is HILARIOUS. Trust me. To make up for the Travelodge, Phil has The Good Food Guide in his car and on our way home from overnight tour gigs, we’ll often stop off for lunch. We like to act like people with time, money and class. We are good at pretending. Maybe we should do it for a living…

Join The Showstoppers on tour at the following places over the next few months!

• 4th May, Cornerstone Arts Centre, Didcot.
• 5th May, Theatre Royal Brighton.
• 1st June, Swan Theatre, Worcester.
• 9th June, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.
• 15th July, Kings Theatre, Southsea 
• 25th July, Sheffield Lyceum 
• 26th July, Waterside, Sale

You can also find us the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue monthly until July. 

And book here for Edinburgh Festival Fringe tickets for both Showstopper! and The Showstoppers’ Kids Show.

For more information about all things Showstopper including workshops and booking the team for a private party or a corporate event, visit our website here.