We catch up with Emma Williams, one of the stars of the new musical Scissorhandz which opens in London for a limited run this month.
Emma Williams headshot.
Inspired by the infamous Tim Burton film from the 90s and heading to London direct from a wildly successful run in LA this month is Scissorhandz. Hailed by The Los Angeles Times as “Equal parts haunting and hilarious”, this new musical has been produced by the iconic Michelle Visage, *NSYNC’s Lance Bass, Brian Pendleton and Kelley Parker. To find out more about the radical, raucous, joyful yet touching musical parody tribute to the ultimate outsider we spoke with Emma Williams who stars in Scissorhandz to find out more.
Emma, you come with quite a lot of experience in the industry having worked on a wealth of shows already. Can you introduce yourself and tell us more about what drew you to Scissorhandz..
I’m Emma, an actress from Yorkshire originally but I have been down here most of my life. I am a four-time Olivier nominee. I’m a WhatsOnStage Award winner and multiple nominee, and Miss Summer Sparkle 1998.
It’s frankly quite interesting. I’ve worked on a lot of new shows or original UK productions of existing shows. In all honesty, Scissorhandz was audition 60 to 64 of the year. There was something about this going into the room. I came out and phoned my agent after the first audition and said if I don’t get that job, I just want to say it’s the nicest audition I’ve ever had with the loveliest people, and I had so much fun. It’s rare that you get to go into an audition room and genuinely love the process. Essentially auditioning is a job in terview, it’s stressful. It comes with pressures particularly as you get older because I have a family and a mortgage. I miss the naivety and the lack of fear when auditioning back when I was 18 and I didn’t have those responsibilities.
It was the loveliest room to be part of. I think everyone that came out of there was like, yeah we had a great time. It was about uplifting you as opposed to breaking you down. I think that’s what the show is very much about. It’s about finding what makes you unique, what makes you strong, helping support your weaknesses, having to find each other's joyousness and what we can bring to society, and celebrating that, as opposed to trying to fit, make people fit into boxes that are prescribed by other people. So I think that essentially, the audition process reflected what the show is going to be like, and that says so much about the team. So yeah, I'm thrilled.
This is a new show which is heading to London. It’s billed as a parody based on the Tim Burton film. Can you tell us a little bit more about the show and your idea of what it focuses on?
It’s about celebrating the weird and wonderful within us all. It is a parody. It is a comedy of the film but it’s also really faithful to the original story. It’s hard to explain. We’re not going in there to take the mick out of the film. Everyone in this show loves the Tim Burton film and Danny Elfman’s music and so it’s about celebrating that then building on it to make it something that keeps the story relevant and approachable in a modern society.
I remember vividly watching the film. I remember falling in love with Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands and I didn’t know what it was. There was something just so mesmerising about him and the vulnerability of that performance, it was glorious. And in some respect, that sort of the story can relate to a lot of people. We’ve all had those experiences of being othered and you can take it to a broader experience, whether it's because of how you appear or how the world you were born into, the society you were born into sees you. It’s about celebrating all of that, making people realise that it’s ok to be different. I’m playing essentially the most straight role character in this show.
Before you head into the rehearsal room, how have you developed your role with only the script at hand?
It’s a strange thing to be prepared but not over prepared because you still need to be fluid. You need to be able to go into the room and go I'm going to play, let’s see what we find. You can't go in with too firm an idea, because you have to react to what the other people are giving you, what other actors are giving you, and not knowing anyone in the cast, personally, not like I've worked with any of them before, so that's quite exciting for me.
I’ve printed my script in various sizes and I’ve got a general sense of what I’m looking at, what I’m learning. Scissorhandz has so much pop and modern in it and I have been spending time getting to understand that a little. I have to flip and change between so many different styles so my voice will be working in different areas.
The music is quite an interesting element of this show. Can you tell us a little bit about this fusion of 80s music and original material?
There’s a tribute to Danny Elfman in the production. There’s rock, pop and it’s astonishing how it all works together. The list of songs is quite overwhelming.
You play the role of Peg. Tell us more about her and how have you built your perception of her which is unique to you but still honours the movie?
I went into my audition having rewatched the film about a week or so before. It was vaguely in the background knowing that we’re trying to play homage to it whilst also trying not to directly copy. So I haven't gone back to it since, and that's kind of important. So I'm trying to find her voice. I'm trying to find her style. Peggy is initially what you'd think of as a traditional 1950s-esque housewife.
Peg has spent so much of her life trying to be perfect—the ideal wife, mother, Avon lady, and friend—that she’s forgotten how to be herself. Her relationship with her daughter, whom she loves but finds challenging, underscores her struggle with imperfection. When Scissorhands enters her life, she begins to realize the importance of caring for herself. This journey resonates deeply in today’s world, where so many of us face burnout while juggling careers, motherhood, and societal expectations.
As a working mom of a five-year-old, I relate to Peg’s desire to set a positive example, especially for daughters, while managing countless responsibilities. My own mother, a teacher, inspired me by balancing her work and family with grace. Peg, like many women, appears calm on the surface but is paddling furiously beneath. It’s only through Scissorhands that she discovers her inner strength, not just for others but for herself, empowering her to fight against injustices. Playing a strong woman who uncovers her resilience is exhilarating, as it reflects those moments in life where we realize we’re capable of much more than we think.
You touched on briefly that this production has some important messages dotted within it. Are there any which you particularly feel resonate with today’s audiences?
I think we’ve become a lot more aware of how much we have whether directly or indirectly shown bias towards cisgender and heteronormative experiences. That is something I think I’ll really be exploring. This is Queer theatre. This is for everybody and it's about everybody. What makes me really excited and also really scared from a point of view from someone who is cisgender and lives a heteronormative life, I want to make sure my daughter grows up in a society that is more accepting and more open - that’s a big part of this show. It’s about leaving your judgement at the door and opening yourself up to others and realising that somebody else’s life or choices or experience is something that you can help with. It's not about how it affects you. It's about how you can help them live the most authentic life that they can live, and the barriers to doing that. Why would you choose to be a barrier as opposed to be an open door to help them?
To wrap up our interview, why should people book tickets to see Scissorhandz?
I think it’s going to appeal to anybody who wants to change their life a little bit, who wants to experience something new and exciting. I think if you are wanting a great night out with a load of really fantastic tunes and some amazing performances that will leave you feeling uplifted and joyful, moved and fabulous, leave you feeling fiercely fabulous. I think that's definitely something. Then come for a great night out. It's like 90 minutes straight through. I think this is going to be that lovely kind of gateway to commercial and Queer theatre where the two crossroads meet and we explode into this joyous celebration of everything that theatre can and should be.
