Musical debut

PRIOR to taking on his role as Billy Flynn in the smash hit Chicago, Marti Pellow confesses he had never seen a musical in his life.

His foray into the musical genre has seen him take Broadway by storm and next month he will bring the show to Southampton's Mayflower theatre.

Speaking from his base in New York, the Wet, Wet, Wet frontman with the twinkly eyes and winning smile, explained he was bowled over by the quality of the songs in Chicago.

"I was very ignorant - I had never seen a musical in my life.

"When they first asked me to get involved, I went to see Chicago and was bowled over.

"The first thing that hit me about the show was the songs - they are really beautiful.

"It is the first time I have ever been involved in anything like this and it's good to be part of such a great team," he said.

Being on Broadway has undoubtedly given him a buzz.

When he was first due to take to the stage at the Ambassador Theatre, 219 West 49th Street, the show was hit by a strike that meant the Great White Way went dark for a weekend.

But since then he has received rave reviews for his portrayal of the oily lawyer.

Clearly it is a role that Pellow has taken to his heart.

"Chicago is very powerful - full of energy. It's a fantastic show that is so accessible," he said.

He plays down the fact he is working six days a week with two matinees.

Any suggestion that this is a tough workload are met with derision.

"I could have a real job.

"I don't see this as 'Oh my God, I'm working so hard - I have got that old fashioned work ethic.

"I don't see getting up and singing as hard work - it's a pleasure," he said.

Born in Glasgow Marti is best known for his career with Wet, Wet, Wet. Throughout the 80s and 90s the group enjoyed 12 top ten hits and three number one singles With a Little Help from My Friends, Goodnight Girl and Love is all Around from the hit movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, which topped the chart in 1993 for an eternity.

Riding high at the top of his popularity, the Glaswegian singer could do no wrong. He was honoured in Memphis when they named May 9 Marti Pellow Day and accolades from those in the know in the music business flooded in.

Al Green's producer Willie Mitchell famously praised his silky singing voice and said it was the best he had heard since Green himself.

But behind all this success, there has been a dark side to Marti's life.

His battle against his addiction to drugs and booze is well documented.

In February 1999 it was revealed that he had collapsed at the Conrad Hotel in Chelsea.

It emerged the singer had been on heroin for three years and had collapsed as a result of a drink and drugs spree.

Pellow said at the time: "I was weaning myself off smack with methadone and Librium, yet I was still self-destructive, so I thought, 'Have a drink!'

"I drank copious amounts of vodka and Strega for two or three hours, and collapsed."

Although he has spoken openly of his addiction, he has always struggled to understand why he allowed himself to go down the path of heroin abuse.

In a Guardian interview in October 2000 he said: "It's still crazy for me. I knew smackheads in the (housing) schemes and I used to think 'I'll never do that' but when I started, I thought 'This is what it's all about.'

"As soon as I started I wanted it all the time. I stopped drinking, substituting one for another, it was about self-medication, making myself numb."

When he talks about it now, he seems bored with the subject matter. His life has moved on and he has been clean for a long time now.

"It sounds pretty flippant when I talk about it but I don't do drink or drugs any more.

"I realise that I have a God given talent and for a few years I abused that," he said.

Despite his many adoring female fans, Marti is a one-woman man and has been happy with former beauty queen Eileen Catterson since they met in 1990.

"I'm very lucky in that I don't have to go out looking for someone," he says. "People talk about the pressures on show business couples but it's the same for everyone.

"You have good days and bad days but you have to work at it like everything else." And, happily for Eileen, Marti admits he's a romantic at heart.

"I saw her across a crowded room and thought she was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen," he recalls."Visually attractive, you know. . . and then when I got to talk to her, she just made me laugh."

Chicago opens in Southampton on September 28 and Marti admitted he was looking forward to being in the city.

When his run in the show ends, Pellow will be back with his band and a single will be released in November.

"We've recorded some new material but we haven't decided yet which track will be released," he added.

FACTFILE:

Chicago is at The Mayflower, Southampton from Tuesday, September 28 until Saturday, October 9, 2004

Performance times are as follows: Monday -Thursday 7.30pm

Thursday 30 2pm

Friday 5.30pm and 8.45pm

Saturday 5pm and 8.30pm

To book tickets call the box office on (023) 8071 1811 or log on to www.the-mayflower.com