Theatre
Interview
Backstage Pass: Judy: End of the Rainbow – Anna-Jane Casey
The West End and Broadway smash-hit 'Judy: End of the Rainbow' comes to the Gaiety Theatre from 8 - 19 September 2026.
We caught up with West End star Anna-Jane Casey to chat about her preparation for playing the iconic Judy Garland, costumes and her enduring appeal.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about the role you’re playing?
Hello there, my name is Anna-Jane Casey, and I am unbelievably lucky to be playing Judy Garland in the play ‘Judy: End of the Rainbow.’
What would you tell someone about ‘Judy: End of the Rainbow’ who doesn’t know anything about it?
Well, the public may know Judy Garland as that young girl who was in ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and she did the films with Mickey Rooney. This play is wonderful because it’s the last couple of months of Judy’s life. So we’re seeing a lady who has had all this success, and we see some brilliant performances within the show, some concert performances. But it’s the real woman, the stresses and the strains that she went through. She was broke at the end. She was highly addicted to drugs and alcohol, and so that’s a really interesting take on Judy Garland, the sweet lady that you may know. You’re getting a real insight into her. She was also hilarious. Like the script is so witty. She’s got slightly a potty mouth, but haven’t we all? And I think if somebody is put under the pressure that she was put under, we’d all drop a swear once in a while. But it is a beautiful show. You, like I say, you get both the concert performances and the real woman herself.
How did you prepare for the role?
I have been preparing for this role for ages. I saw the show originally when it was in London in the early 2000s, which was an absolutely amazing piece of theatre, and I thought that is a role I’d really want to play. I’ve been down a YouTube rabbit hole. I can name you any Judy Garland facts and any Judy Garland songs. I’ve also read a lot of the books that are written about her. Lorna Luft, her daughter, and indeed Liza Minelli have both wrote about their mother very extensively. There’s a lot of information out there, but it’s the interesting stuff that you may not know that I like. She had five husbands. My Lord.
Was there anything you found out from your research that surprised you?
The stuff that surprised me is, like I say, how witty she was. All those old stars, Mickey Rooney, you know, Judy Garland, they were very quick and witty. We think nowadays of modern comedians on any panel shows that you watch. They have quips and wit. These people were born with it. She was performing from the age of three all the way through till her death at 47, and the amount of people she met, the adulation from other stars who,when they met Judy, lost their minds. The Beatles, when they met Judy Garland, were like, “My God, it’s Judy Garland!” You know, that’s been the interesting stuff: is finding who else loved her within the world of celebrity.
Is it intimidating to play such an iconic person?
It is slightly intimidating, but I love a challenge. I’m a marathon runner as well, so you know, this is like a marathon in a different way. It’s going to be a great challenge. It’s going to be a wonderful thing to show the real heart of the person. I mean, we’ve all seen modern celebrities falling apart, and as much as it’s an awful thing to watch, it’s kind of like car crash TV. We want to watch the real person because that makes us feel like they’re not too removed from who we are. The real heart of a human being is what we’re interested in putting on the stage for this play.
Can you tell us about the rehearsal process?
We’re only a couple of days into rehearsals at the moment. I’ve had some time with the fabulous Niall Kinsella, who’s doing our music for the show. So we’ve done all the songs. We’ve got all the songs sorted. It’s a lovely thing as well. There’s only four of us in the cast. There’s myself, Darragh, Will, and William. We’re going to give you the last couple of months of her life. Making friends within a rehearsal room is a wonderful thing as well, and theatre is a collaborative art. So to work together with other brilliant human beings is wonderful.
You presumably get to wear some incredible outfits in the show, can you tell us more about your wardrobe?
Ah, well, we have a wonderful Italian lady called Valentina, who is at the moment researching and finding outfits. I’ve found an outfit actually on eBay, other sites are available, which is a brilliant 1960s outfit because we’re set in 68, 69, so it’s that brilliant crossover where we’re heading towards the 70s with the outfits. And Judy was famous for her outfits, lots of sequins. She loved a little jacket. So I’m looking forward to see what Valentina has got for me.
The Advocate once called Judy Garland the Elvis of homosexuals. Why do you think she is such an enduring icon to the LGBTQ+ community?
Ah, the LGBTQ+ community were Judy’s first love and last love. I mean, allegedly a couple of her husbands were gay. She loved gay men because gay men are very open and honest. Well, anybody who is in that community is because they have to be. There’s a bravery to it as well. I think the LGBTQ+ community see a bravery in Judy because if you’re going to step out and own who you are, that’s brave enough as it is. And she adored them, and they adored her because those torch songs are, well, for a start, they’re timeless, and they’re a beautiful thing to invest into and to listen to those lyrics. And yeah, she was a big advocate for the gay community, as am I.
If you could take on any of Judy Garland’s roles what would it be?
Oh wow, that is a really good question. Like I said before, we all think of her as maybe the young girl Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ when she was 15 years old. But there’s a great film that’s right towards the end of her life, called ‘I Could Go on Singing’, that she does with Dirk Bogarde. You can find it on any free channel, you’ll find it. It is the most wonderful film because it’s so realistic as to what she was feeling at the moment. She plays a singer who is estranged from her family, and she’s got to work hard to keep going. And the relationship with her children is very real to what she was feeling at the time. So ‘I Could Go on Singing’. I would love to play Judy in that era.
How would you describe ‘Judy: End of the Rainbow’ in three words?
Ooh, in three words, I’d say heartwarming, heartbreaking, but thoroughly entertaining. That’s more than three. Oh no!
