Creating Believable Characters: Miss Honey

For the next part of our Creating Believable Characters series, we’re taking a look at how Tim Minchin wrote songs for Miss Honey as well as hearing from Lauren Ward, the actress who played Miss Honey in the original West End cast.

 

 

Tim Minchin:  Miss Honey is not the sort of person to get up on stage and start singing about “I’m so sad because my aunt was mean to me”. You know she wouldn’t say that because she’s a very quiet and gentle person. So in the end I decided she would sing about her house which is like her in a way because it’s a humble house; it’s not showy, it’s the opposite. It takes a long time to find ideas that are a little less clear because the characters are not so clear.

Miss Honey (singing): “This is my house. It isn’t much but it is enough for me.”

Lauren Ward (Miss Honey-Original Cast): She is a passive character, she’s a watcher, and she’s a wallflower. I never even thought about the sweet side of her. I just thought she’s this teacher and she’s got this amazing student and she sees something in her and I just worked from that standpoint.

Miss Honey (singing): “Knock on the door Jenny, there’s nothing to fear, you’re being pathetic. It’s just a door, you’ve seen one before.”