British singer-songwriter, actress and producer Rita Ora stepped into the Red Sea International Film Festival’s Deadline Studio and discussed upcoming project Fyre Fest The Musical that she’s producing with Oscar-winning director and husband Taika Waititi, and also touched on reprising her role as The Queen Of Hearts in Disney’s The Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.
Fyre Fest The Musical is a stage musical-comedy about the ill-fated Fyre Festival and its creator Billy McFarland, with “Skyfall” songwriter Paul Epworth composing the score and The Pirates Of Somalia director Bryan Buckley writing the book and directing. The musical will also feature a set design by Hamilton designer David Korins.
“The reception we got when we announced it was so surprising,” Ora said. “We wondered ‘What are people going to think of this?’ But, we knew that we loved the story. I was actually a part of the ‘Should I go? Should I not go?’ as a performer. What’s interesting is that journey and understanding the importance of how far will individuals go to want to be a part of something. The psychology behind that whole thing was interesting for us. With my husband’s humor and his filmmaking, and my music background, we were just like ‘Let’s see what happens.’”
Ora was careful about not giving too many details away about the production but teased that the musical could debut in London’s West End instead of Broadway: “Who knows that it won’t start in London? I’m an English girl, you know. The West End is what I know but I love Broadway too. It depends where the energy sits once the project is finalized.”
When asked about returning as The Queen Of Hearts in Disney’s The Descendants: Wicked Wonderland, Ora praised the franchise and said, “It’s such an iconic role. Helena Bonham Carter and so many women have played it. I really wanted to come from a different perspective and so, to have my version of it, it’s really cool.”
She continued: “Brandy, who plays Cinderella, is my idol musically on and off screen. I’m happy to be a part of this big project.”
Check out the full interview above.