Hackney People
Tameka Empson
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Panto I said. ‘All that dressing up and cross-dressing? You must be joking,’ recalls Tameka Empson. Ironically, this is the same woman who broke out in a loud Tina Turner medley in a busy West End music store. And the same woman who stripped in front of a bemused stranger in the middle of a fast food restaurant before demanding £35. As one third of the hit hidden camera comedy show £3 Non-Blondes’, Tameka became known for her outrageous antics, duping unsuspecting members of the public – and her personality veers from funny to affectionate to theatrical, with a blistering pace that lends itself to improvisation. |
It was renowned director Susie McKenna who convinced Tameka to take to the stage in Hackney Empire’s famed panto. And five years later she’s still on board. Currently playing the Empress of China in Aladdin, a show with so many ‘bests’, ‘perfects’ and five-star ratings from critics, it’s becoming difficult to keep count.
Tameka said: “I think the secret is it’s traditional – the outfits, the stories, the feel – with a really modern twist, and represents the diversity in Hackney.
“Plus it’s a lovely theatre. We’ve just had in the young kids for the matinee performance – and their screams,” she laughs.
“Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the Empire pantomime. That’s why I keep coming back for more.
“We’re like a family and we totally trust each other. Kat B running around – if I’m ever feeling down or tired about anything he always picks me up.
“Plus there’s Clive Rowe. We do a duet of a Beyonce song in the show. He’s got that voice; that fantastic baritone – I’m going to beat that voice one day. I’ve got a competition with him – not sure if he knows it.”
Tameka grew up in Harringey and fondly remembers the day she decided to pursue a show business career.
“I was seven and when I came back from school I used to see all of these 1980s adverts and wanted to do it too,” she recalls.
Her mum signed her up to the Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington – which has nurtured careers as diverse as award-winning theatre director Thea Sharrock, to Spandau Ballet’s Martin and Gary Kemp and model Samantha Fox. “In fact, I get most of my comedy from my Mum. She’s just naturally funny,” Tameka adds.
Her big break came with independent film ‘Beautiful Thing’. She said: “It’s one thing to say you have a dream, but when you actually get there it’s fantastic. I love getting up in the morning, living my life and meeting new and always different people.
And my dad has finally said ‘yes, Tameka you can act’.” After taking her one-woman show about a washed-up soul singer to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, she is now branching out into other genres. “I love comedy, but no actor really wants to be typecast. I played an abused Bosnian woman over summer; the first time I tried to read it in rehearsals I couldn’t finish, it was horrific,” she said.
Tameka’s also appeared on one of the UK’s favourite squares. “I played Denise Wicks’s sister Kimberley on ‘EastEnders’. She’s the total opposite to Denise – a real party girl; outgoing, funny, fashionable. I love playing the character and watch this space for more of her.”
It looks like Tameka will be releasing more of her inner diva in the New Year.
Curriculum Vitae
- 1977 Born in Harringey, North East London
- 1984 Joined Anna Scher Theatre School, Islington
- 1996 Appeared in first feature film, ‘Beautiful Thing’
- 2003 Began working on ‘3 Non-Blondes’
- 2004 Appeared in panto at the Hackney Empire for the first time
- 2009 Guest role in BBC soap opera EastEnders
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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