It’s going to be a very busy week for young Surrey-based actor Kate Whiddington.
The five-year-old is one of two Vancouver-area girls chosen to play the role of Lulu in the touring musical Waitress, along with Alice Antoinette Comer.
The Broadway Across Canada show opens tonight (Tuesday) at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and continues there until Sunday (Nov. 17).
Kate, a Kindergarten student in Cloverdale, has been acting in commercials since she was nine months old, first in an ad for Huggies diapers. She’s been featured in a handful of commercials, had a reoccurring role on BH90210 and last week shot her first short film.
Waitress, about a diner employee who gives birth to a girl named Lulu, marks Kate’s debut on a Broadway-musical stage.
“She’s super pumped,” Kate’s mom, Amanda Whiddington, told the Now-Leader on Tuesday. “We will have rehearsal today, and yesterday they brought her in for some blocking, so it’s all happening pretty quick.”
Kate and Alice will take turns playing Lulu, following an audition that drew more than 30 young actors to The Cultch on Sept. 25. The Lulu character is cast locally in each week-long tour market. During the Vancouver run, each girl will perform in four performances.
“She’s got auditions this week too, so it’ll be busy,” Amanda said of Kate’s schedule. “And we have to be there for all the shows.
“The girls are friends, which is fun,” Amanda added. “They worked on a Barbie commercial together before, so they know each other and see each other at all the auditions and other events.”
(POSTED BELOW IS VIDEO OF THE BARBIE AD)
The recent Beverly Hills 90210 reboot saw Kate play the daughter of Tori Spelling’s character. “It was fun being on set for that,” Amanda said. “Kate was in three of the six episodes they made.”
Waitress is part of the 2019/20 Broadway Across Canada season. For tickets and more show details, visit WaitressTour.com or call 1-800-889-8457.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter
