Episode
124 - Karen Mavundukure on Legally Blonde, Tour Digs & Dreamgirls
- Published
- Jun 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2151
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Summary
On this episode of Call To Stage , we're joined by the sensational Karen Mavundukure - Amber's Paulette, partner in on-stage comedy crime and self-described forever sister. Karen's journey into musical theatre came almost by accident. After moving to the UK from Zimbabwe as a child and studying straight music at LIPA with no intention of going into theatre, she stumbled into the industry via The X Factor and a chance audition, going on to play alternate Effie in the original West End cast of Dreamgirls. She has since starred in The Color Purple (UK Tour), Stranger Things: The First Shadow (West End), and now stars as Paulette in the UK Tour of Legally Blonde. On this episode of Call To Stage , Amber and Karen talk about the unconventional route Karen took to landing Paulette, unique creative freedom of director Nikolai Foster's rehearsal room and the comedic chemistry between Paulette and Elle that has become one of the heart-and-soul moments of the show. There are also brilliant stories from Dreamgirls , The Color Purple and Stranger Things , as well as a candid conversation about the toll of pushing through illness on tour, touring digs gone wrong, and letting go of vocal-health rituals that had become more of a burden than a help. Thanks To Our Sponsors Sign up for your £1 a month free trial with Shopify and start selling today at shopify.co.uk For more bonus content, join the Call To Stage Backstage Pass on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/calltostage Follow Call To Stage Instagram: @calltostagepod TikTok: @calltostagepod YouTube: @calltostag…