Joe Alessi, an accomplished actor born in Accrington, has returned to the stage at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, where he is currently performing in the lively musical “Spend, Spend, Spend.” As he stands on the boards of this historic venue, Alessi reflects on how the Royal Exchange has profoundly shaped his life and career. “I’m so proud to be back in this theatre,” he shares, his voice filled with an unmistakable affection. “It’s really where it all began for me.”
Alessi recounts his formative experiences at the Royal Exchange, recalling that his first visit to the theatre was in the mid-1980s. He was brought to see “Edward II,” directed by the esteemed Nicholas Hytner and featuring a star-studded cast that included Ian McDiarmid, Michael Grandage, and Iain Glen. The performance left an indelible impression on the young Alessi. “I couldn’t believe what I’d seen,” he says, reflecting on the clarity and beauty of the production. “It was so crystal clear and so beautifully done. I knew then this was what I wanted to do.”
Years later, Alessi found himself not just watching performances but taking center stage himself. After landing his first acting job at the Royal Exchange, he has returned to this cherished theatre multiple times over the years. “This theatre really is one of those special places,” he explains. “The whole building is geared towards the show. It feels like an extended family.” This sense of belonging and community has been a constant in Alessi’s career, making his latest role feel like a homecoming.
Over the years, Alessi’s career has taken him far and wide, including stints in the West End, on Broadway, and in numerous television roles, one of the more controversial being his portrayal of the paedophile Kel Hinchley in “Coronation Street.” Yet, he remains grounded, humorously acknowledging the improbability of his journey as the son of a tailor from Accrington. “Initially, I had no idea about making acting my career,” he admits. His unexpected pathway began in Blackburn, where he worked at a menswear shop called Lord John. “I started off as a sales assistant and ended up becoming the manager.”
It was during this time that Alessi’s life took a pivotal turn thanks to his assistant manager, Julie, and her mother, Maureen, who were deeply involved in the Blackburn Arts Club. “Maureen kept inviting me down,” he recalls, laughing at how her encouragement began. “I wasn’t interested at first, but then she got me by saying the classic line, ‘there’s lots of girls there.’” Intrigued, Alessi decided to give it a try, quickly discovering a passion he hadn’t previously recognized. “They kept telling me I was very good and should consider taking it further,” he remembers.
Unlike many of his friends who were settling into conventional adult lives, with mortgages and families, Alessi was still living at home when he made the decision to shift gears. He took a leap of faith, giving up his job in retail to enroll in a two-year theatre course at Accrington and Rossendale College. This course, led by Martin Cosgrif, turned out to be a transformative experience. “It was a breeding ground for new talent,” Alessi states. Names that emerged from that nurturing environment include Julie Hesmondhalgh, Mina Anwar, Connie Hyde, Dominic Brunt, and Lee Ingleby.
“All of it was new to me when I started college,” Alessi acknowledges, likening his experience to that of Rita in “Educating Rita.” “It all happened by accident.” He speaks fondly of Cosgrif, who passed away during the COVID pandemic. “He was amazing,” Alessi recalls. “He prepared us for auditions to drama school; we had our audition pieces nailed down. So much so that the colleges would contact him to find out what was happening in Accrington.”
Alessi was successful in his pursuits, receiving offers from three of the UK’s leading drama schools: LAMDA, Bristol Old Vic, and Webber Douglas. However, he still had to undergo an audition at County Hall in Preston to secure a grant, a process that felt surreal to him. Fortunately, he received a full grant along with a maintenance allowance, enabling him to attend LAMDA. From that moment on, Alessi’s career began to flourish.
During his time at LAMDA and across various prominent theatres, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Alessi has continued to hold the Royal Exchange Theatre close to his heart. He remembers the production of “Animal Crackers,” a show based on the Marx Brothers, where he played Chico Marx. This particular show not only became a hit at the Royal Exchange but also transferred to the West End, where Alessi received an Olivier Award nomination for his performance. “That show was very special for me and opened a lot of doors,” he recalls, drawing a direct trajectory from that initial outing to his current work.
“Spend, Spend, Spend,” the current production that has brought him back to the Royal Exchange, tells the story of Viv Nicholson and her husband, who win £150,000 on the football pools only to squander it all. Alessi describes it as “a great show,” filled with rich, complex layers. He highlights the contributions of his fellow cast members Rachel Leskovac and Rose Galbraith, who portray the two iterations of Viv—it’s a storytelling format that requires every actor to pull their weight for the ensemble to succeed. “It feels like no sooner are you on stage than you are taking your bows,” he notes. “It’s a beautifully bittersweet story that resonates on many levels.”
As a great storyteller himself, Alessi captures the attention of everyone around him as he spins tales of his adventures in the theatre. One particularly memorable experience was performing “Brief Encounter” in New York, where he had the thrilling opportunity to perform in a trendy Brooklyn theatre. To his amazement, Lou Reed sat in the front row with Laurie Anderson, providing a surreal backdrop for the performance. “We returned the following year to Broadway, this time in the former Studio 54 nightclub, which had reverted back to a theatre,” he adds, nostalgia lacing his words.
He recounts how, pre-show, cast members would don usher outfits and walk around the audience, leading to a fateful encounter with none other than David Bowie. “There I was, face-to-face with David Bowie,” he laughs, “and if I could just meet Iggy Pop, I’d have the holy trinity!”
Alessi’s journey in theatre has also been marked by some unexpected twists. One such moment occurred while working on “Animal Crackers” at the Royal Exchange, when he received an unusual letter from the BBC inviting him to appear on Radio 3’s “In Tune” programme to perform Rachmaninov’s “Elegy in E Flat Minor” on the trombone. “In ‘Animal Crackers,’ I played the trombone, but only three notes to signify the punchline of a joke,” he clarifies, bewildered by the offer. “I thought it must be some sort of publicity stunt, but none of the cast knew anything about it, even my agent was clueless.”
When he reached out to the producer of Radio 3, hoping to clarify the mix-up, he learned that the confusion stemmed from a coincidence. “You are Joe Alessi, aren’t you?” the producer asked. It turned out that the producer was referring to a principal trombone player with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra who happened to share his name. Alessi had once done radio plays and the producer had simply pulled his name from the system—a delightful twist of fate that led him to eventually meet the trombone virtuoso for lunch in New York. “He laughed his head off when I told him about the Radio 3 invitation,” he recalls with a chuckle.
Even as he reflects on his fruitful career, Alessi reveals a deep-seated regret—one that centers on his father, Giuseppi, who was a celebrated tailor known for crafting suits for celebrities and sports stars from his shop on Derby Street in Accrington. Giuseppi worked tirelessly until he passed away at the age of 82 in 2015, and Alessi shares that his father would often invite him into the family business. “My dad kept saying, ‘Why don’t you come to the shop?’” he recalls. “But I just wasn’t interested.” He acknowledges how much he loves clothes and fashion, citing cooking and fashion as two of his greatest passions. “I would have loved to have been a tailor, and I only realized it too late,” he states, a hint of sadness evident in his tone.
This regret weighs on him, particularly because he never communicated this to his father. “Once a Catholic, albeit a lapsed one, you never lose the guilt,” he muses, explaining how he even got a tattooed black armband as a form of penance following his father’s passing.
Despite the challenges and regrets, Joe Alessi embraces the unpredictability of his chosen profession. “I’m just happy being a jobbing actor,” he asserts. “It’s a job I love doing, but over the years I’ve also learned when to say no to things that aren’t right for me.” He expresses a contentment in being true to himself as an actor, a realization that comes with experience. And as he laughs, he adds, “Anyway, there will always be parts for me because I’m a good actor.”
With “Spend, Spend, Spend” running at the Royal Exchange in Manchester until January 11, 2024, Joe Alessi’s journey as an actor continues to unfold, deeply intertwined with the legacy of the theatre that first ignited his passion. As he takes the stage for each performance, he not only brings his character to life but also honors the profound influence that the Royal Exchange has had on his life—a theatre that has served as both a home and a launching pad for a remarkable career.