Earlier this summer British musical theatre star Paige, who made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard, got the chance to surprise Boyle on NBC's "The Today Show." During a recent interview for Playbill.com's "Diva Talk," Paige spoke about her meeting with overnight sensation Boyle, who also performed on the Sept. 16 finale of "America's Got Talent."
Paige said that following her "Today" show surprise, "somebody said to [Boyle], 'Have you got anything you want to ask Elaine?' She asked me what songs I like to sing best, so I told her I'm a ballad person myself. I like to sing ballads because you can immerse yourself into the character and get involved in the lyric and that kind of thing.
"And then [Boyle] said, 'Can I ask you, how do you get to sleep at night after a performance?' I think she's having trouble with that, having to come down from a performance," Paige explained. "And I said to her, 'Well, with great difficulty. You have to do a lot of deep breathing and meditation and that kind of thing, and drink hot milk.'
"She was very nice. It just reminded me of how my life turned around with Evita . . . but, for me, I was a professional person and had years of experience prior to it. Even with all of that, it hit me like a ton of bricks — the fact that everybody wants a piece of you, and you suddenly haven't got any free time for yourself and you're everywhere all the time. I felt for her because I could see that it must be a terrible — well it is, I know, I've been there — terrible shock. As glamorous and as wonderful as it all seems, it is a shock and something that takes a bit of time to adjust to. But, of course, I didn't have YouTube and instant worldwide attention. Mine happened first in England and then the States, so it was a slower process. For her it was just instant overnight, and [there is great] pressure involved in that. So we talked about that a bit, and I tried to give her some advice and to tell her to make sure she took time out for herself to have some quiet-down time on her own and not to just say yes to absolutely everything."
To view Paige and Boyle's "Today Show" appearance, click below
A full interview with Paige, including more about Boyle, will debut on Playbill.com Sept. 18.
