Years before Hannah Waddingham stole TV viewers’ hearts as Rebecca, the owner of AFC Richmond, on “Ted Lasso” or became a viral meme as Septa Unella, the shame nun in “Game of Thrones,” the 49-year-old actor was a leading lady on London’s West End and on Broadway.
In “Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas,” now streaming on Apple TV+, the actor brings those two worlds together, a symbol not only of her arrival as a bona fide star but of her roots in musical theater — she’s starred in productions of “Spamalot,” “Into the Woods’’ and “Kiss Me, Kate.” And it’s a way for her to prove that stage actors really can do it all.
“There’s no reason why that craft can’t move into a different medium,” she said. “It’s just a different tool in your bag. That’s what I wanted with a special.”
Waddingham’s voice soars onstage — the production was filmed live before an audience at the London Coliseum, the same place where she spent her childhood watching her mother, Melodie Kelly, perform as part of the English National Opera Chorus. Joining her throughout the special are familiar faces, including her castmates from “Ted Lasso” (Did you know Phil Dunster can carry a tune?), and musical guests like Sam Ryder, Luke Evans, Leslie Odom Jr. and the Fabulous Lounge Swingers.