Thursday evening’s have not been the same since the end of August, when the charismatic actress Sharon Spiegel Wagner, and a host of other local actors and actresses have had the bulk of South Africans glued to their television sets watching Bedford Wives on SABC 3.

As the local comedy-drama unfolds with Sharon’s character, Despina Giannopolous, takes centre stage.
Set in the lavish but seedy Johannesburg east suburb of Bedfordview, Bedford Wives follows the lives of four women and a community of Bedfordview criminals who, on the surface, live pristine and perfect lives but, behind closed doors, have skeletons in their closets and secrets aplenty.

When her restaurateur husband, Marco Giannopoulos, is found dead under a side of lamb and dripping in gourmet olive oil, Bedfordview housewife and Mrs South Africa entrant, Despina, vows to keep the family businesses going – but then learns the real family business is crime…

Nothing is at it seems…Filled with drama and intrigue, this crime dark comedy has Sharon Spiegel Wagner leading an all-star cast that includes the likes of Annabel Linder, Christopher Jaftha, Gabriella Cirillo, Sibulele Gcilitshana, Zane Meas, Jonathan Taylor, Shaeleen Tobin, Russel Savadier and Paige Bonnin to name but a few.

Says Sharon; “Playing Despina has been a dream come true. I was initially nervous to step into her shoes as her character carries the centre-most plot. I was also surrounded by formidable talents in the TV world and I had mainly focused my career on theatre previously, so I initially felt intimidated. But I can honestly say that the people I worked with could not have been a better cast and crew.”

She continues; “Everyday had its challenges, but the crew and camera men were patient and kind; the cast was open, honest and performed their parts with such grace; my producers fully supported my duties as a mother and never made me feel apologetic for worrying about my kids (4 month old baby and a 4 year old toddler); I really won the lotto with this project. Things were aligned fortuitously for me and I feel incredibly lucky. My co-stars made every scene so easy to play. Performing opposite these talents has been a dream come true.”

This 30-something multi-Naledi-nominated performer is also no stranger to local theatre audiences being one of SA’s Industry elite triple-threat actors as well.

Career accolades highlight her versatility as a performer – and as a multi-tasker – and includes productions such as I’m playing your song – The Marvin Hamlisch Story; The Rocky Horror Show; From the Mouths of Babes; Love, Loss and What I Wore; Aspects of Love; Grease; Macbeth; Hairspray; Let There Be Rock… and the list goes on and on…
Sharon expresses her thoughts about musical theatre in her own words:

“Stage is where I feel most at home. I studied drama at Wits and my focus was live performance which is very different to television. Just the mere size of the frame of TV versus the size of a stage is a clue to how different these mediums of acting and performance are. My home is in musical theatre and I’ve been lucky enough to play a young girl yearning for love (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects Of Love); a ditzy but super sweet American teen (Frenchie in Grease) and a conservative woman on the brink of exploring her sexual urges in the Rocky Horror Show (Janet)

But for this moment in time, Sharon Spiegel Wagner is thrilled to be transported into millions of South Africans’ living rooms weekly, playing the resourceful Despina in Bedford Wives for the next six more weeks….

On her character, Despina in Bedford Wives, Sharon had this to say: “Dee is gorgeous. I’m fully invested in her story. She is vulnerable and determined. She is ferocious and strong. Everyone underestimates her which makes her the ideal underdog and to be able to reveal her triumph against this set up is great fun. She gets to touch on every genre – the show is comical; has drama; action; elements of mystery; horror; its simply thrilling to watch.”

She continues; “I loved this TV role. The writing was progressive and thoughtful and the journey of the character was a delight to portray. It felt exhilarating to be on set. When that magic word “Action!” is heard, it’s like a firecracker being lit. That kick is so exciting.“

It’s glitz, glam, drama, tears, murder, lies and comedy all rolled into one and Sharon Spiegel Wagner has certainly got South Africans sitting up and taking notice!

Tune into Bedford Wives every Thursday evening at 19h30 on SABC 3 (or DSTV Channel 193) to watch as all the secrets and lies unravels.

Find out more about Bedford Wives here…

Photo creds: Xavier Saer Photography