Interview: Haste Theatre, Oyster Boy

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After award-winning performances all over the world, Haste Theatre’s Oyster Boy is back for a new UK tour. Kicking off last week at London’s Blue Elephant Theatre, the revamped show will travel to venues around the country between now and May, finishing up with four dates at the Brighton Fringe.

“Oyster Boy is a dark comedy told in a light-hearted and quirky way, about the struggles of a boy living with an oyster shell for a head,” says Jesse Dupré, co-founder of Haste. “We use puppetry, clowning, dance and music to tell this strange story.”

Oyster Boy is based on a 1997 poetry book written and illustrated by Tim Burton: “Initially, we were drawn to the stories in his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy because they were so strange, and although short in length, seemed to say a lot and evoke much reflection and thought. We saw potential in the material and in the small number of characters he created, knowing we could inject comedy and humour into this rather sad tale.”

The show has been enjoyed on previous tours by audiences of all ages. “There is something in it for everyone!” says Jesse. “Because we are a physical theatre company, the story is told with a whole range of different performance styles, such as live music with ukulele and a cappella harmonies and choreographed movement and dance sequences. It is high energy and will leave you feeling revived, but also will provoke questions to do with the subject content.

“Primarily, we’d like audiences to have a good time watching the show, as it’s an action-packed performance full of colour, vibrancy and music. We want them to be engaged and to laugh, even though the story has dark undertones. 

“We’d also like to encourage a sense of questioning amongst the audience, especially in terms of morality and judgement of others. The character of Oyster Boy is subject to a lot of harsh criticism from society because of the way he looks, and this acts as a mirror to show the reality of some people’s lives today. We hope that audiences will sympathise and become attached to the puppet of Oyster Boy, and therefore be more inclined to empathise with people who are different without pre-judging them.”

Those who’ve seen the show before will notice some changes this time around. “We’ve performed our original version of Oyster Boy since 2013, and have toured it all over the world including America and Italy where it’s won numerous awards,” Jesse explains. “We know that it worked well how we first made it, but we wanted to challenge ourselves to tweak and change parts that we knew could be better and more developed. We also wanted it to represent our work now as a company rather than 3 years ago when we were just starting out. 

“Many things have changed this time around – in fact with the help of our Associate Director, Kasia Zaremba-Byrne, we’ve done a full overhaul of the story, the characters, the props and the set. Kasia helped us breathe new life into the show and expand on what we had before, bringing out new elements in us as actors as well as in the narrative itself.”

One stop on the tour is the Marlowe Studio in Canterbury, where Haste will be performing for one night only on March 30th. “The Marlowe Studio is a wonderful place to perform,” says Jesse. “We toured another show there in 2015 and had a great experience. The team who programme shows in the studio are very on the ball in terms of new theatre and emerging companies, and so it’s an exciting space to perform in.

“Local audiences should come along to check out smaller productions as well as large touring productions, in order to experience other types of shows. The studio is a great modern space with a decent sized stage and raked seating, and so audiences are guaranteed to have a good experience, especially if they come to watch Oyster Boy!

“Last time we performed in Kent, we had supportive and receptive audiences who made us feel encouraged and appreciated, and so we are really looking forward to bringing a different show to the same theatre. We felt we attracted a wide cross section of the community around the Marlowe and judging by the feedback we had, they thoroughly enjoyed our previous show. We are hoping that the same magic will work again this time!”

Catch Oyster Boy on tour – visit Haste Theatre’s website for dates and venues.

Review: The Machine Stops at Jacksons Lane

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Dystopian fiction is starting to feel a little too close to reality lately – and although E.M. Forster’s 1909 short story The Machine Stops is set in a future version of our world, some of the themes – the politics of fear and mankind’s increasing dependence on technology among them – feel disturbingly current more than a century later.

Juliet Forster directs Neil Duffield’s faithful adaptation of the story, in which humanity has retreated underground, unable to continue living on the Earth’s surface. Direct contact between individuals has all but died out; everyone keeps to their own room, exchanging recycled ideas and knowledge with others via video chat and avoiding sunlight, travel or anything that might bring them into physical proximity with other people.

Photo credit: Ben Bentley

Life underground is supported by the Machine, a system invented by humans to supply all their wants and needs. But as time passes, it becomes less obvious who – or what – is really in charge… Only the rebellious Kuno (Rohan Nedd) can see what’s happening, but can he convince his mother Vashti (Ricky Butt) of the danger before the Machine stops?

Pilot Theatre’s chilling production takes place within designer Rhys Jarman’s futuristic metal cage, which develops a life of its own as Maria Gray and Adam Slynn crouch, climb and swing among its cables and wires. Movement director Philippa Vafadari has the two interacting with a mesmerising synchronicity and fluidity, which only falters when the Machine begins to fall into disrepair, its failing condition reflected perfectly – and rather poignantly – in the physical tics and stammering speech of the performers.

Ricky Butt is grim-faced and stubborn as Vashti, refusing to accept the truth about the Machine or the outside world, but also cutting a vulnerable figure as she shambles halfway across the world to visit the son she claims to have no time for (parental responsibilities – and presumably affection – are supposed to cease immediately after a child’s birth). In contrast, Rohan Nedd’s Kuno is full of youthful energy and passion, painting a picture through words and movement so that we can see and feel every second of his illicit trip to the Earth’s surface – and encouraging us, perhaps, to take another look at the surroundings we take for granted. Music by John Foxx and Benge helps complete this picture; the tense, repetitive strains underground contrasting with a crescendo of joyful choral melodies as Kuno explores the outside world.

Photo credit: Ben Bentley

Whether Forster really suspected his story would come true we’ll never know, but there’s no denying the play strikes a chord. In a world where we increasingly choose to communicate through technology instead of face to face, where do we draw the line between convenience and the risk of losing all human contact?

Worse, there’s no suggestion that any of this is the Machine’s doing; humans created the Machine and its rules, not the other way around, and then simply sat back (quite literally) and allowed it to take control and tell them what to believe – and what to fear. In this scenario, which hits a little too close to home, humankind brings about its own destruction… and that, perhaps, is the most terrifying idea of all.


Can’t see the map on iPhone? Try turning your phone to landscape and that should sort it. I don’t know why but I’m working on it… 😉

Interview: Freddie Tapner, London Musical Theatre Orchestra

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The London Musical Theatre Orchestra exploded onto the West End stage last year with their five-star concert performances of State Fair and A Christmas Carol. This Sunday, they’re launching their 2017 season at the London Palladium with Jason Robert Brown’s Honeymoon in Vegas, starring Maxwell Caulfield, Samantha Barks and Arthur Darvill. And to think all this began with a simple Facebook post…

“It was mid-May 2015, and I was playing through the piano score to Phantom of the Opera, when I realised that it would be considerably more fun to play it through with a full orchestra,” explains LMTO founder and Musical Director, Freddie Tapner. “I posted on Facebook asking if anyone wanted to join me and make it happen, and 24 hours later I had 250 people signed up. I honestly thought I might find 25 – to find 250 keen people in such a short space of time was amazing.

“I never in a million years expected to be where we are now – the success of the orchestra has taken us all by surprise. It’s not to say it has happened by accident; we’re lucky to have an astonishing team of people driving this machine who work tirelessly to create the magic on stage. Shaun Kerrison, our regular Director, happened upon us by chance and is now one of our closest allies. Mike Robertson, an Olivier Award winning lighting designer, is a joy to work with and produces show stopping moments I wouldn’t even know how to describe, let alone create from nothing. Avgoustos Psillas and Nick Lidster from the Autograph sound team make LMTO concerts sound glorious, epic and truly orchestral – and that, after all, is what it’s all about. We’re riding a wave of luck and I don’t want to get off!

“The only expectation I have ever had from LMTO is that it would always be fun. We have moved in the direction which allows us as an organisation to create the most enjoyable concerts possible, for our audience, yes, but also our players and performers. Without fun on stage, concerts can be terribly boring.”

Photo credit: Jamie Scott-Smith

The last two years have brought several highlights for Freddie. “Personal highlights for me will always be about people. Meeting and working with these amazing artists is something we all dream of doing, and I’m lucky enough to do it every day in rehearsals. The highlight for LMTO must be our sold out concert of A Christmas Carol at the Lyceum Theatre – moments like that remind you that what we’re doing is really welcomed by audiences.”

LMTO’s first show of 2017 is romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas, based on the 1992 movie starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker. “Honeymoon in Vegas is SUCH a brilliant show,” enthuses Freddie. “It’s a proper Broadway comedy musical, complete with huge big band numbers, samba rhythms and sweeping Jason Robert Brown melodies which will take your breath away. It follows the story of Jack and Betsy, as they run away to get married in Las Vegas – but others have plans to disrupt, even cancel their wedding. I don’t want to say anymore, otherwise I’ll spoil the story!

“The show has all the hallmarks of a great musical which works in concert format. The songs are idiomatic, powerful and so fulfilling that they stand on their own two feet without needing the structure of a full production. Although set in the present day, the story is in many ways a Las Vegas myth, a legend which could take place in any time in the last 50 years – which means the music takes us through all of the big Broadway styles. If there is one thing LMTO loves, it’s a big Broadway tune!”

Like their previous concerts, which have featured stars including Robert Lindsay, Wendi Peters, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Celinde Schoenmaker, Honeymoon in Vegas boasts a stellar line-up of West End talent, and Freddie couldn’t be happier. “We’re thrilled to have such a talented cast on board. Samantha Barks is someone I’ve wanted to work with ever since I saw her sing Defying Gravity on the BBC’s I’d Do Anything programme. Having started work with her already, she’s perfect for the part of Betsy.

“Musical theatre followers will know Arthur Darvill from Once, but his current thrust is TV/film work, so it’s a delight to be bringing him back to the stage. Maxwell Caulfield is a living legend, and his oozing charm and effortless charisma make him the perfect Tommy. Rosie Ashe – Dame Rosie to her friends – is a class act, and as the original Carlotta from Phantom, I grew up listening to her voice on the recording. Simon Lipkin has played pretty much every comedy part going in the last ten years, and his comedy chops will be really brought into play as he gives his Roy in Act 2 – a high singing, high flying, high jumping Elvis impersonator. I could go on and on – the entire cast are glorious.”

For the first time, Freddie’s handing his baton to a guest conductor – the show’s composer, Jason Robert Brown. “It is nothing but a pleasure to be able to share the fun of conducting LMTO with Jason,” says Freddie. “All of my favourite conducting experiences have been with LMTO, because every person in the orchestra truly loves the music we’re working on. That makes such a difference: it produces an extra spark, an extra precision and extra care to produce the goods come show time. I think on the night I’ll be sad not to be up there, but overall it’s a really positive experience – I get to sit and watch the show for once, after all!”

The concert marks the beginning of an exciting season for LMTO: “Next up will be a trip to St Albans Cathedral where we’ll present our first compilation show: A Night on Broadway. Featuring all of your favourite showtunes, we’re going to rock one of the biggest churches in the country for one night only on Saturday 13th May. Then we go back in time, to Bernstein’s masterpiece Candide. We’ll be tackling this astonishing work back at Cadogan Hall – tickets for this are already beginning to disappear, showing that this score is ever popular.”

Don’t miss Honeymoon in Vegas at the London Palladium on Sunday 12th March.

Interview: Ffion Jones, Merely Theatre

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Merely Theatre has just embarked on a new national tour with productions of Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night in repertory. But there’s a twist in these tales, as company member Ffion Jones explains:

“Each character, or set of characters, is played by both a male and female actor from the full company of ten. Each male-female pairing will play the same parts as each other across both shows.

“All of the actors are off-script before we begin and we rehearse very quickly but precisely, applying what we call our ‘Merely Principles’ from the get-go. The principles are a set of rules we all abide by in rehearsal to create exciting and audience focussed work. They include things like striving to tell the story at all costs and never looking out into the middle distance when we speak. Each actor within the male-female pairings gets tagged in and out whilst rehearsing scenes; this rotation process means that we get used to listening and responding to whichever actor happens to be in front of us, because we can perform with any combination of actors from the other four pairs.”

This unique approach to rehearsal and performance presents a number of challenges. “For example, I am playing only male characters in both plays, purely by chance,” says Ffion. “I can’t help but think about how an audience might receive or judge my performance in comparison to men in other productions. However, because I’ve been with the company for three years now, I have learned to embrace the freedom this can give me as a performer. I don’t really feel inhibited at all and I enjoy bringing the essential humanity to each part that I play and representing the character regardless of gender.”

Merely Theatre was founded in 2010 by Artistic Director Scott Ellis to perform stripped back productions of Shakespeare’s work, and evolved over time to become the first fully gender blind Shakespeare company. “I think that Scott and Merely Theatre are leading the way with gender-blind casting in such a humble, experimental and joyous way that I am so proud to be a part of,” says Ffion. “I was inspired by Scott and Simon’s vision to strip away the unnecessary in Shakespeare and present the heart of the matter. During 2014, Merely produced a season of Shakespeare with no props, no set and no costume. I think our company’s gender-blind ethos goes hand-in-hand so simply with this attitude and it also means that I don’t have to think twice about my gender limitations, which is so liberating and enriching for an actor.”

Following the success of last year’s rep productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry V, Merely Theatre’s 2017 tour brings us another double bill of classic Shakespeare. “Romeo & Juliet is arguably the most famous Shakespeare play,” says Ffion. “It’s renowned for its love story, but with our simplistic style and raw energy we also hope that we can depict the friendship, familial love and ultimate tragedy found within its poetry. It pairs itself beautifully with Twelfth Night, which showcases Merely’s humour and mischievous nature. It’s a raucous comedy of errors that allows us to really show our silly side as well as remaining true to the compassion of the characters.”

As a repertory company, Ffion explains,  the team have been growing and progressing together as performers for a number of years. “Scott Ellis and Tatty Hennessey, who have co-directed on both tours, have developed their ideas on how to create great Shakespeare and we have all been working on our craft as actors from vocal technique to text work. All of this groundwork serves as the foundation for these shows which, hopefully, will be felt by our audiences in even slicker, more accessible shows. Interestingly enough last year was also the first time in quite a while that Merely weren’t working in-the-round. It may seem rather backward to any other theatre company that we had to work hard to adjust our style to end-on and proscenium arch spaces. Our aim is to create the audience feeling of involvement that in-the-round or outdoor theatre gives and bring that magic to the theatre royals.”

There’s been much debate in recent years about the decline of repertory theatre, but Ffion believes it still has much to offer, for both actors and audience. “Rep theatre allows a company of actors to expand their skills. It has allowed us to take risks, which has led to some great discoveries. Because we continue to make work with the same company of actors it means that we know each other really well and it creates short cuts in the rehearsal room. There’s no awkward ‘getting to know each other’, we know each other’s skills and talents and we know how to encourage each other to make the best work possible. If audiences like our work then they know that they are guaranteed a good show every time they come to see us, and they too can see us grow and continually surprise.”

The 2017 tour is giving Merely the chance to return to some familiar venues: “The joy of the tour is that we can travel the length and breadth of the UK, hopefully entertaining fellow Shakespeare-fans, inspiring the next generation of theatre-goers and introducing Shakespeare to people that may not have engaged with it thus far. I am particularly looking forward to a week touring Northern Ireland at the end of March; we are returning to a number of venues where the company had an incredibly warm welcome and an overwhelming and kind response to the shows. My male acting ‘twin’, Robert, was lucky enough to take that leg of the tour last year, so I can’t wait to see what all the fuss was about!”

So what can we expect from the tour? “You can expect to see a fresh and rarely seen approach to Shakespeare,” concludes Ffion. “Merely Theatre provides simple, energetic and accessible performances of the bard’s best works, affirming that he is indeed a writer that transcends the ages.”

Merely Theatre perform Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night on tour until 25th May. Visit their website for dates and venues.

Interview: Lucy Curtis, It Is So Ordered

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Changing Face is a multi-national theatre company based in Brixton and Bristol, whose work responds to the changing face of communities worldwide. Their latest production, Conor Carroll’s It Is So Ordered, opens at the Pleasance next month and turns the spotlight on racial injustice in the USA.

“It Is So Ordered is set during the outbreak of wrongful and racially motivated imprisonments in 1960s America,” says director and Changing Face co-founder Lucy Curtis. “The play charts the tragic story of two imprisoned African American men linked by a lie, exploring the power of forgiveness in an unforgiving world. Inspired by true events, it explores the injustices caused, of which the repercussions are still being felt to this day. The play concerns itself with redemption for the sins of the past which can feel unforgivable and will take an enormous feat of empathy to conquer.”

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The play’s based on the story of Ricky Jackson, an African American man from Ohio who was convicted of a crime he never committed. “He was released 39 years later in 2014,” explains Lucy. “I had no idea about his story and I was angry that I had no awareness of it. I want the audience to leave aware, awake and alive to the injustices that are happening around them. I want them to go away feeling energised to look deeper into the issues displayed and to actively become involved in the political discourse it presents. I want them to care that these events have been happening for over half a century, and I want them to address that our ignorance to it is a problem.

“We’re living in a very uncertain time: we’re seeing the re-emergence of 20th century mentalities that, it turns out, were never completely left behind. I want the audience to interrogate: how far must we go before our justice systems possess a ‘colour blind’ approach to the law. Britain often claims to possess the finest judiciary system in the world. This just isn’t true – the justice we find both here and in America are neither colour blind nor equal.”

The play’s been developed in collaboration with the Old Vic New Voices and Park Theatre: “The Old Vic New Voices supported us at a pivotal moment in this piece’s development where we were trying to turn a 20-minute short play into a full length one,” explains Lucy. “They gave us time and resources to be able to test out our script through a research and development phase. They continue to support the work by giving us free access to rehearsal space and mentorship.

“The script was then selected as part of the Park’s Script Accelerator 2016 programme. We spent four weeks at the Park developing the play with weekly meetings with artistic staff. Being able to bounce ideas off other creatives whilst working consistently within a building that supports you and is interested in the story you are trying to tell was endlessly inspiring. We were able to test out our script at Park Theatre in November – the feedback we received was instrumental in carrying this play forward.”

The cast includes Simon Mokhele, who’s been working alongside It Is So Ordered for nearly a year, and newcomer Faaiz Mbelizi. “Simon (Johnny) trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, graduating in 2014, and his input has been fundamental in the shaping of the characters, storytelling and form. To still have him championing this story and this piece is a blessing and we can’t wait to see what he brings to the table in April. Faaiz (Bobby) graduated from Rose Bruford College in 2016 and kickstarted his professional acting career at the Belgrade Theatre. We’re super excited to start rehearsing with him; we start at the Old Vic Workrooms in just under two weeks and we can’t wait to get stuck in.”

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Tales of injustice like Ricky Jackson’s are far from a thing of the past, and in many cases are still going on today. “We want to focus on the stories of men and women who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes who are still in prison today, as well as the number of documented cases where people have been executed for crimes they never committed,” says Lucy. “Suicide rates are at an all-time high in our prisons and the fact that innocent men and women are serving their entire adult life in a cage is appalling.

“There’s definitely a growing shift in our collective attention to stories of injustice and wanting better in our world. The narratives presented in Netflix shows such as Making a Murderer and 13th are informing us of how historically and consistently, the institutions put in place to protect and serve us are in fact failing to do so. Since the late 60s and into the present day, the prison system in America has been used as a commodity to instil slave labour. Prisons are money making schemes for big businesses.

“It Is So Ordered is a theatre piece which definitely actions itself in a similar vein to those shows, and theatre should be doing a lot more to represent these stories on its stages. We need to see the worst in order to want the better and the first step is getting people to hear these stories.”

It Is So Ordered is at the Pleasance from 5th-16th April.