In a church hall nestled alongside high rise flats and just
behind the bustling high street, the cast and crew of soon to be smash hit
musical Curtains are going through their last few weeks of rehearsals. With household names such as Jason Manford,
Carley Stenson and Ore Oduba on the bill and directed by Paul Taylor this is
the accumulation of 18 months of preparation for a show that blends murder
mystery, comedy, great songs and a harking back to the glitz and glamour of the
1950’s.
Written by the creators of arguably two of last
century’s greatest musicals (Cabaret and Chicago) Curtains is something rarely
found in this modern age of instant knowledge and even quicker criticism; a
show that is so fresh and new and exciting that (for now at least) not many
people are aware of it. It had a small
run on Broadway in the mid 2000’s, has been played by amateur and high school
groups in the US and popped up a few times in other countries, but this new
tour will prove to be its UK debut across the country and is destined to become
the ‘must see’ production of the past (and next) 5 years. Darlington Hippodrome will be the first
theatre in the North East to present Curtains and a wonderful opportunity for
the area.
The premise is quite a simple one – the theatre production of
Robbin’ Hood, a Wild West tale, is in turmoil on its opening night as their
leading lady is murdered, but as local detective Frank Cioffe begins to
investigate it becomes clear that there are more than one or two who might
benefit from her demise. A classic play
within a play ensues with twists and turns aplenty.
We met up with the leads and director as they took a break
from rehearsals and asked them a few questions about playing in Curtains.
Jason Manford who plays detective Frank Cioffe. Jason is as
warm and funny off stage as he is on it, instantly relatable and an all-round
great guy.
Jason, you’re enjoying quite a renaissance on TV and radio at
the moment with Scarborough, QI, 8 out of 10 cats, Absolute Radio and even some
reruns of your Plus Net ads, are some people surprised that you are also a
stage actor and even more so that you can sing ?
JM I come from a large family, my grandparents had 12
children and, in the times before TV they needed to be able to keep them
entertained, so my grandmother always made sure they sang together and this has
continued through my parents and down to me.
Singing is a great community activity, and even though I would have never
classed myself as a singer as such, I really enjoy it. Starting off in stand up, I learned very
quickly that regardless of what stage you’re on, it’s all acting so I guess
I’ve always been able to perform.
I saw you singing with Alfie Boe in Preston, especially
Stars from Les Miserable which is a very powerful song, and you have had lead
roles in The Producers and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . Is the singing element of Frank Cioffe
something that particularly appealed to you about the role?
JM Actually, the appeal was everything I know and love about
theatre is here in Curtains – great songs, a brilliant script that is witty and
funny, the plot twists of a murder mystery and a chance to be a part of a show
created by Ebb and Kander. I love
Cabaret and Chicago so this is a bit like finding an album by your favourite
group that you didn’t know existed. Added
to that the wonderful cast and a brilliant director in Paul (Foster) and it was
too good an opportunity to miss.
Tell us a bit about your character, Frank Cioffe
JM Frank is a detective, a very good detective, but his real
passion is theatre. He is a member of
his local Am Dram company and lives all year for their summer production so
when he gets the chance to investigate a murder at a ‘professional’ production,
surrounded by ‘real’ actors he is in his element. He thrives on the energy of being around the
show which gives him even more determination to not only find the killer but to
help ensure the show goes on. There is a
little bit of a love interest, and some outright crazy characters he has to
deal with but he manages to stay focussed.
I guess he’s a bit Columbo, a bit Poirot and a lot (Leo) Bloom (from The
Producers, a role which Jason played in 2015), in fact there is a great
similarity between Frank and Leo – they are both in quite mundane day jobs
hankering for the bright lights and razzmatazz of the stage.
As many people will not have heard of Curtains, how would
you sell it ?
JM Curtains has all the elements of the great comedy
musicals, song and dance routines to rival the classics and the intrigue of a
murder mystery – what’s not to love?
Carley Stenson plays Georgia Hendricks one half of the
songwriting team behind the show within a show Robbin’ Hood. The room lit up
when Carley came in, she is the absolute definition of ‘a smile’ with an
infectious and completely disarming personality
Carley, you have a wonderful pedigree for musical theatre
having starred in Les Miserables, Legally Blonde, Shrek, Spamalot – how does
Curtains rate with these shows?
CS It’s not often you get a chance to perform in a ‘new
show’, one that has not had the exposure or perhaps hype as others so it’s both
exciting and nerve racking – we are almost responsible for whether Curtains
makes it in the UK but with that being said, a show by Kander and Ebb is pretty
much a seal of quality. Curtains is a
delight, funny, clever and some great songs
It’s been 10 years since you left Hollyoaks so in effect
you’ve been doing theatre just as long as you did TV – do you feel that theatre
is your true calling now?
CS I loved Hollyoaks, the storylines were great, intense and
it meant I personally benefited from being associated with such a successful
show, but I have always loved theatre.
Me and my friends used to put on our own shows, creating costumes, sets
and performing so now I have been able to do it as a job has been wonderful. I have been very fortunate to plays some
iconic modern roles in musical theatre.
Curtains is a musical murder mystery but from watching the
rehearsals, there also seems to be a lot of humour too, is it safe to say that
it is more a comedy than anything else?
(Carley’s eyes positively twinkle and her smile grows even
brighter)
CS Yes, there’s a lot of comedy in Curtains, helped in no small part by
the brilliant cast we have and the way we have all embraced bringing this ‘new’
show to the UK . We have had so much fun
preparing for this show that you can’t help transfer that to the stage and
hopefully that will give the audience a feel good factor when they watch it. There are times where I have to avoid eye
contact with one or two of the cast or I know I will risk laughing myself,
Jason (Manford) is simply brilliant in his comedic timing and Sam (Holmes who
plays the show’s Director Christopher Belling) is so quick with his acerbic wit
that he has me in stitches.
As we have mentioned to others, Curtains is relatively
unknown at present. How would you sell
it to an audience whose time (and money) is being chased by other shows,
cinema, TV etc.
CS Curtains is a hark back to the grand productions of 1950s
MGM – a time when things were done on a massive scale of glamour and
glitz. We have some great big musical
numbers, brilliantly written and great fun to perform. It is unapologetic in
giving the audience a chance to escape the day to day problems and worries, not
only is it funny it is very clever and will keep everyone guessing right up the
last.
Director Paul Foster, Betty’s tea shop aficionado and lover
of old books.
Paul, you have directed some of traditional theatres great
shows; Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun, Tell Me On A Sunday, Singin’ in the
Rain to name but a few, how does Curtains rate?
PF Any Kander and Ebb show already comes with a level of
brilliance built in so part of my challenge is not to ruin it, but Curtains, as
a relatively unknown show to the general public, carries a little more
risk. That being said, I feel that the
art of putting on a great show is to tell a story, once the cast are on board
and the stage is set, it is the story that becomes the show so in that respect
I think Curtains will be a huge hit. It
might take a little time for people to realise, as with anything new you need
advocates and fans to help spread the word, but with our cast I am confident
that people are going to love it.
You mention the cast and names such as Jason (Manford), Carley
(Stenson) and Ore (Oduba) will undoubtedly bring a degree of interest, how have
they and the rest of the cast taken to the roles.
PF I believe that the art of being a good director is not to
set limits on people but to help them understand what you need and let them
grow the part. If you place a plant
under glass it might grow quickly but it will stop when it reaches the glass so
I try not to have any upper limits. The roles are well enough defined to carry
the story but there is so much scope for them to develop that everyday I am
seeing more and more.
And with that, Paul and the gang headed back to rehearsals,
perfectly delivering the theatrical coup de grace and leaving us wanting more.
From our brief watch of rehearsals, it is clear that
Curtains is going to be huge and will give audiences the chance to be there at
the start – think Rocky Horror Show, Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, The Full
Monty, even Hamilton, shows for which the boast of “I saw it first” have become
bragging rites for theatre goers the world over.
This is a huge coup for Darlington to be the
first theatre in the North East to present Curtains and wonderful recognition
of the appeal the Hippodrome has for touring productions.
It’s sure to sell out soon, grab your tickets
now.
Curtains comes to Darlington Hippodrome from November 12th
– tickets https://www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk/whats-on/curtains/
For more details and some exclusive cast videos check out
Curtains website - https://curtainsmusical.com/
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