Canned laughter
HI,
Only a week to go until we start rehearsals for Canned Laughter. I am more excited about this project than anything for a while. The challenge of being involved with a completely new play is daunting. Ed Curtis and I have been working on this for about a year. The turning point was when Ed called me in LA and said I think the subject matter is wrong. (at that time we were planning a play about a pop group from the 70's getting back together). He said lets write from knowledge. Lets talk about a comedy group that were big in the 70's and the trials and tribulations of splitting up and then meeting 40 years later. That sold it to me. So Ed did the first draft and I added all the comedy bits. It felt right from the word go. Over the next 8 months we met regularly to discuss the dramatic nature of the play. Andy, Grant, Ed and I met up and read the first few pages of act 1. We were all very excited. I cant believe how much it has changed since that first reading but we are in a great place to start the hard 3 and half weeks work. When the 'Team' get together we bounce off each other and I know today's script will change dramatically by the time we open in Kircaldy. Ed is a very inventive director and the set is very different from anything I've ever seen before.
So in a nutshell, the play starts in the present day with Alec Munro (me) arriving in my dressing room to get ready for my 'Evening with Alec Munro' one man show. I"m a successful act touring the country. My ex partner Gus Campbell turns up. I haven't seen him for 30 years since he walked out on our very successful double act. He leaves me floundering and fighting for my career and I have never forgiven him. Gus left because he could never forgive himself or me for 'dumping' our third partner in the act 'We Three' Rory (Grant) when we got our big break. And so the story evolves with flash backs to our club, theatre and TV days. These flash backs give us the chance to do some great comedy sketches in the style of the period.
As I say it is a great challenge, but one that I know 'the boys' and a wonderful girl actress (sorry they like to be called actors now) Gabriel Quigley are relishing.
So watch this space. I promise to keep the blog up to date with CL news.
Bye
Only a week to go until we start rehearsals for Canned Laughter. I am more excited about this project than anything for a while. The challenge of being involved with a completely new play is daunting. Ed Curtis and I have been working on this for about a year. The turning point was when Ed called me in LA and said I think the subject matter is wrong. (at that time we were planning a play about a pop group from the 70's getting back together). He said lets write from knowledge. Lets talk about a comedy group that were big in the 70's and the trials and tribulations of splitting up and then meeting 40 years later. That sold it to me. So Ed did the first draft and I added all the comedy bits. It felt right from the word go. Over the next 8 months we met regularly to discuss the dramatic nature of the play. Andy, Grant, Ed and I met up and read the first few pages of act 1. We were all very excited. I cant believe how much it has changed since that first reading but we are in a great place to start the hard 3 and half weeks work. When the 'Team' get together we bounce off each other and I know today's script will change dramatically by the time we open in Kircaldy. Ed is a very inventive director and the set is very different from anything I've ever seen before.
So in a nutshell, the play starts in the present day with Alec Munro (me) arriving in my dressing room to get ready for my 'Evening with Alec Munro' one man show. I"m a successful act touring the country. My ex partner Gus Campbell turns up. I haven't seen him for 30 years since he walked out on our very successful double act. He leaves me floundering and fighting for my career and I have never forgiven him. Gus left because he could never forgive himself or me for 'dumping' our third partner in the act 'We Three' Rory (Grant) when we got our big break. And so the story evolves with flash backs to our club, theatre and TV days. These flash backs give us the chance to do some great comedy sketches in the style of the period.
As I say it is a great challenge, but one that I know 'the boys' and a wonderful girl actress (sorry they like to be called actors now) Gabriel Quigley are relishing.
So watch this space. I promise to keep the blog up to date with CL news.
Bye
posted by Allan Stewart at 1:19 pm
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