So yeah, while I haven't been writing here I have actually still been working away at theatre stuff! More specifically the play I wrote a couple of years ago, and have since been updating and workshopping at various UK festivals, finally got itself a London Premiere. From February 25th to March 15th 2014 Rachael's Cafe was at the Old Red Lion Theatre in Angel, produced by my company Little Fly Theatre and starring the original actor Graham Elwell. As I'm updating this in retrospect I imagine the immediate emotions and adrenaline associated with the play won't come through quite as much as they might have done had I updated at the same time. If you want something along those lines you might want to read the stuff I was writing at the time for Broadway World UK and The Public Reviews*. However, let it be said that it was a totally new and tiring experience for me, jam packed with all sorts of new fangled terminology, monetary figures and complicated logistics. In short, it was great!
Putting on a show in London is a vastly different project to putting on comedy shows. I'd say it's perhaps more satisfying creatively for me - there were a lot more aspects to the show which needed my attention and input than there are on my comedy nights where I have a certain degree of creativity but ultimately set the stage for the comedians to fill with their work and talent. On that note, however, it's a lot more scary and requires a great deal of work to create a single show. So the pressure really is on to make the show brilliant! I found that I had a really split response to the whole experience. Half of me was saying 'never again!' on the basis that it's actually very scary, particularly in today's economic climate, to put on a show in London. The other half was eager to have another go as soon as possible, moaning at myself for not having been putting plays on left, right and centre for the past few years so as to learn my lessons bit by bit. I never felt ready before but, as Hugh Laurie said this week of his new musical career, 'I don't think anyone's ever really ready'.
I also never realised before what a sensitive soul I am. I thought that being a writer would be a less painful experience (if your audience didn't like it) than being, for example, a stand-up comedian where you're completely on show. I have to admit though that I found being the playwright so much more difficult than being the actor in a show. As an actor I face every night as a new show. I'm annoyed if I don't give a good performance, but I know that the next one will be happening within hours and I can give it another go. As a writer I feel much more confined into delivering a final product that performs consistently. When an audience have enjoyed your play, or are moved by it, you feel pretty awesome. Constructive criticism also isn't an issue - especially when it's your first play. But there are, of course, always people who don't like your play and I was surprised by how painful I found that. When you've found a topic or person you're passionate about and put your effort, time, talent and money into creating a show about it, it's surprising how hard it can be to accept that, frankly, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. If you were able to half-ass it, to spew out twenty plays a year then it might be easier to cope with mixed responses. But when it's your one work so far, when it's become the main symbol of what you do with, you know, your life then it's not as easy as I imagined to go 'Oh you didn't like it? Not to worry. Maybe next time.'
So yes, it was a great experience overall. There were days when it exhausted me, when I worried about the financial side, when I felt frustrated by how difficult it feels to make waves in theatre land and when I compared myself to everyone around me. But there were also days when we got sales reports of a spike in ticket sales, when a five star review came flooding in and audience members searched us out post-show to tell us how much they loved the show. These were all incredible experiences that I feel bowled over to have been the recipient of and they're the ones that, in the end, will mean I'll do it all again.
★★★★★ The Upcoming
★★★★ WhatsOnStage
★★★★ Islington Gazette
★★★★ The Public Reviews
★★★★ Middle Peg Review
★★★★ Theatre & Performance Magazine
'Elwell is captivating' - Middle Peg Theatre
'this indelible play is a must see.' - The Upcoming
'Humorous, touching and truly uplifting' - UK Theatre Network
'As fascinating as anything in the West End at the moment' - LondonTheatre1
'This debut by Lucy Danser simply gets it right on every level' - WhatsOnStage
'A moving and thought provoking piece, devoid of sensationalism and infused with humour' - A Younger Theatre
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