As well as starring in the sold-out, five star hit Boy Meets Boy at the Jermyn Street Theatre and appearing in the West End production of Mamma Mia at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Craig’s theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stafford Gatehouse Open Air Festival), Time of My Life and Aladdin (Watford Palace Theatre).
I recently spoke to Craig about why the Park’s pantomime is different from traditional pantos, what it’s like being upstaged by Hazel the Park Theatre’s dog who is making her acting debut in the show, and why it’s so important that theatregoers continue to support smaller and more exciting theatres such as the Jermyn Street and Park Theatres…
What can audiences expect from The Park Theatre’s first annual pantomime? Is it traditional?
No – it’s not traditional! It’s normal in the sense that it’s Sleeping Beauty; there’s a Dame, prince – or we call him the Young King – a princess, a love story and an evil witch. So we have traditional panto characters in the show but the style and comedy is very much like Monty Python, it’s very different. It’s a bit like a parody of normal pantomimes, everything is very ‘tongue 'n cheek’.
Fantastic! So it provides an alternative for audiences?
Exactly, and the comedy is silly and quite straight – we don’t have the traditional jokes like “he’s behind you!” either. We’ve got rid of all that and done something completely original!
You’ve done pantomime before. Obviously this time round it’s different but what has drawn you back to panto-land?
Last time was an experience, it was something I had never done before and I had also never even seen a pantomime! It was very high energy and it puts everyone in a festive mood so everybody loves it. That was two years ago now. I said yes to this firstly because it’s at the Park Theatre which is only seven months old and because Jez Bond, our artistic director, is directing the show as well as the fact that it’s not a traditional piece - I love the whole Monty Python style!
What was the atmosphere like during rehearsals and what are the cast like to work with?
The cast are good and we’re all having a laugh! The rehearsal room was this big silly room which anything could happen in. Hopefully audiences can appreciate what we have created and share it with us! Jez has allowed us to explore and do anything, there are no reins which is really nice.
The show also stars Hazel, the Park Theatre’s dog!
[laughs] Hazel the dog is a show stealer! She’s amazing, she’s been trained up and can do anything – sit, roll over, play dead – literally anything!
I’ve always seen her in the bar at the theatre but never knew she had a secret talent for acting!
She’s cool! There’s a trailer on the website which she appears in at the end, literally stealing the whole thing!
The Park Theatre is fairly intimate, you’ve performed in huge West End shows as well as in even smaller theatres such as the Jermyn Street. Do you like performing in more intimate theatres or does it make you more nervous?
I like it and this theatre is the same sort of layout as the Donmar. I actually really enjoy performing at the Park, it’s not too big but it’s big enough that as an audience member you never feel too on top of the actors because when I did Boy Meets Boy at the Jermyn Street sometimes it felt like the audience were literally on stage. It’s a great theatre with really nice acoustics too, so I’m happy!
Going back to Boy Meets Boy, the response the show received last year was incredible! What was the whole experience like for you?
It was a really good experience because it was the first time the show had been performed in the UK so we weren’t sure what response we were going to get. It wasn’t really about two boys falling in love – that was just a given. The show was more about the story of the mess that they got themselves into. I loved it and wish it had carried on. I wish it was given another couple of months! The cast were incredible to work with, especially Stephen Ashfield and Ben Kavannagh. I’m still in contact with both of them, they’re two very talented fun guys!
What was the last show you saw?
Erm… the last show I saw was That Face at the Landor! Musical-wise I went to see The Bodyguard because my girlfriend is in it, I was actually blown away by Beverley Knight – she is insane! That voice! She’s tiny and the voice that comes out of her mouth is incredible! She steals the show and holds it together. You always want her to be on stage! It’s slick with great set and costumes, it has the whole package.
Do you have your eye on any roles?
If it came up I would love to play Amadeus… in Amadeus, the Peter Shaffer play. Also I’m a big fan of Osvald in Ibsen’s Ghosts – which I also saw recently at the Watford Palace.
Finally, what’s it like having such dedicated support from theatre fans?
It’s nice! It’s encouraging to work on something like Boy Meets Boy and to discover people are up for seeing something different, not just going to see shows which are advertised on the underground. People take a risk and show lovely support which is great, especially as some of the most interesting work is staged at some of these smaller theatres. You don’t give yourself the chance to be swept away or to learn something new if you don’t support smaller and less commercial shows. But of course the commercial shows have to be there and they’re amazing as well! The support is great!
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Please visit www.parktheatre.co.uk for further information and tickets.
Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks
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