Mike Carter and OddServants Theatre Company return to the Space later this month with new play Buster Keaton at the Hollywood Canteen … As Told by Orson Welles. We caught up with the creative team behind this exciting two-hander for a behind-the-scenes sneak peek!
Anthony Cozens plays Buster Keaton.
You’ve always loved Buster Keaton and were involved in the early development of the play – where did your fascination with him come from?
I was an insomniac as a small child and would sneak downstairs after my parents had gone to bed and watch old films on the TV. I remember seeing Laurel and Hardy and Chaplin and Buster films and thinking they were hilarious. As I got older I’d revisit them. I still love Chaplin and Stan and Ollie but Keaton films, his technique, the humanity of his characters, his sheer bloody skill, get richer each viewing.
If Buster Keaton was alive today and you had the chance to talk to him, what questions would you want to ask?
I think I’d be too in awe to ask him anything. I’d tell to him pick a topic and just let him talk. He was so ahead of his time in terms of camera technique and trickery that, now cinema has surpassed a lot of things he was doing, it would be fascinating to hear him predict what will come next.
What do you hope that Buster Keaton…’s audience gets from the show?
The play is more than a Keaton biography. It is more about the ideas of art versus commerce, the nature of success and at what price do you chase your dreams than it is about Buster or Orson. I’d hope people would see modern relevance in those questions as much as they see how much work went into Buster making it all look so easy. That and the fact I can fall over without any major damage done.
Have there been any interesting moments in rehearsals so far you can tell us about?
JP literally chasing me around a rehearsal room was a new one on me. He was told to by Guleraana so I’ll forgive him. Aside from that, I find it interesting to supply some of the back story those two might not know. You’d have to ask them how interesting they think it is after several hours of me singing Buster’s praises.
JP Conway plays Orson Welles.
What’s been the most interesting part of Orson Welles’ character for you?
The wonderful thing about Welles is his vision – it’s romantic, pure, dogged and magical. But the most interesting thing is his unrelenting belief in that vision, and in himself, even when his confidence could fall to paper-thin levels. There is a juxtaposition in that, of the headstrong and the deflated at the same time, which is captivating to play with.
If Orson Welles was alive today and you had the chance to talk to him, what questions would you want to ask?
First off, I’d ask him to dinner, and for him to choose the place (though I’m sure he would anyway). Somewhere with delicious red wine where we could while away the afternoon, I imagine. Then I’d ask him what he hopes for.
What do you hope that Buster Keaton…’s audience gets from the show?
There is a line in the show where Orson asks Buster whether his early days in show business were “happier, simpler times?” I hope the audience gets an idea of what those early days were like for both men, how the world was then, and to what extent it fashioned them, and they it. And perhaps that has something to say about how people approach art and performance today.
How has the process of staging a two-hander – with multiple characters! – been so far?
Wonderful! Both Anthony and I love clowning and improvisation and Guleraana has – very cleverly I’d say! – facilitated things that way. We are playing with the wonder of Keaton’s early work and the silent movie age. It is showcased by the way we weave in and out of these different characters and create their worlds on stage. It’s going be a lot of fun.
Mike Carter is the show’s playwright.
Why Buster Keaton and Orson Welles? What drew you to these two stars in particular?
Anthony and I decided to work together last summer and his enthusiasm is ridiculously infectious. We agreed, after a few meanderings, to go for it and tell Keaton’s story. That said, I wanted to write a compelling three dimensional play rather than a “by numbers” biography so kept a very open mind. Learning Keaton met Orson Welles was the spark I needed. They’re both incredibly fascinating characters.
Can you tell us about their meeting? Did it really happen? How did you use it to form the basis of your play?
We know they both volunteered at The Hollywood Canteen in 1944. Movie stars entertained troops there as part of the US war effort. There’s lots of footage and reporting from the time, so it’s almost inconceivable they didn’t meet there. There is no record of it, though, other than a Welles anecdote – “I was doing conjuring tricks. Keaton was washing the dishes” Our play takes that as a literal and metaphorical start point.
What’s it like being back at the Space after you staged The Trunk here in 2014?
I love the Space. It is hands down the most supportive venue in London. It’s great to see it go from strength to strength. Audiences seemed to enjoy The Trunk back in 2014. I am really hoping they’ll find this show interesting too.
What else are you looking forward to this season?
Will check out Duncan Battman’s Consequences and The Book. As new writing, it sounds “write” up my street. Plus you are spoiling us with two Oscar Wilde shows including adaptations of his wonderful short stories. There’s ‘reduxed’ Shakespeare and a new musical? It’s a fabulous season.
And finally, we caught up with the show’s director Guleraana Mir…
What’s it like directing a (semi-) true story, featuring two very well-known personas?
I’m trying to leave the “real” Orson and Buster behind. Not to say that I haven’t done my research, and expected the actors to do their own. I want to direct a theatrical play that has strong, interesting characters, with clear personalities and motivations that an audience can enjoy in their own right. That’s more important to me than obsessively trying to replicate the Buster Keaton and Orson Welles that everyone thinks they know. I’m hoping we can recreate the two personas in a way that feels natural to the actors and believable to the audience.
Have you found out any interesting facts that you’ve brought into rehearsal?
Anthony knows basically everything there is to know about Buster Keaton, and an awful lot about Orson Welles too. Mike has based his text on the characters’ own words and first-hand accounts. I doubt there is anything I can discover that would be new! The actors and I bring our knowledge, research and opinion on the two personas into rehearsal, and allow that to influence the characters. It’s a fun way of working – tweaking and heightening aspects of personalities to really bring a script to life.
This is your first full-length play as a director – what’s been the best bit so far?
The best bit is also the worst bit- its length! I am used to short plays so I really like that there’s more than ten pages of script and a lengthy rehearsal process. I adore both Anthony and John-Paul (I’ve worked with them before as a director and writer) and really value their energy and commitment. I like to work collaboratively, but you don’t get that opportunity with short plays. It’s often just a case of ‘get it done’. Whereas with Buster Keaton… the three of us have spent a lot of time talking about how the piece is going to work visually and conceptually. Having their input (as well as Mike’s) makes me confident that we can craft something that really does justice to the two Hollywood greats and gives the audience a strong sense of the age of silent movies.
… And how about the most challenging?
You never think you have enough time, especially as the script is quite complicated. Knowing everyone involved surprisingly made it scarier, but I overcame that initial fear the moment we were all in the same room reading through the script. The challenge now is creating twelve characters, sixty years of history and something like eight different locations within 70 minutes only having two actors. But I don’t want to give anything away. All I’ll say is that in my mind, this should be an extravaganza – a celebration of great films and the artists that made them. The challenge is making it so!
Intrigued yet? Buster Keaton at the Hollywood Canteen … As Told by Orson Welles runs from 15th – 19th March, 7.30pm at the Space. For more information and to book tickets, click here.