EDINBURGH FRINGE 2024
Interview
THE
PLAY!
SPY MOVIE:
MATTHEW HOWELL, EMILY WATERS, JO HARTLAND, JAMES WATTERSON, JACK MICHALE STACEY
Agent Blonde has 24 hours to save the world. The only things standing in her way are dastardly villains, an outrageous plot, and... a lack of funding. When Hollywood rejects her script, a frustrated screenwriter invites you, an audience of producers, to a one-night-only presentation of The Greatest Spy Movie (n)Ever Made! From two of the minds behind The New Musketeers (Trinity Theatre) and stars of The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Spy Movie: The Play! is a new hilarious homage to Bond movies and fringe theatre suitable for the whole family.
Hello guys thank you for taking the time to talk with The New Current, how does it feel be bringing your show to Edinburgh Fringe this summer?
Matthew Howell (MH): It feels brilliant! The whole team have been working hard to create the show and bring audiences an hour of comedy escapism, with action, thrills and SEX SEX SEX *suitable for the whole family. Edinburgh has so far been the perfect place to unleash the Spy Movie madness!
We have been here for a few weeks now and the Fringe is in full swing. Audiences of all ages have been fantastic and we have already had some sell out shows! The feeling of excitement, fun, tiredness, nerves and artistry (all fuelled by alcohol and microwave meals) that you get from the fringe cannot be matched.
Will you be making any flyering trips to the Royal Mile? Godspeed if you do.
Emily Waters (EW): We haven’t yet braved it. We are all considerably older and frailer than the last time we did the fringe and haven’t yet plucked up the courage. We will, though… (we say to ourselves every day before coming up with an excuse not to).
If you could describe your show in three words what would they be and why?
Jo Hartland (JH): 'Shaken, stirred & jiggled'... Because we have the cool and crisp zing of a Vodka Martini, along with a sizeable swig of silliness too
What are your warm up and warm down routines during a run?
JH: As the show is so energetic and snappy, I do a lot of vocal exercises to get my lungs and voice powered up. Being a real ensemble performance, we always come together as a team just before curtains-up to wish each other a great show and remind ourselves to have a load of fun. My warm down routine... is much more straightforward. A trip to the bar and then line up the next fringe show to watch!
When a show is running do you give your self much flexibility with the material?
EW: Depends on the show! Probably best to avoid surprising your cast with some wild improv in a Greek drama, but a show like ours has more opportunity for the occasional playfulness, and sometimes requires improv to get out of sticky situations (I refer mainly to an actual flying helicopter we have in our show that is different every night, but you’d have to see that to believe it). We adapted our show a lot in previews, and we still make the odd change if we feel that something isn’t working, but we try not to change so much that our techie doesn’t have to constantly be on their toes!
What does the Edinburgh Fringe mean to you?
James Watterson (JW): Macaroni pies, sore feet and audience interaction! There are so many amazing shows and it’s always really exciting to take a chance on a random show that ends up being great.
Can you tell me a little bit about how your show came about, what can we expect?
Jack Michael Stacey (JMS): SPY MOVIE: The Play! came about because Matthew Howell and I were offered a slot at The Hope Theatre and needed to write something! We got together and looked at what we already had (a sitcom pilot set in an outdated section of MI6) and wondered how we could make it into a compelling and hilarious stage play. We love nothing more than classic movies (especially of the spy variety) and we hit upon the question; what could be funnier than trying to make the greatest spy movie ever LIVE with absolutely no money in a pokey fringe theatre? And so… SPY MOVIE: The Play! (The Greatest Spy Movie (n)Ever Made) was born! We developed it for The Hope, then reworked it with our cast and director (the genius and ever-patient Katie-Ann McDonough) and now we’re performing it for the whole of the Edinburgh Fringe at our favourite venue; The Pleasance Courtyard. As one of our favourite lines in the show goes, you can expect ‘SEX, SEX, SEX… suitable for the whole family’.
What do you hope to take away from the fringe this summer?
JMS: I’ve already had more than my fair share of takeaways at the fringe so far (DM me for recs, there’s an excellent Thai / Kebab place I know) but apart from a beer belly and a sever caffeine crash, I’m hoping we get to give the show more life on a tour, develop the concept (sequels are already in the works), and come back next year with a fringe under the company’s (and my rapidly expanding) belt, ready to do the whole beautifully made thing again!
What would you say have been the most interesting things you’ve discovered about yourself in the process of creating your show for the Fringe?
MH: As one of the writers, seeing the idea that you had for a show being developed and come to life is such a rewarding experience. Comedy is always changing as you write, rehearse and perform, so the show is constantly developing. The beauty of parody and satire is that you are welcoming in an audience that usually loves the subject you are lampooning, then showing them a new perspective that they can laugh at. I’ve discovered that being open to these possibilities and different audience perspectives helps to make me a better writer. I've also learnt that if you want to have a smooth get in between shows then don't write one with over 50 props in it, whoops!
Where did you passion for performing come from?
JW: I played Rudolph when I was 6 years old and then Jesus when I was 8 and they’re the sort of leading roles that just keep you coming back for more. (It’s also so much fun to create something that entertains people and gets them thinking afterwards).
What advice would you offer anyone wanting to bring a show to the fringe?
EW: I am in the beautiful position of not having to locate and acquire money for a show, but I’ve heard that’s quite important and would probably be somewhere to start. My advice (80% of which I haven’t been able to follow myself)…drink water, actually rest, make friends with other artists in your venue and beyond (mostly for sharing rounds, the bars get busy), don’t sweat too hard over the reviews, and where you can avoid it don’t check your bank balance too frequently. Leave that horror show for September.
And finally, what would you like your Fringe 2024 audiences to take away from your show?
MH: We want the audience to have had a brilliant hour of comedy full of laughter and a few naughty puns. Our Spy parody is relatable to all audiences, even those that don’t love spy films are aware of the zeitgeist. We are also bringing to the genre an exciting original concept - trying to pull off a Hollywood movie on a fringe stage budget. If we actually achieve that is for the audience to decide….however we will have a lot of fun trying to do it!