Our Ladies of
Perpetual Succour, Lee Hall’s smash hit musical play, has been
entertaining, startling and moving audiences around the world since it debuted
at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe back in 2015. Having played to audiences in places
like America and Australia before transferring to the West End, the sweary Olivier
Award winning comedy has a somewhat irresistible appeal.
Sitting backstage at the Duke of York’s Theatre, the cast
reflects on the reasons why Our Ladies of
Perpetual Succour has been so successful, and shares their own personal
experiences with the play…
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| Frances Mayli McCann (Kylah), Caroline Deyga (Chell), Isis Hainsworth (Orla), Dawn Sievewright (Fionnula), Karen Fishwick (Kay), Kirsty MacLaren (Manda) Photo credit - Manuel Harlan |
‘Everybody remembers that point in life of being a teenager
on the precipice of adulthood, and not really knowing what tomorrow’s going to
bring…’Frances Mayli McCann muses. ‘We found when we took it round the world,
to Australia and America, that same universal story resonates.’
Aside from its relatable plot, what’s fascinating about Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is that
it’s a piece of theatre which portrays women in such a brutally honest light,
showing both the good and bad in each of its six main characters. As Karen Fishwick
puts it, ‘there are definitely no shows that represent women the way that we
represent them, which is strange because we represent them in a very real way.’
Dawn Sievewright adds, ‘When we did the press night they did this really
amazing thing where they talked to quite a lot of people in the business just
after they came out, and women just couldn’t believe the sense of joy and
empowerment. They can’t believe that 6 young women plus 3 women in the band do
this, it’s actually ridiculous.’ As empowering and moving as the play is, it
does seem ridiculous that it’s considered scandalous just because it features
young women drinking, swearing and engaging in a few family unfriendly conversations.
‘People walk out of our show all the time. We had 18 people walk out in one
night,’ Sievewright continues, ‘people think we’re pushing boundaries but
actually we’re just telling normal stories.’
In a show featuring such a variety of different characters,
all with such relatable issues, and realistic bonds, it’s interesting to think
about how the actors’ personalities shaped the story. Caroline Deyga describes
that ‘in the auditions they asked everybody, out of all of the characters, who
they related to most, and all of us that are playing these parts, all said
these parts, which probably says a lot about how much we relate to these
characters, because we sort of felt drawn to them, and so did a panel of people
that were auditioning us’. It’s also exciting to consider how the actors’ input
in the initial rehearsal process will have shaped the show in its future
iterations. Deyga enthuses, ‘that’s really exciting as well, that parts of you
will always be in that character’.
As Kirsty MacLaren says, ‘As an actor you very rarely get a
chance to come at a piece of theatre that’s a skeleton that you get to really
invest in, and you get to play with, because normally you come in and the
design’s already set and the script’s set, where as in this you got to come in and
play as actors, you got to have fun every day at work and make this piece of
theatre together’. That sense of creating a piece of theatre as a group is
absolutely prevalent in Our Ladies of
Perpetual Succour, a play which focuses largely on portraying the immensely
strong bonds felt between friends. Interestingly, although 5 of the 6 cast
members have been working together from the very beginning of the process, Isis
Hainsworth made her professional stage debut when she joined the show for its
transfer to the West End. ‘Before I came in, I was so scared,’ Hainsworth expresses,
‘they’d been together for so long, and I’d heard so much about it and everyone
said it was the best thing they’d ever seen, and I was like oh shit, but then I
came in and I met them and they’re all super lovely, and made me feel at home’.
But with so many critically acclaimed productions on stage
in London right now, why should audiences come and see Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour above anything else? Caroline Deyga
has a pretty persuasive answer… ‘It’s as much an experience as it is a piece of
theatre. And if you get shocked by it and you walk out then that is an
absolutely credible thing to feel. Sorry we made you think.’ She adds with a
smile, ‘but to have that strong response to a piece of theatre doesn’t come
along all the time, so come and take advantage of it while it is here!’ And isn’t
that as good a reason to go to the theatre as any?
Visit ourladiestheplay.co.uk for more information
