Broadway Baby talks to Sweetness and Light.
Sweetness and Light crept out of a sleepless night in a Bristolian bedsit; a poem about persecution that evolved into a duologue.
Tell us about your show
Sweetness and Light is a dark comedy in verse, at times slapstick pantomime. It explores the working relationship between two state approved killers, and their jaundiced view of life.
In the near future the ‘Office of Population Adjustment’ has employed Glucose and Sucrose in the Department of Community Sanitation. After many years of working together, muddling through and covering their own backs, the bungling pair encounters a situation that tests their bond to its limit.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
We are bringing our show almost 600 miles from the very tip of Cornwall and we needed a partner we could trust. theSpaceUK offered us a fabulous venue, exactly the right size and at the right price. Charles Pamment, (fantastic organisational skills and always really quick to respond to questions) is consistently in contact with us (holding our hands – thank you!) and his knowledge of the festival, his contacts and years of experience meant that we felt theSpaceUK would be the ideal support for us on our first journey to Edinburgh. theSpaceUK have an excellent reputation and have made the booking and organising of our trip uncomplicated, unproblematic and easy to manage.
What are you most looking forward to at this year’s festival?
We are carrying naivety and trepidation 600 miles - and are determined to have fun and leave empty handed. We are really keen to see other shows, meet other companies and enjoy the atmosphere of the festival. It’s already been an amazing journey and we’ve learnt so much in a short space of time.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
Rotating cast members drawn from Edinburgh drama students; two men on a swivel chair; a table with a bad leg; a wardrobe door that won't shut; a horse doctor's bag full of kitchen utensils; London rhyme; fifteen square meters of national newspaper; tin full of spiders; telephone underwater; toilet for a blood gutter; a dog-eared Moby Dick and two battered lemons who can't tell their aunt from their uncle.
What has been the biggest challenge in getting your show ready for Edinburgh?
Getting the set in the van and trusting the van will make it to Edinburgh! Plus the casting of two non-speaking parts; we've rehearsed with empty chairs, shop mannequins and handmade, life-sized dummies. Finally we have decided to use drama students. This is a challenge in itself as we shan't meet them until arrival.
How did you create your show?
Sweetness and Light crept out of a sleepless night in a Bristolian bedsit; a poem about persecution that evolved into a duologue. With a friend's encouragement and collaboration it became a play expecting to be performed. After public readings and private assessments Blabbermouth Theatre happened to it. Many rewrites and line cuts later it has grown into a lyrical, nostalgic drama about brotherhood and brutality.
Production Company: Blabbermouth Theatre
Venue: SpaceTriplex (V38)
Dates: 7th - 29th August (not 16th, 23rd)
Times: 16:05 (17:05)
Twitter Handle: @BlabbermouthTC
Facebook: Sweetnessandlightplay
