The King of Monte Cristo will explore the nature of theatre through theatre. Broadway Baby has a little chat to find out more.
While there are thousands of theatre shows, ours comments on the nature of theatre itself.
Tell us about your show
The King of Monte Cristo is a metatheatrical one-act farce. A young, award-winning writer-director duo are set to stage their fifth play together. But things get complicated when the writer turns up to the first rehearsal with a completely new script. Joining them (and complicating things) are their cast, a Hollywood superstar, an actor who thinks Harold Pinter is a brand of posh paint thinner, a bigheaded aspiring TV personality, and a shy and polite first-timer. As these narcissistic personalities clash, we see the creative process tragicomically self-destruct.
Why did you decide to take your show to Space UK this year?
The theatre we are in is the perfect setting for the show. Being a very simple black box setup makes the space look like a credible rehearsal room. After a successful run in Birmingham, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival seemed the perfect opportunity for a show of this length. We are also produced by the same company behind Improvabunga! which is a hugely successful show every year in the same theatre, so it is the perfect springboard for this piece of new writing.
Why Edinburgh? What’s the attraction?
The fact that people from all over the UK and the world visit Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival is what is most exciting. The idea that someone from halfway around the world can be affected by our production is a great contrast to our otherwise local audience.
What makes your show unique amongst the thousands of others at the festival?
While there are thousands of theatre shows, ours comments on the nature of theatre itself. It is self-aware and it will be refreshing to audience members who have seen tens of shows at the Fringe.
How did you create your show?
The writer-director came up with the concept and put a script together, but it was written with minimal stage directions and the cast was encouraged to improvise lines after a lot of character work. Despite being the work of a writer-director, the fact that it is an ensemble piece meant that everyone chipped in with jokes, both physical and verbal.
If your show does well in Edinburgh, what do you want to do with it next?
There are currently no plans, but if someone paid for it we had the idea of touring with all of the six cast members rotating through each of the characters. This would make for a different show each night as there would be lots of possibilities, and be exciting for both performers and audience.
Production Company: Watch This Theatre Company
Venue: theSpace On The Mile (V39), Theatre 1
Dates: 17th-22nd, 24th-29th August
Times: 17th-22nd 11:00-12:00, 24th-29th 13:45-14:45
Twitter: @Fringe_KOMC
