Nigel Miles-Thomas is no stranger to the Prague Fringe. In fact, it’s fair to say that he has had a prolific and varied career on television and stage. His tale, Once Upon A Time In Hollywoodland, might just be the most dramatic though. And it’s all true…
Consummate and charming storytelling at Prague Fringe
Miles-Thomas recounts his deeply personal tale at the intimate Café Míšenská. We learn of a deprived childhood in a north London suburb. His father, a major in the Indian army, abandons the family when he is six years old. The father is henceforth referred to as ‘Major Disappointment’. The house is sparsely heated. He and his brother share a bed. In fact, resources are so stretched that his mother resorts to hosting various clubs, whose nature varies most differently, to keep afloat. He attends drama school and once graduated lands a plum role in the West End. Despite this, mainstream success does not follow, although he appears in various well-known television shows.
All of which brings us to his early 30s, now married with a young family to support, as an actor. He borrows money and a suit to travel to Los Angeles in the hope of landing a film role. He’s still waiting for the call. But one thing leads to another and an intriguing opportunity opens up: he looks at producing a pantomime in the USA. For the benefit of international readers, pantomimes are traditional shows usually played out in mid-sized theatres around the UK over the Christmas season and are often rather lucrative, but the production usually critically hinges upon a star name to pull the audiences in.
Enter Zsa Zsa Gabor, former Miss Hungary contestant, now Hollywood star and socialite. A brief telephone conversation later and once again Miles-Thomas borrows a suit and money to scurry across the Atlantic to meet her. She accepts the role, but her agent demands $5,000 per week. However, if they can fill the 650-seat theatre, it should all be fine. Gabor is the archetypal diva – a heart of gold one moment, a demon the next. What’s more, she is at the business end of a lawsuit with Elke Sommer, the famed German actor. Significant television coverage of the opening has been arranged, suddenly vital to the success of the show with sales sluggish; however, Gabor loses her case on the same day and her bill runs to millions. As fairy godmother in Cinderella, her extemporaneous comic asides add much to proceedings, but this time she brings her fury with her and insults Sommer on stage. If this proves to be the death knell to the show, our protagonist will face ruin.
Nigel Miles-Thomas is a consummate storyteller. He holds the audience gently as his personal and true narrative is revealed. His stage is simple: he tells his story with merely a photograph of Gabor for reference. He is skilful, engaging and becomes Zsa Zsa Gabor in essence. The opening is perhaps slightly misjudged, with Miles-Thomas enacting the role of lecturer before turning to his tale; it potentially would solicit more audience interaction than may be helpful another day. A minor point though.
The show is utterly charming. You’ll even get to find out whether Zsa Zsa cashed the cheques…
