The Independent London Newspaper
Theatre: Latest news>August 5 - Cathy McManamon’s semi-autobiographical comedy Ladies Who Launch and hard-hitting, knife-crime play ZIP
Published: 05 August 2010
by JOSH LOEB
• IT'S not hard to spot that Cathy McManamon’s comedy Ladies Who Launch is semi-autobiographical. “It’s about actresses and what we go through,” she says. “And how we don’t get the part and all the mad jobs we do.” The title comes from the fact that the Islington-based writer and actress once worked at Harrods (or, as she calls it, “Horrids”) “launching” posh products.
Cathy grew up “in an Irish pub in Holloway”. She said the play was easy to write because she had so many friends in the acting business who had horror stories about jobs they had done to make ends meet. “I knew an actress who worked on a Weight Watchers helpline,” she says. ”People would ring her up to ask how many points a can of Special Brew had in it.”
Cathy grew up “in an Irish pub in Holloway”. She said the play was easy to write because she had so many friends in the acting business who had horror stories about jobs they had done to make ends meet. “I knew an actress who worked on a Weight Watchers helpline,” she says. ”People would ring her up to ask how many points a can of Special Brew had in it.”
Ladies Who Launch is at the Etcetera Theatre from August 18-19 as part of the Camden Fringe.
Tickets: 08444 771000
• Farewell to Eric Dupon, who left the Hampstead Theatre’s Education Department this week for pastures new. The “Young at Art” Westminster Kingsway College class bade farewell to him, presenting him with a gift in recognition of his work directing a series of their short plays in the theatre’s Michael Frayn Space.
Tickets: 08444 771000
• Farewell to Eric Dupon, who left the Hampstead Theatre’s Education Department this week for pastures new. The “Young at Art” Westminster Kingsway College class bade farewell to him, presenting him with a gift in recognition of his work directing a series of their short plays in the theatre’s Michael Frayn Space.
• I was blown away by ZIP, a musical about gun and knife crime, at the Lion and Unicorn this week.
One song, It’s Not My Fault, contains these lyrics:
Is it down to the Press?
The media ain’t no mediator,
Tell someone what they are enough,
That’s what they’ll be...
Tell me I’m a thug enough times,
I won’t give a goddamn.
You could be a scumbag,
Or you could be a celebrity.
There are good things to be,
That aren’t on TV.”
Powerful stuff.
Navigation
Syndicate
Comments
Post new comment