MUSICAL STAGES interviews GERRY WARE
Victorian London, social conditions, poverty, and of course the infamous ‘Jack the Ripper’ legacy has been a great source of inspiration to many writers over the years. Coming to London’s prestigious Union Theatre in June is 1888, is a new musical from the Producer’s of ‘The Remains of the Day’ and ‘Purlie’, which looks at the period from a slightly different angle, with the focus being on the City itself. Theatre writer and critic Colin Milrose met up with writer and composer Gerry Ware to get the inside story of a project that has been in development for nearly ten years.
- So Gerry, tell me why you decided to use this particular period of history as a source of inspiration?
Victorian London has always fascinated me, and at that particular time London was seeing major change. The industrial revolution had seen people leaving the rural areas and flocking to the cities in search of a better life. The East End with its docks and new factories springing up was just such a place. Vibrant, bursting and chaotic, and that’s what appealed to me, the ‘let’s have a good time’ attitude even when times were hard. As a Londoner myself its part of my heritage, part of me. The inspiration has always been there, it’s just taken me a while to realise it.
- I understand that you’re approaching the subject matter from an alternative angle in 1888, tell me a little about how and why you’ve decided to go down this route.
Everybody’s intrigued with ‘Jack the Ripper’ and his identity. But he wasn’t the only thing happening in London that year. I’ve tried to bring out the bigger picture. The immigrant workers and ethnic minorities struggling to make a go of it amongst the local people, and the racial and social tension which resulted. The women’s movement and their concern about the rights and exploitation of women which was in it’s infancy but gaining momentum. The police and their methods of dealing with this changing society and the relationships between all these people including love and romance.
- What major challenges did you encounter by adopting this approach?
The biggest challenge for me was to condense the enormity of the subject and all those aspects of people’s lives into a two hour musical play. I’ve chosen to do it by setting it primarily in a local pub, which for most was the centre of the community. It’s the everyday lives of these people, a small cross section of society, around whom the story centres.
- Your musical background and influences… how have these impacted and influenced 1888.
When I was a kid my dad had a ‘Truvox’ tape recorder, his state-of-the-art pride and joy. He recorded everything from the popular classics to ‘pick of the pops’ on Sunday radio. So my influences have been broad and wide. But the simple melodies and vocal harmonies of the Beatles and Beach Boys in particular have influenced me the most. As I said I grew up in London and our family was large. So the many sing-along parties we had, invariably with someone on the upright piano, left me with fond memories of those London songs. You might just detect that influence in some of the ‘1888’ songs.
- Obviously presenting such a ‘big’ musical in a relatively small space with only a limited budget is a challenge. When you secured the actual theatre 1888 was going to be presented in, did you have to re-think any of your original ideas?
The hydraulic scene changes maybe….the rolling road….the twenty piece orchestra!
No, I’d been to the ‘Union’ before we secured it to premiere ‘1888’ and although unconventional in many ways the acting space as regards height and depth I think was almost made for this production. That, coupled with it set under railway arches and being of a similar era, combines to make the atmosphere just right. I know our creative team will use every inch of space so the production should still feel “big”. In fact I felt quite privileged when I was there because the cast of the musical I saw were so close I felt they were acting and singing just for me. You’ll also get a warm welcome at the Union theatre.
- As a writer how does it feel handing over something you’ve been working on for so long to a creative team, and how successful do you think they’ve realised your ‘vision’?
A hard one. I’ve lived with this for so long the scary bit is the thought of handing it over to someone else rather than actually doing it myself. I’ve been very lucky. Our creative team have involved me all along the way and having realised everything they have done is for the benefit and success of the show I’ve been very happy working with them. In fact, if anything, they’ve broadened my ‘vision’ and I’m very excited how everything is progressing.
- And the future for 1888? Do you see the potential for your show to move from a London Studio Theatre to a much bigger stage?
Yes, definitely. Apart from the obvious social comment, the show has mystery, suspense and romance as well as humour and pathos. I was told once that had I written it for a cast of five it would be touring the country by now. But I haven’t compromised on the size of the production and with the Olympics coming to London next year, what better than to have a brand new production on the “Big” stage, the subject being a little bit of the history of the capital. Yes I truly believe it could be a commercial success. So I’ll look forward to the opening night when I know my family and I will be entertained and enjoy a thoroughly good evening watching “1888” at the Union Theatre.
1888 opens at The Union Theatre, Southwark on 7 June and runs until 2 July. Box Office telephone number is 020 7261 9876, and online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/uniontheatre
