Mercury Fur – Ready and Waiting

February 11th, 2010 by Frances Loy
Share
Mercury Fur First Night
Photo courtesy of Philip Ridley, taken in final Dress Rehearsal, 09/02/2009

Mercury Fur first night report by Director Frances Loy

It's a terrifying thing, stepping out of your comfort zone. For two and half months our space has been sacred. We played, shared, experimented, failed, picked ourselves back up and started again. We've debated endlessly the merits of choices, discussed and been saddened by research materials, worked our bodies, minds and very souls to breaking point, with a few bruises along the way. And last night, we finally shared it with Outsiders.

Our audience members were still in the bar when the actors and I emerged post-show - always a good sign! And the response has been overwhelming, from those who've seen the show before, those who've only read it and (most importantly) those who have had no previous experience of Mercury Fur. Our story is clear, always my massive priority. The space doesn't just suit the work - it adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere with someone even saying this play isn't meant for a traditional theatre - it needs to be seen, warts and all, in this sort of space. Gasps were heard in the right places, a few titters that we can build on - and tears were flowing before the final blackout.

We still have work to do, but it's exciting work because it involves every member of the audience who walks through the doors. We've left the safety of our enclosed rehearsals but in laying ourselves bare we can now share the story with the people it was created for, and let it grow in their response.
We have stepped outside our comfort zone - we invite you to join us.

Buy tickets here
Read more about Mercury Fur

Mercury Fur by Philip Ridley

January 9th, 2010 by admin
Share
Mercury Fur by Philip Ridley

by Philip Ridley
a theatredelicatessen production

Directed by Frances Loy
Lighting & Design by William Reynolds


“I love you so much I could burst into flames”

theatredelicatessen to stage first London revival of PHILIP RIDLEY’S infamous Mercury Fur at a brand new alternative theatre space in the heart of the West End.

In the savage wastelands of London, the East End has become a battleground and staying alive has become a day-to-day struggle. There, a gang have discovered the only way to survive is to deep-freeze their emotions and cater to the darkest fantasies of the rich.

Together, they have prepared a party. The child has been woken from his drug-induced sleep. The make-up applied and the meat hook is glistening. Everything is in place. Now all that’s needed is a party guest…

theatredelicatessen, the leading company in London’s emerging Pop-Up Theatre scene, are staging the first major revival of Philip Ridley’s visceral Mercury Fur – his most controversial play to date. We're hugely excited to be working so closely on this project with Phil, one of our generation's most prolific and inventive playwrights.

Since its explosive premiere Mercury Fur has been performed throughout the world. As we enter a new decade, with all its unease and moral dilemmas, this brutal vision of love and violence is more relevant than ever.

This is theatredelicatessen’s first production in their new performance space – a derelict four-storey nestled behind Selfridges and a stone’s throw from St Christopher’s Place.

Previous critical acclaim for Mercury Fur includes:

“There are moments that almost make your heart stop” THE TIMES

“A play for our time...it is a play you need to see” THE SUNDAY TIMES

“Grippingly visceral...Brutal and fascinating” THE INDEPENDENT

“Stunning, superb...drags us into a circle of hell while affirming the indomitability of humanity's best instincts. Unforgettable.” VARIETY

“Brutal, heartfelt and authentic...the plot is sickening and the characters are almost irredeemable. But in that 'almost' Ridley has found the human soul and driven a meat-hook right through its gut.” LA THEATRE REVIEW

Mercury Fur runs Tuesday - Saturday, 9th February - 13th March 2010.

Tickets on sale now

Happy New Year from Theatre Delicatessen!

January 6th, 2010 by Roland Smith
Share

The space is dead... Long live the space

TheatreDelicatessen would like to wish all our friends and extended family a happy 2010!

T Deli Post 295 crop

The doors have finally closed on 295 Regent Street, and the preparations are taking place for our move to our new home.

Meanwhile, rehearsals are well underway for production #6.

Watch this space for more information - hopefully we will be able to fill you in on the details by the end of the week.

In the meantime, you might be interested to know that Pedal Pusher was highlighted as one of Time Out's theatre picks of 2009. In fact, they said:

“In ‘Pedal Pusher’, what Theatre Delicatessen managed to do with a couple of plastic chairs and some cycling shorts was pretty spectacular.”

‘Best of the year 2009: Theatre’ TIME OUT

I love you so much I could burst into flames

December 28th, 2009 by Frances Loy
Share

We await the news that our keys to our new space are awaiting deliverance; after a heart wrenching couple of months in which we turned up to see locks being changed, fought to keep the Christmas Festival going, had an emotional party farewell to 295 Regent Street and carried bar pieces, flats and other huge pieces of wooded contructions up the slippery rickety fire escape stairs in the pouring rain (followed by many beers and heart to hearts), the benevolent Great Portland Estates looked kindly upon us and have offered theatredelicatessen a new home and a new beginning - the DIY/Immersive Experience/Squatter asthetic continues to thrive in London's West End, and we have continued stalwartly with our plans to mount the first major London revival of Philip Ridley's Mercury Fur.

I've spent this evening finally finishing the blurb for the flyers, a process that began when I first read, cover to cover, Plays2 by Phil, and is now, categorically, part of the final touches of our marketing plan about to go into overdrive. It's a task that has been difficult to complete until now simply because the play encapsulates so much inside just your own head that you just don't know where to start as a director let alone markteing PR type....and now of course there is FAR TOO MUCH to consider having had read through and two rehearsals with the cast and Phil himself.

How do you deal with a play that draws directly from Rwandan Genocide Survivors, that makes a simple read through degenerate into discussion of pre-GSCE kids going into the army as squadies to get a house and to learn to kill in an attempt to keep them from shooting random people in Tottenham, or revisiting images from Bazra and Kabul of macheted heads lined up outside the homes of their owners while restaurant patrons go about their daily lives, and yet another kid in South London stands up to bullying and intimidation and gets a bullet through his skull as thanks.

How do you begin to work on a play which forces anecdotes and confessions from a small group of strangers about drugs and sex and less rock more roll and suicide stories and bullying in school and being amazed at an ordinary tube journey turning into an adventure from a Robert Louis Stevenson novel - though clearly riding the Circle Line rather than a boat to a Scottish Island.

The thing is Mercury Fur is more about the 9 of us sharing those ideas and ideals than it is about the inevitable comparisons to modern living...the bond we already share, the fear in reviving such an infamous text, the sheer terror in living up to the expectations of the number of people who claim to adore Phil's work, the instant link that sparked between us all in the auditions. It may be a bit far fetched to say we all commit oursleves completely to doing as much as we can to keep the love between us sacred, but an element of fighting for each other and what we believe in, what and who we love must have already been forged for us to jump into the oblivion which will saturate our lives for the next few months.

What is it about the human condition that puts us in emotional and physical acts of violence to create and preserve peace and love and at least what we perceive to be worthy of our love and reconciliation? How far will we go for the people we love? Is there a finite, inevitablility about destroying the people we love most in order to save and protect them? You'll just have to come and see the show to find out...in the meantime, the Mercury Fur company have American Hot Pizza and Apocalypse Now hired...

The Space is Dead! Long Live the Space!

December 8th, 2009 by Roland Smith
Share

As you may be aware, theatredelicatessen will be evicted from our glorious space at 295 Regent Street in a matter of days.

Therefore we have invited a few friends and some of our favourite performers to create a spectacular night of comedy, music, cabaret and song so that we can give our first home the send off it truly deserves....

theatredelicatessen is proud to announce...

*** Frisky and Mannish ***

Sarah-Louise Young

The Open Mouths | MixTapeSessions

Quattro Formaggio

and some very special guests for

The TheatreDelicatessen Christmas Hamper

18 December 2009, 7:30pm

The crown prince and princess of London cabaret, Frisky and Mannish bring their are the succulent delicacy topping The theatredelicatessen Christmas Hamper, bringing to and end theatredelicatessen's two year long residency at 295 Regent Street.

F and M web

Felicity Fitz-Frisky, a fabulous chanteuse, and Hansel Amadeus Mannish, an incredible maestro, are the creators and purveyors of their own peculiar brand of "twisted pop cabaret." You want to know what's actually going on beneath the vacuous pop propaganda of Lily Allen, Chesney Hawkes, Girls Aloud, George Michael, Kate Nash and the Pussycat Dolls, among others?

Come willing to learn, and you will leave with plenty.

Alongside Ms Frisky and Master Mannish will be the original cabaret whore herself, Sarah-Louise Young, enticing the loving crowd into the worlds of Sammy Mavis Jr and La Poule Plombee, whilst The Open Mouths bring their sadistic tops, sauna suicides and sex change regrets and Quattro Formaggio sprinkle on the cheese.....

Tickets

www.friskyandmannish.co.uk

“White hot ...  Frisky & Mannish haven’t so much arrived as been flown in by private jet as fully blown superstars” ***** TIME OUT

“The sun is in the sky for Frisky and Mannish and -for an hour at least - you won’t want to be anywhere else” THE GUARDIAN

“The most purely entertaining hour to be spent at this year’s Fringe... wildly talented.” **** THE INDEPENDENT

“One of the most upbeat hours of comedy I've seen this year. Frisky and Mannish effortlessly straddle the high-low culture divide - no mean feat in sequinned skintight jeans.” THE OBSERVER

Sarah-Louise Young - Cabaret Whore

‘Outstanding cabaret’ TIME OUT

‘Intelligent and unforgettable comedy’ THE LIST

‘A polished performance’ EDINBURGH GUIDE

‘Intelligent one-liners…a razor wit’ FEST

‘Bitingly funny comedy’ ONE4REVIEW

‘Sharp clever observational gold’ BROADWAYBABY

The Open Mouths

Once upon a time....

...a quirky little duo formed a quirky little band.

Sadistic tops, sauna suicides and sex change regrets..... prepare to be razzle dazzled as The Open Mouths throw themselves into the alternative cabaret scene.

www.myspace.com/theopenmouths

Quattro Formaggio

Quattro Formaggio is a brand spanking new sketch group designed to stimulate the senses and tantalise the taste buds. Featuring the formaggiable comic talents of Maddy Carrick, Mike Goward, Andy King and Chloe Metcalfe. Too cheesy? Make up your own stinky mind.