CityLife

Interview: Justin Moorhouse

Justin Moorhouse as Zack

This Christmas at the Royal Exchange sees local comedian Justin Moorhouse starring in the title role of the Harold Brighouse comedy, Zack.

Justin is, of course, a hugely-popular regular on the national comedy circuit and recently sold out Manchester Opera House.

He also hosts the popular drive-time radio show on Key 103 and has been a CityLife columnist. His previous acting credits include Phoenix Nights, that springboard to national acclaim for so many of our local comedy heroes, as well as Ken Loach’s subversively funny film Looking For Eric, along with a certain Eric Cantona and John Henshaw.

One of the celebrated Manchester school of writers, the play’s author, Harold Brighouse, was born in Eccles and his most famous play, Hobson’s Choice,  was a sell-out success at the Royal Exchange seven years ago.

In this Twenties-set tale, Zack is the unconventional, underachieving youngest member of the Munnings family, whose good heart and cheerfulness are a far greater asset than his brother’s crafty greed.

This charmingly funny story sees him eventually win not only self-respect but a bride.

Justin would be the first to agree that stand-up is a long way from straight drama and takes his metaphorical hat off to Zack’s director Greg Hersov for having such faith in him.

“I’d done a bit of stand-up here years ago and I auditioned for Everybody Loves A Winner a year ago, which I was disappointed not to get. But we’ve kept in touch and Gerry (Knight-Smith, casting director) brought a script for this around to our house and literally asked if I could come in the next day to audition!

“So I had a look at it and thought it was just really, really nice!

“It’s not performed a lot, unlike Hobson’s Choice, and I didn’t know it. But I came in to meet Greg and a few other people, did about 25 minutes with them, then walked up to Starbuck’s. And literally, while I was sitting there with my coffee, I got the call!

“That was back in the summer, and it took ages to sort schedules out but you can’t turn a chance like this down.

“The thing with the part is that the company is full of great actors – and I’m not!” he laughs.

“But the character has got such an innocence of the world around him, a knowing innocence really. So it’s quite easy to see me playing it.

“I certainly don’t want it to sound as if I’m blase about it, though, because I’m definitely not.

“We used to come here to the Royal Exchange from school but don’t ask me what we saw, it’s all a blur with things like Live And Let Die! So the fact that the Royal Exchange have asked me to do a big part at Christmas..! You can imagine going out there and being able to smell the Christmas Markets and it’s all part of that!

“Obviously, it’s not a panto, which I’ve done, but it is a magical story that my son, who’s 13, and young adults will be able to see and enjoy as well, particularly as the play is not that far removed from our world today.
It’s set in Little Hulton when it was a satellite town of Manchester, like Hyde was when I was growing up there.

“So those things are quite normal, and the language is a bit different from these days but not too much.

“The whole feel of the play is about living under a budget, the constraints of money and  station and procedure, all of those things which are relevant today as well with all the cuts and austerity. There are no complete relationships in the play either, which is interesting too.

“It’s something that’s different to do and that’ll stretch me. I’ve not blagged my way into this but I know I’m not an actor. I’m a performer, and of course there’s a validity to doing stand-up or performing as a DJ, but doing this is frightening and I did nothing for days but ask questions.

“But I know the Exchange wouldn’t have asked me to do it if they didn’t think I was capable of it.”

Zack is at the Royal Exchange from Tuesday (December 7, 2010) until January 22, 2011. Justin Moorhouse tops a special bill of late-night Christmas stand-up at the Royal Exchange on Saturday December 18, when he will barely have time to take his make-up off after the evening performance before bounding back on stage at 11.15pm with guests Alun Cochrane, Steve Royle and Mick Ferry.