CityLife

Mal's Cappuccino Girls promises resonance

GARRICK DOUBLE: Mal Hope

WHEN CityLife dropped into Altrincham Garrick to meet Mal Pope, the writer of a new musical ‘Cappuccino Girls’, he was playing the keyboard at rehearsal.

The three leads were singing the theme song of the same name in perfect harmony.

I just had time to hear them perform 'Men Are Like Shoes' when, holding an appropriately well-brewed coffee we went backstage for our chat.

I was fascinated by the song title, 'Men are Like Shoes' and Mal explained that the three ladies who meet for coffee every day often discuss the opposite sex. In this song they compare them with shoes.

I could see the logic in the line "Some men are heels without souls” and the song continues along similar lines.

The idea for the musical and its theme song came from his wife, who, when the children were young, used to meet friends every day for coffee.

“She filled me in about the gossip”, said Mal.

“I thought their lives were perfect but what my wife told me made my hair stand on end”, said Mal.

This amused him so much that he had already written the song 'Cappuccino Girls' before he had even thought about the musical.

Then he hit on the idea of a Barista, a Brazilian coffee specialist who turns up at the coffee shop to enter the World Barista Championships.

“When he arrives, everything is turned upside down because he is not quite what he seems, “ said Mal.

Mal plans storylines when he is out running though how he finds time to exercise between presenting for BBC Radio Wales and performing at concerts, I do not know.

Radio show

Whilst rehearsing, he fits in his Sunday morning radio show by driving home from Altrincham on a Friday and back late on Sundays.

“The BBC are very supportive,” he said.

Even though he can’t read music, 'Cappuccino Girls' is his third musical.  The other two were set in and performed in Wales. 

So why did he choose Altrincham for the World premier of his latest show?

“I came to Altrincham via Minneapolis,” he said.

“An American producer got in touch with me last year. He had a show call Triple Espresso about three guys in a coffee shop.

“I went over to see the show and was hoping to premier mine over there.”

Unfortunately, the credit crunch had already begun in the States and the idea fell through though he hopes to take the musical on an American tour next Autumn.

Anthony Williams, Cappuccino’s director, had already directed, among other shows, the famous ‘La Cage aux Folles’ at the Garrick.

Mal said: “He had a chat with the people here and they have been fantastic. We are very happy to perform the premiere at the Garrick.”

Mal’s musical career began early. When he was only 12 John Peel invited him to perform for the BBC. This led to a contract with Elton John’s recording company, Rocket Records.

Most exciting experience

And it was there the most exciting experience in his life took place.

“I was sitting in the Abbey Road Recording Studio when I was only 16-years-old.

I had just met Eric Morecambe who had left. I was playing the piano whilst Elton John sang my song 'If I Wasn’t There'.

"I said to myself, this will be the moment I will tell my grandchildren about.”

He has a lot more to tell them now, especially about his love of writing musicals.

“You can’t beat the excitement of creating something new.”

He is already planning one about Dylan Thomas but, until then, he believes that 'Cappuccino Girls' will catch on everywhere.

“Every town has its cappuccino girls”, he said.

The world premiere of Cappuccino Girls is at Altrincham Garrick on Thursday, February 12 and Friday, February 13 at 7.30 pm. For tickets, priced £15 telephone 0161 928 1677.