CityLife

Here's Johnny!

AS if the incessant rain hasnét been enough to take recently, a cast from Windy City is set to blow into Manchester next week and how.

Thankfully though the comfortable surroundings of the Library Theatre will provide some much needed respite as under the direction of one of the cityés adopted sons Julio Martino, it will be the Chicago cast starring who should leave you shaken and stirred.

Co-written by David Hauptschein and David Vlcek and currently residing in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, The Ballad of Johnny Five Star is a tale of jealousy and revenge triggered by a supposed marital infidelity.

What begins as a quirky comedy thriller turns ever darker as the hard-drinking, sharp-talking protagonist gradually sows the seeds of his own destruction.

Said to be a no holds barred performance packed with distinctive humour and razor-edged dialogue, it should all make for a memorable theatre event.

I caught up with Martino prior to the playés run in the city to find out more:

How has the play gone down in Edinburgh so far?
Ités been ok. Weéve had some excellent reviews and some dodgy ones as well. In a way that is quite nice as it means youére stirring something up. Weéve had enough good ones to sell tickets, so that the main thing.

Is it the first time it has been performed?
We did it for a few nights in Chicago to get it ready, but yes this is its official world premiere.

You have been taking shows up to Edinburgh for quite a few years now. Do you think the festival it is still as relevant as ever?
I think it is a really important event. One of the great things about the Fringe is that there is no selection criteria, apart from by the venue itself, which isnét the case at a lot of other festivals where a board of people decide what comes in. So this means that they are thousands of things going on making it a real world market.

Does this lead to any drawbacks?
I think the problem is that this obviously causes it to become more commercial, which was always going to happen as it became more successful. It has become more geared to comedy and silly shows as well, so ités easier to have a sensation hit rather serious drama like ours.

What have the cast made of it?
I think theyéve been quite shocked by how commercial it is now. Theyéve read about the festival of 15 years ago where they were all these avant-garde, small plays, which there still is. Now though you have all these hyper venues. I think this was always going to be unavoidable, what I think it totally unacceptable is that the newspapers sponsor the venues. Youéd only get that in a banana republic or the Fringe. You also get booklets being printed, which only featuring one venuesé act. Apart from that ités great and youéve just have to go in there and play the game tougher than everybody else with a piece of work you are proud of.

How did you come to work with the writers?
Well Iéve worked with David Hauptschein on two previews occasions. I first came into contact with his work when I saw his play Trance at Edinburgh, when I was up there as a student from Manchester University. It affected me on such a deep, visceral level. It was psychological very scary to watch, which is very unusual for theatre. I took my about four years to pluck up the courage to write to David, by the time I was a director myself. We got on well and he came down to see me in London. He later told me about these plays he written with a guy (David Vlcek) who heéd met in the gym. Theyéd written one other, Son of Man, and then this was this new play Johhny Five Star, which we thought would be good to take to the Fringe with an all American cast.

How have you found working with a US cast?
Great, I love it. Iéve got on better with them better than with any cast Iéve worked for in the last few years. If youére doing an American play, particular with this style of acting which has developed over the last 25 years and started with Steppenwolf (John Malkovich's theatre company) that is very no holds barred, changing from comedy to tragedy very quickly, then people from Chicago are very good at it.

Is it not really achievable with UK actors?
You can do it with English actors, but there will always be problems with the accent and also there is certain different approach to take as well, which means there is more of jump. Iém very interested in international work and taking one culture to another. So doing an American play in Manchester and Edinburgh with English actors seems a lot less interesting than bringing a cast over and showing that culture.

It must also be great having a cast on the same wavelength?
Yes of course, they all work very well together with the hurdles you might of got already superseded when rehearsals start.

You were last in Manchester with The Jew of Malta at the Contact. How do you feel that went?
It went really well. We were sold out every night and it was the most challenging thing Iéve ever done directorially. We took it to Italy first and then to Manchester and there were several Manchester actors in the cast as well so that was good. We decided to make the most of the space we had so kept it to an audience of 40 to 50 every night to make more room, and they seemed to really like it.

Have you found the Manchester theatreés receptive for new plays you have wanted to put on?
Yes. I think there is only one problem with Manchester is that the theatre system is set up in such a way, and I completely understand why, that for the kind of plays I like doing I only get to put them on for a week and not three to four weeks. To do it for a week is not really enough, but for theatres like the Contact or the Library to put the Ballad of Johnny Five Star is a bit of a risk. I think the audience is there but ités not like London or Edinburgh where there audience is so big you can run it for five, six weeks no problem. Thatés yet to happen yet and is the one thing stopping the city becoming a really important centre of drama. The talent is there, the theatres are there é ités just about developing the audience.

Is it just a case of keep putting stuff on here to build a reputation for yourself?
Definitely. The problem is that because I do so much work internationally in Italy and Chicago, for example we spent two months in rehearsals there for this, Iém not here as often as I liked. I missed the 24:7 Festival because of it, which seemed to be one of the most interesting things theatre wise to happen to the city in a while. That is just a problem I have to counter and gain the visibility Iéd like.

The Ballad of Johnny Five Star is on at the Library Theatre from Tuesday, August 31 until Saturday, September 4. Tickets are é8 - é14. Call 0161 236 7110 to book.