THE MAN AT PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL
Tax and the taxman may not seem an obvious choice for a fun night out at the theatre but writer James Graham believes otherwise. Following on from his success at the Drum Theatre, as part of the writing team of Suddenlossofdignity.com, he believes the story of Ben Edwards and his struggle with his tax receipts will make us feel both happy and sad . . . a bit like life!
247 spoke with James and asked him if taxation is really something that would appeal to the readership of 247?
Well, I’m of a similar age group to a large proportion of your audience at 28 and the idea came to me while sorting through my own batch of receipts. Each one can be tied to a little memory. Perhaps that’s the train ticket for your first weekend away with your girlfriend or there’s a receipt for your anniversary meal? It occurred to me that these kinds of things could provide little snapshots of our lives.
So you think the play will have meaning for people in their twenties then?
Yes definitely, I actually think it will have meaning for anyone who’s ever reflected on how they got to this point in their lives. I think a lot of men in their twenties really question how they got this place and where they should go from here. Inevitably for most men, they are not where they saw themselves being at that stage in their lives.
You mean in comparison with our teenage dream?
Exactly, we assume nothing will stand in the way of us becoming professional football players or successful businessmen . . . but the reality of the situation, by the time we actually get there, tends to be very different.
So do you think we’re misled when we’re younger?
Maybe not exactly mislead but young men (and everyone really) are bombarded with images in magazine and on the television and Internet. We see upwardly mobile people in their mid twenties going to cool places and out on dates with fabulous people. Their lives seem to consist of exotic holidays and the like. By the time we get there, our lives aren’t much like that at all. That’s what Ben is doing in this play, reflecting on all different aspects of his life.
And these aspects all occur in whatever order they are drawn out on the night?
That’s right. Each receipt is its own little story and they are each played out in whatever order they fall. It tends to be quite effective and the running order can really alter the nature of the play. Sometimes it ends happy . . . sometimes it ends quite sad.
So there’s not even a framing sequence for the beginning or the end?
No it’s all completely random. People often do ask, “How do you manage to get them drawn out in the right order?” but the truth is there really isn’t a “right” order. All the combinations seem to work in one-way or another though.
Have all the possible combinations been performed now then?
I believe so and they all seem to work in albeit quite differently but it is a very unique experience for each audience – which is something I believe theatre should be. If people want to go to the theatre to feel something then this is a show for them. It provokes emotion and that emotion can be a little sad but it can also provide lots of laughs.
So, if you’d like to see one (or more!) of these combinations of the show, then get along to the Drum theatre where The Man is running from 7th to 11th June 2011.
Words: Alan Butler
