BEHIND THE SCENES: In Rehearsal With The Cast Of DEPARTURE LOUNGE

It's a bright, breezy day in Stratford and as the cast of Departure Lounge rehearse, they're accompanied not only by their own MD but every so often the strains of the cast of Five Guys Named Moe, practising their own show downstairs.

"This is a play with songs," explains director Pip Minnithorpe. "The songs don't advance the narrative." The cast all nod vociferously. "This could be a play without the songs," says actor Jack Shalloo. "The book is so good."

The company descend into a discussion about how much music a play-with-songs needs before it can only be classified as a musical. More than that, this is a play-with-songs for men, and people who don't like musicals.

"It took me a long time to like musicals," says writer Dougal Irvine, whose introduction to the art form came via his parents' love for Gilbert and Sullivan. "I wanted to get away from that Rodgers and Hammerstein moment, where you can see the song coming a mile off."

Departure Lounge focuses on four teenage boys and the woman who links the quartet. Verity Rushworth, last seen in the West End as Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, is the sole female in the cast, and defends her character Sophie from the nasty insinuations flung her way by the boys. "She's smart! She's sophisticated! She affects ALL their lives!" she claims.

"One of the things that attracted me to this was that the comedy is funny," says actor Chris Fountain, "and it's got that kind of humour that's vulgar to a degree, but it's very boys' humour. Like The In-Betweeners, or Flight of the Conchords."

"You can see someone you know in it, whether it's a friend, brother or boyfriend," adds choreographer Cressida Carre. She has one of the toughest jobs of all - getting the cast up to physical scratch for a high-energy 90-minute show, beginning every day with a lengthy session of cardio-based body-conditioning. "There are four bigger numbers with choreography, but it's the energy for the whole show, not just mad moves!" she says. "It's non-stop, and it's tiring. They finish one bit and they're on to the next bit. It's about stamina." And how do the cast feel about it? "I quite enjoy it," says Shalloo, before adding, "though I did hurt my neck in the first week and now they call me Sicknote."

Shalloo's character is the darkest of the four, he says, as Pete is orphaned and lives with foster parents. "It's a great part for me, he's a cheeky chappie with very funny lines, but there's some depth to it," he says. "It's nice to have that journey in the story."

Shalloo spent the summer in Edinburgh playing Hamlet in the smash-hit Hamlet! The Musical, and has come back to rehearse for this. "I get to do a rap in this - so that's going on my CV," he laughs. "I sing a song, Picture Book, about my parents, and the rest is all the boys together, with loads of harmonies."

"Some of these songs are hilarious, with crazy dance routines, and some are so touching - some I can't hear without getting a lump in my throat," says Steven Webb, who plays Ross.

See and hear for yourself when the show opens at Waterloo East next week.

 

 

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