Interview: Haydn Oakley and Laura Pitt-Pulford On THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH!

The Smallest Show on Earth is beginning its circuit around the country. Based on the film with Peter Sellers and Margaret Rutherford, director and co-creator Thom Southerland has worked to carefully embed music from the repertoire of Irving Berlin to make this into a delightful and unique musical.

"At first look, it might appear quite a traditional show - which it is in many ways - but there's so much more to it," says Haydn Oakley, who plays Matthew Spenser. "It's got so much charm and heart from all of the characters."

"I think the best way to sum it up is charming," agrees Laura Pitt-Pulford, who plays Jean Spenser. "Someone said to me that it's like watching an old black-and-white movie, but live, in front of you, in colour. That's what Thom Southerland wants. One of the reasons he wanted to adapt this into a musical was the nostalgia of it and the memory of him sitting with his grandparents on a Sunday afternoon - that feeling he had then, he still has when he thinks about it. He's done a wonderful job of capturing that."

Both are excited about the opportunity to create new roles for the stage as they embark on a tour that concludes in Malvern at the end of November.

"I've been very lucky to do newer pieces recently - you want to be creative, and from my point of view working with Thom Southerland was a big draw - a new director, someone up and coming. I love the idea of creating new work and putting my imprint on something," says Oakley.

"Initially I thought, 'How are you going to put these songs into this show, which was a film, and make it work?' And actually it's quite bewildering how these songs work - it feels like they were meant to be," says Pitt-Pulford.

She's been involved since the workshop phase, and is delighted at how the show has developed - and that it's made it in front of an audience.

"I've seen it evolve over the last year and a half. It's changed massively, things put in and taken out, and even when we started previewing things were changing - you never know what works until you put it in front of an audience. It's lovely to have been there since Day One."

But Pitt-Pulford admits that she always had a sneaking feeling The Smallest Show on Earth would be a success.

"It was a really exciting feeling, just knowing it would work [as a show]," she recalls. "It became more polished, and eventually we had a piece that was ready to be put on stage. I always knew there was a place for it."

The Smallest Show on Earth is touring the UK.
For more information, visit www.thesmallestshowonearth.co.uk
Facebook: The Smallest Show On Earth
Twitter: @TheSmallestShow

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