There must be birds flying higher in a sky so blue (4/5/17)

"So, Ian" I hear you say, "we know that you had a play on and we know you think it was boss but you're a bit biased, what did real people think?"

Funny you should ask.

What follows is a review written by Del Pike for the excellent Bidi Lito magazine interspersed with my comments from a chat we had the day after the performance. Timing and space means that  Bido haven't been able to run it so Del's been kind enough to let me have it and stick it here for your reading pleasure.

Totally unedited in any way to make me appear fantastic, here's Del's review:

The Comeback Special – Cornerstone Theatre, Hope Creative Campus

Its March 2017 and for the first time in 40 years Elvis is back in the building. Taking care of business is Liverpool writer Ian Salmon, who in collaboration with producer Callum Downes and director Sophie Jones-Davies brought his play The Comeback Special to Hope University’s Creative Campus. 

The play, set in downtown Fazakerley, tells the tale of Robbie Fowler (not that one), a young lad who spends his days playing Fifa with his mate Karl, knocking back cans and having a smoke, nothing unusual there, except he can talk to Elvis. Not the real Elvis, an Elvis Impersonator, but it’s still quite a gift, especially when Elvis starts to reveal a few secrets.

The play is nothing short of hilarious and features outstanding performances from its young cast, not least Callum Downes who not only produces but plays Robbie, and the incredible Ian Avery in the role of Elvis, posturing like the King for the whole play.  When Robbie discovers the potential of channelling Elvis to the masses his life changes, but is it for the better?

Ian Salmon wrote the play for inclusion in the Hope Playwrighting Prize (and won the Highly-Commended award) and so began his attachment to the University and its theatre, “I wanted to write something ‘big and scouse’ for a big audience while also giving heart to characters that you might not normally be inclined to care about” Ian tells us. It certainly is big and scouse and the language is decidedly earthy with more F bombs than you can shake a f****ng stick at. The dialogue keeps the characters real though, “They’re based on observations of the lads you see round town, lads who used to shop in the places that I worked. I wanted to make them real people with real needs, making real mistakes and keep them natural. While they were talking to the ghost of Elvis.”

It’s been 40 years this August since Elvis died so the play is a timely reminder of the majesty of the King of Rock n’ Roll, but is Ian a fan? “Yes, but with obvious caveats. Elvis changed the world; imagine how spectral and otherworldly the ’56 stuff sounded in a world that had never heard it before. As Lennon said, ‘’before Elvis there was nothing”, in approximately 1974 I spent my dad’s record club vouchers on a copy of Elvis 40 Golden Greats from a shop in Bootle Strand. I’m old enough to have bought Elvis while he was still here.”

Ian Avery who plays Elvis in the production not only looks the part (Vegas era) but sings the part too, with chilling accuracy, I asked Ian how that actor was chosen, “I honestly don’t know. It was all taken care of by Callum and Sophie. I turned up to the first rehearsal and we had a cast. I do know that there were two actors who auditioned for Elvis and blew them away; there was a hell of a decision to be made there, there’s a real difference between writing ‘Elvis steps to the front of stage’ and the actor adding all those slightly far away mannerisms to the whole thing.”

Eve Woerdenweber from Gogglebox also turns up in spectral form adding a bit of real life celebrity to the piece, but Its Tom Highton who plays Robbie’s stoner mate Karl who takes the lion’s share of laughs. Everyone has met a Karl, every sentence ending in “lad” and bringing a bewildered innocence to everything around him. Of his young cast, Ian enthuses, “These are all highly skilled, trained actors who brought a passion and dedication to the work. Watching them develop the characters was a wonderful experience, watching them become people that are genuinely nothing at all like themselves; the invention and expertise that they have brought to bear has been magnificent.”

Although the whole play revolves around a single sofa, the story takes the audience to another world with belly laughs all the way, should the play return, which I hope it does, it’s a great night out and deserves to be enjoyed by a much larger audience. “My writing gave the actors chance to show their ability on something new, I was given the chance to have my work produced at a very high level. It’s great to give new talent a chance but, even at my age, I’d still consider myself new talent: all collaborative work should be opportunity.”