6 min readBy Dr Becky Alexis Martin
Insane Animals is an utterly unique stage show – a time-travelling musical comedy that premieres at HOME from Friday 28 February – Saturday 14 March 2020. Written by George Heyworth and Liv Morris and Directed by Phillip McMahon, follow the wacky tale of two super-glam aliens arriving on earth… and their quest to find out what makes humans human! Bourgeois & Maurice (the creative identities of George Heyworth and Liv Morris!) – a cabaret duo much-loved for their savage and satirical musical talent – are writing for a large cast for the first time, and sure to thrill. Presented in association with Supercreeps, Insane Animals certainly is intriguing. Dr Becky Alexis Martin (Lecturer in Human Geography, Manchester Metropolitan University) decided to delve behind the scenes and find out more…
Insane Animals is a spectacularly queer tall tale that takes us from the depths of glittery Mesopotamia, to the verge of political and environmental apocalypse. It meshes the legend of Gilgamesh with a sprinkle of space-age alien drag cabaret, to create a gloriously unfaithful epic that traverses space and time. This sharp and hilarious musical is the collaborative brainchild of HOME’s T1 commission and cult musical comics Bourgeois and Maurice, also known as George Heyworth and Liv Morris, who have conspired to channel the DIY of vaudeville into this fast-paced and confetti-sprinkled confection. Insane Animals begins with a tale of the most ‘sexist, violent, borderline far-right, greedy megalomaniac’ of ancient Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh. He is feared by his subjects and his enemies alike, and widely known for being ‘horrible, phenomenal, abominable and unstoppable’. When we first encounter Gilgamesh on stage, his toxic masculinities are running rampant and uncontrolled. So, can he discover his softer side and accept his own mortality? Equally importantly, can humanity be saved from certain doom by two extraordinarily fabulous extra-terrestrials?
The cast includes not only Bourgeois & Maurice, but also Lockie Chapman, Emer Dineen, Evie Jones, Kayed Mohamed-Mason, Jarrad Payne… and plenty of flair of course! Composer, performer and multi-instrumentalist Victoria Falconer is the highly-anticipated Musical Director.
It is clear that a busy and exciting team are creating a theatrical spectacular no other. With set design from Michael Hankin, lighting designer Sinéad McKenna, costume design from Julian Smith, Andrew Gallimore on make-up design, Manchester-born choreographer Carl Harrison, Assistant Director Heather Carroll and sound designer Kate Harvey – audiences are in for a treat.
I had the opportunity to enjoy a preview performance, and to chat to Australian actor and multi-platinum selling recording artist with The Overtones, Lachlan 'Lockie' Chapman about playing Gilgamesh; and to the co-director of THISISPOPBABY and Insane Animals, Phillip McMahon.
Phillip, could you tell me a little about the creative processes behind Insane Animals?
"Liv and George are my heroes, so for me, the opportunity to work on this production at the peak of their talent is very special. They usually work as a double act and with this commission from HOME, it’s given me the liberty to create more voices and a bigger cast. So, it’s really stretched our capabilities and has been very special and fulfilling for me. You follow the rabbit holes that the show requires. The amazing thing about Bourgeois and Maurice is that they are from the queer underbelly of performance, that really great territory. They also have great theatre chops, as they are huge musical fans and their knowledge is amazing. They are the smartest and nicest people in showbusiness, so this has been a very joyful room. On this occasion, the planets have aligned beautifully!"
Lockie, I loved the way that you resurrected the antihero and slotted him into the present day. What did you draw upon, and who were your present-day influences while playing Gilgamesh?
"It’s a 4000 year old story that’s been brought into the future, but in that pantomimic way, so you still have the goodie and the baddie. Gilgamesh, Bourgeois and Maurice have this fight towards the end, when we have all been dragged into the future so we can live eternally – but then Gilgamesh discovers that he is still mortal. It’s really three-dimensional, this fight between two hopeful loons who fly in with their remote-controlled spacecraft, and this old king. You asked about my influences, and I keep thinking of Theresa May! She’s this contemporary version of the “tyrant king” who softens up, warms up, and eventually becomes both a stranger in a modern land and a human being. So, I’m definitely thinking of Theresa May, but there’s also maybe a hint of Patsy from Ab-Fab. So, Gilgamesh is a mixture of Patsy and Theresa in an explosion of beautiful songs and amazing choreography."
Phillip, how does your show highlight the contemporary issues of our time?
"You could easily just describe the show as satirical and camp, but to sustain an audience, and as our audiences are smarter than ever, you need to find some resonant truths. We have to make the audience feel something, and by presenting Gilgamesh as a despot who is going through crisis, it allows us to see everyone as being fundamentally human. You don’t apologise for people’s actions, but as discourse in modern society has become so tense and fragmented, then it’s good to launch back in and say, human interaction is the thing that might bring us back."
Lockie, what was it like to get back into character after playing with The Overtones?
"Getting into character is entertaining, it’s so much fun to be playing the baddie! However, I’m never going to play the goody with this voice, it’s like Hades! I felt so lucky to be offered the part, and to come over from playing with The Overtones to this. It feels a lot like playing a gig, you can eyeball the audience and I love to be a part of it – it’s a wonderful musical rock-gig drag show! I studied acting, and I originally moved to the UK with the best intentions of becoming an actor. Instead, I joined a band, we got signed to Warner Music and the rest is history. From that perspective, performing with Insane Animals has been a new and exciting experience. With The Overtones, all I’ve had to do for the last eight years is to remember three minutes of lyrics – so learning eighty pages of text was a new challenge. It’s been a wonderful experience though, with a great bunch of people and a rocking show!"
Insane Animals' 'queer unravelling of past and present, fact and fiction, life and death' opens at HOME on Friday, 28 February 2020 and is an absolute must-see for anyone who enjoys vaudeville, queer comedy and shimmery satire. I am looking forward to it already! Book tickets online here.
Images: provided by HOME
