Review Fix chats with “Cuddles†playwright John Wilde, who discusses the awesome vampire theatrical production set for its New York City premiere on June 9.
Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members).
To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Synopsis:
Teenage vampire Eve has never known what sunlight is. Everything the 13-year-old knows about the world is derived from what her sister Tabby told her. She has never left her darkened room and has just one living, breathing human—her sister—to cuddle. Her world is crammed with storybook characters. To Eve, Harry Potter, Bilbo Baggins and the cast of Dante’s Inferno are real; where princes with adjectives instead of names seduce beautiful princesses against the odds. Eve does everything a good little vampire girl should, including drinking her (human) sister’s blood. But one day, Tabby tires of opening her veins and, in a breath, Eve’s whole world changes.
Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this production?
John Wilde: I started the first draft of ‘Cuddles’ nearly four years ago, as something for a couple of actor friends to do in a tiny space above a pub in Bristol. It’s changed and grown a lot since then, but was originally inspired by my own experiences working as one-to-one learning support for a severely autistic six year old, and more broadly by imprisonment cases like that of Josef Fritzl in Austria.
Review Fix: What have you learned about yourself through this?
Wilde: That I have a fascination with monsters and the stuff of nightmares, perhaps? But also that I’m interested in uncovering the humanity in the most extreme and unusual scenarios and experiences.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy it the most?
Wilde: Not for me to say. I’ve been really surprised at the wide range of people who’ve responded to the play; and also by the vastly different interpretations they’ve had of it. Not for the faint of heart or easily offended though. Anyone with dark sense of humour will get a lot to laugh about.
Review Fix: What do you think makes it something that works on the stage?
Wilde: I think it’s innately theatrical in the form it takes and how it plays out – which was a conscious decision in the writing of it. It’s also relies on the intensely claustrophobic nature of being trapped in a room with these two people deeply disturbed people.
Review Fix: What else is special about this production?
Wilde: Two phenomenal and exceptionally brave actors and an equally fearless director. And I don’t think there are many plays that rely so much on the chemistry between two bizarre and powerful female characters.
Review Fix: In order to make this work, you need a great cast. What makes your team work?
Wilde: Trust, mostly. I trust the director and we both trust the actors abilities, and they’ve returned that with interest in how they’ve approached the script. They are incredibly committed and it’s a joy to watch.
Review Fix: How do you want this production to affect people?
Wilde: It’s affected lots of people differently and I really hope people continue to relate to it in a personal way. I hope people laugh, and I hope people feel uncomfortable. I hope that they love the characters as much as I do.
Review Fix: How do you want it to be remembered?
Wilde: To be remembered at all would be grand! But I’d love people to remember it as a breath of fresh air; as something different from everything they’ve seen before. I’d be gratified if people had nightmares about it too.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Wilde: I’ve got a number of plays in pipeline – including a pretty extreme adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. I’m also hoping to get another radio play produced, which is a lot closer in tone to my theatre work than previously. I’m also making my first forays into feature films so fingers-crossed that leads somewhere exciting. As for the play, it’s hard to think of somewhere that could top New York, but I’d love to take it to Japan one day.
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