Carol Harrison Interview
ALL OR NOTHING
THE NEW SMASH HIT LONDON MUSICAL THEATRE SENSATION
WRITTEN BY CAROL HARRISON & DIRECTED BY TONY McHALE
Palace Theatre, Southend-on-Sea
Tue 30 August – Sat 3 September 2016
ALL OR NOTHING
THE NEW SMASH HIT LONDON MUSICAL THEATRE SENSATION
WRITTEN BY CAROL HARRISON & DIRECTED BY TONY McHALE
Palace Theatre, Southend-on-Sea
Tue 30 August – Sat 3 September 2016
All or Nothing the Musical, which re-tells the story of sixties group, The Small Faces, is coming to Southend this week and Southend Theatre Scene were invited by Carol Harrison (Eastenders, Brushstrokes, The Bill), the show’s writer and producer to come along to The Vaults in London to check out the show at the wonderfully quirky, under ground theatre venue, which has been its home for the past month.
Before I hook up with Carol, though, Charles Ledigo, Executive Producer of the show, pops into the theatre foyer and introduces himself to me. He speaks enthusiastically of the cast and crew of this production and how the young actor playing the part of the group’s lead singer, Steve Marriott (Tim Webb - centre of pic below), is absolutely brilliant and how the band sound so fabulous together. He asks if I’ve seen the stage yet and instantly whisks me through some double doors which find us 50 years back in time and face to face with the drum kit, keyboard and guitars, which the four actors performing as The Small Faces play live at every performance. “We don’t have any backing tracks or miming on this show,” Charles proudly tells me, “All the actors sing and play the instruments themselves.”
Before I hook up with Carol, though, Charles Ledigo, Executive Producer of the show, pops into the theatre foyer and introduces himself to me. He speaks enthusiastically of the cast and crew of this production and how the young actor playing the part of the group’s lead singer, Steve Marriott (Tim Webb - centre of pic below), is absolutely brilliant and how the band sound so fabulous together. He asks if I’ve seen the stage yet and instantly whisks me through some double doors which find us 50 years back in time and face to face with the drum kit, keyboard and guitars, which the four actors performing as The Small Faces play live at every performance. “We don’t have any backing tracks or miming on this show,” Charles proudly tells me, “All the actors sing and play the instruments themselves.”
Chris Simmons (pic: third from left), with his mop of blond hair and a cheeky smile, pops out from behind some scenery. He plays the older version of Steve Marriott in the show and completely endorses what Charles is saying, “Oh yeah, they all play themselves and sometimes, on the odd occasion, they might even play a bum note but that's because they're playing 100% live and they’ll just keep on going. It keeps it real,” he smiles. He also chuckles as he confides, “I probably shouldn’t say this, but, you know, there are some shows I’ve done, where I say to my friends, 'don't bother coming to see this’ [I think we’ve all been there, Steve!]; but I've been begging my friends to come and see this one because it’s so good, I don’t want them to miss it!” He adds, “I'm not just saying this; it's an amazing piece of theatre. It's got everything in it - tragedy, humour, darkness, fun. I’ve had so many people coming up to me after the show saying how much they enjoyed it; people who were around in the sixties and saw the real Small Faces, telling me that they’ve had one of the best nights of their life. It’s great!”
Before agreeing to produce the show, Charles admits that he had never met Carol before, although he was aware that she was a popular and talented actress. He confesses that his initial surprise was that she actually rang him herself, rather than through an assistant and from that initial conversation she convinced him that this was a show he needed to invest in.
A true labour of love for Carol, the show had already taken 5 years from conception to getting the backing to get started. The reason for Carol’s persuasive skills being that she was clearly hugely passionate about the show’s subject matter - The Small Faces. Lead singer of the iconic sixties Mod band, Steve Marriott, was someone Carol had met as a small child and she freely admits that she probably had a bit of a schoolgirl crush on him. She was to get to know him and his family better in later years.
Mostly recognised and respected for her acting accomplishments, Carol Harrison is probably best known as the exciting, fiery and passionate Louise Raymond in Eastenders. She also played Gloria in the popular series Brushstrokes alongside Karl Howman. However, Carol is no newcomer to writing, having written episodes of The Bill in the past as well as gaining a Masters Degree in Screen Writing in 1999 and has lectured Screenwriting and Acting for Camera at Brighton and Hove City College and Brighton Film School .
Before agreeing to produce the show, Charles admits that he had never met Carol before, although he was aware that she was a popular and talented actress. He confesses that his initial surprise was that she actually rang him herself, rather than through an assistant and from that initial conversation she convinced him that this was a show he needed to invest in.
A true labour of love for Carol, the show had already taken 5 years from conception to getting the backing to get started. The reason for Carol’s persuasive skills being that she was clearly hugely passionate about the show’s subject matter - The Small Faces. Lead singer of the iconic sixties Mod band, Steve Marriott, was someone Carol had met as a small child and she freely admits that she probably had a bit of a schoolgirl crush on him. She was to get to know him and his family better in later years.
Mostly recognised and respected for her acting accomplishments, Carol Harrison is probably best known as the exciting, fiery and passionate Louise Raymond in Eastenders. She also played Gloria in the popular series Brushstrokes alongside Karl Howman. However, Carol is no newcomer to writing, having written episodes of The Bill in the past as well as gaining a Masters Degree in Screen Writing in 1999 and has lectured Screenwriting and Acting for Camera at Brighton and Hove City College and Brighton Film School .
Kim chats to Carol Harrison at The Vaults in London's Waterloo
In our interview below, Carol, looking fabulous and who, incidentally, could easily pass for 10 years younger than her 61 years, explains exactly what drew her towards writing about The Small Faces; her love of the sixties’ Mod era, how she’s looking forward to bringing the show to Southend and her hopes for the future success of All or Nothing the Mod Musical.
Also, check out below what the audience thought of the show...
What the Audience Thought
In the audience at The Vaults were Matthew Hunt, Darcy Fox and Matt King who were all dressed up for the show. Clearly from their attire, they are all huge Mod fans; Matthew had even driven up to London on his Lambretta from his hometown in Ramsgate.
Matthew, Darcy and Matt on stage after the show at The Vaults
Matthew Hunt, 52, from Ramsgate
“It was brilliant. It brings back the memory of my mum coming into my bedroom and turning on the radio and hearing Itchycoo Park for the first time. I’ve been a fan ever since. I became a Mod through The Small Faces.”
Darcy Fox, 32, from Margate
“It was absolutely fantastic. I’d definitely give it 5 stars! I’ve got friends who are in Mod bands and I love how accurate it is about the politics of the band. It was obviously really well researched and that gave it a lot of depth. I think we’d all love to see it again.”
Matt, 49, from London
“I’ve seen the 'Small Fakers' live a few times and I’m a big fan of The Small Faces. This is the first time I’ve seen the show and I thought the band played really well. It was really well acted and I thought the older Steve Marriott was excellent.”
“It was brilliant. It brings back the memory of my mum coming into my bedroom and turning on the radio and hearing Itchycoo Park for the first time. I’ve been a fan ever since. I became a Mod through The Small Faces.”
Darcy Fox, 32, from Margate
“It was absolutely fantastic. I’d definitely give it 5 stars! I’ve got friends who are in Mod bands and I love how accurate it is about the politics of the band. It was obviously really well researched and that gave it a lot of depth. I think we’d all love to see it again.”
Matt, 49, from London
“I’ve seen the 'Small Fakers' live a few times and I’m a big fan of The Small Faces. This is the first time I’ve seen the show and I thought the band played really well. It was really well acted and I thought the older Steve Marriott was excellent.”
For more information about the show and how to get tickets click here