David Johnson & John Mackay present
FASCINATING AIDA’S DILLIE KEANE
SPRINGS INTO ACTION
WITH HER SOLO SHOW – HER FIRST FOR 557 YEARS!
Wednesday 10 February
The Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea
FASCINATING AIDA’S DILLIE KEANE
SPRINGS INTO ACTION
WITH HER SOLO SHOW – HER FIRST FOR 557 YEARS!
Wednesday 10 February
The Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea
After celebrating 30 years of Fascinating Aida, Dillie Keane is taking a short break from her gal pals to bring audiences around the country her solo show, written by her and Adèle Anderson, which she debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015. Dillie will tour the UK from 10 February until 24 March 2016, accompanied on the piano by Michael Roulston: dates and booking info here: http://www.fascinatingaida.co.uk/tour_dates
With brand new tunes, grand old favourites, gorgeous songs of love and hilarious songs of utter wickedness, Dillie will break your heart, mend it again and have it sent to the cleaners for pressing.
And she'll give you her recipe for chutney while she’s at it..
As founding member of Fascinating Aida, Dillie has amassed over 17 million hits on Youtube for their charming and now infamous takes on a variety of topics from Cheap Flights to OFSTED to Dillie’s notorious ode to dogging, which itself has reached 2 million hits so far.
Dillie says “I think I must be descended from a long line of itinerants, because there's nothing makes me happier than hitting the road again. And I'm delighted my little show is getting a longer shelf life and I've got a chance to do it in the places I love - our British provincial towns. (You can take a chanteuse out of the provinces... etc.) You see, I only decided to do the show because my dear old pal and colleague from Fascinating Aïda, Adèle Anderson, wanted to go on holiday to North Korea. (Dear God... don't ask...) I couldn't bear the idea of sitting home twiddling my thumbs.
Things didn't turn out quite as planned. I was rehearsing the show when we got the news that she was not heading East at all. Instead, she's taken a detour through the North Korea of Poorliness, travelling via the chemo day clinic and the hospital ward, poor love. So I suddenly found myself doing the show for rather longer than planned.
So, buoyed with the happiness of this result, I can set off on the road once more in the knowledge that she's getting back to full strength again for Fascinating Aïda's full time return in 2017.
I am also delighted to be touring with the exceptionally talented Michael Roulston, well known (and much in demand) on the cabaret circuit in London.”
Having studied music at Trinity College, Dublin and acting at LAMDA, Keane founded Fascinating Aida in 1983, discovering her now long term writing partner Adèle Anderson who joined in 1984. With the trio she has enjoyed 30 years of success, playing countless tours around the UK and Ireland, featuring stints in London theatres including the Donmar Warehouse, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, the Apollo and the Garrick. Further afield they have played shows theatres on New Zealand, New York, South Africa as well as one month at the Sydney Opera House. Away from Fascinating Aida, Keane has presented a number of one woman shows both in the West End and at the Edinburgh Festival as well as developing her acting career in plays such as The Plough and the Stars (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Juno and the Paycock (Leicester Haymarket); Present Laughter (Birmingham Rep) and the Dublin premiere of The Vagina Monologues.
With brand new tunes, grand old favourites, gorgeous songs of love and hilarious songs of utter wickedness, Dillie will break your heart, mend it again and have it sent to the cleaners for pressing.
And she'll give you her recipe for chutney while she’s at it..
As founding member of Fascinating Aida, Dillie has amassed over 17 million hits on Youtube for their charming and now infamous takes on a variety of topics from Cheap Flights to OFSTED to Dillie’s notorious ode to dogging, which itself has reached 2 million hits so far.
Dillie says “I think I must be descended from a long line of itinerants, because there's nothing makes me happier than hitting the road again. And I'm delighted my little show is getting a longer shelf life and I've got a chance to do it in the places I love - our British provincial towns. (You can take a chanteuse out of the provinces... etc.) You see, I only decided to do the show because my dear old pal and colleague from Fascinating Aïda, Adèle Anderson, wanted to go on holiday to North Korea. (Dear God... don't ask...) I couldn't bear the idea of sitting home twiddling my thumbs.
Things didn't turn out quite as planned. I was rehearsing the show when we got the news that she was not heading East at all. Instead, she's taken a detour through the North Korea of Poorliness, travelling via the chemo day clinic and the hospital ward, poor love. So I suddenly found myself doing the show for rather longer than planned.
So, buoyed with the happiness of this result, I can set off on the road once more in the knowledge that she's getting back to full strength again for Fascinating Aïda's full time return in 2017.
I am also delighted to be touring with the exceptionally talented Michael Roulston, well known (and much in demand) on the cabaret circuit in London.”
Having studied music at Trinity College, Dublin and acting at LAMDA, Keane founded Fascinating Aida in 1983, discovering her now long term writing partner Adèle Anderson who joined in 1984. With the trio she has enjoyed 30 years of success, playing countless tours around the UK and Ireland, featuring stints in London theatres including the Donmar Warehouse, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, the Apollo and the Garrick. Further afield they have played shows theatres on New Zealand, New York, South Africa as well as one month at the Sydney Opera House. Away from Fascinating Aida, Keane has presented a number of one woman shows both in the West End and at the Edinburgh Festival as well as developing her acting career in plays such as The Plough and the Stars (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Juno and the Paycock (Leicester Haymarket); Present Laughter (Birmingham Rep) and the Dublin premiere of The Vagina Monologues.
Dillie took some time out to answer a few questions before heading to Southend.
How would you sum up your solo show?
It’s a lifetime distilled into a cabaret show. It’s quite sad and quite funny – well, very funny at times – and it’s a lifetime of looking for love. It’s songs with stories and it’s very, very personal indeed, unlike Fascinating Aida which more takes pot shots at things. This is a very personal journey, although I hate to use the word ‘journey’ – it sounds like I’m about to say ‘I’ll reach out’ in a minute. But it’s my story through song, some very old songs and one or two that are brand new.
What has influenced your song choices for the show?
They chose themselves. It was such an easy show to put together and it was a lovely show to put together too because I just sort of shook everything and it all fell into place.
What made you decide to go it alone this time?
Adele [Anderson, who co-wrote the show] decided she wanted to go on holiday to North Korea and other things so we decided we’d have three months off from Fascinating Aida. But I’m not very good with time off; I don’t like it so I decided I’d do a solo show. Then what happened is Adele was diagnosed with cancer and ended up in hospital instead of North Korea so basically she had to take the rest of 2015 off and most of this year too until she gets fit and strong and clear and everything. I can only describe that as ‘a bugger’ and my little solo show, which was only meant to occupy me for three months, has suddenly grown. My producers loved it and said ‘We think you ought to do this more and people ought to see it because it’s a lovely show’ so I’m taking it around the country and I’m taking it to New York, to a wonderful theatre complex called 59E59 on the Upper East Side.
You probably get asked this a lot but does the show mark the end of Fascinating Aida?
I hope not, no. It would be very hard to go on without Adele. We’ve been together for 32 years.
Is it lonely being on stage without Adele and Liza Pulman?
We’ve always had solo moments in a show so it’s fine, but what I did find odd was doing pantomime and not seeing the others backstage. It’s more than just about being on stage together – it’s about a whole life. Liza came to see the pantomime one night and it was such a relief to be in the dressing room with her.
You’re accompanied by Michael Roulston on the piano. How would you describe the dynamic between you?
We haven’t dyamic-ed yet. We’ve yet to dynamic! But the songs are stories, a lot of them, and in order to tell a story you need to focus on that and not on putting the background in, putting the foundation in, so having a pianist is invaluable. It means you can be in the story completely as the storyteller.
How much of the show is scripted and how much will be ad-libbed?
It’s all scripted. I’m not an ad-libber by nature. I’ll ad-lib if something very funny happens or something occurs to me; of course I’ll throw something in. But often as not it’s a scripted show and as audience member I like to know that the guys I’m paying to see know what they’re doing. There are some brilliant improvisers out there but I’m not one of them and they are rare.
Do you encourage audience participation or forbid it?
It’s not that kind of show so I don’t have to forbid it or encourage it. There’s a little bit where I get people to simulate tap dancing but people aren’t usually tempted to participate. It’s very private and personal and if anybody wanted to join in then they’re at the wrong show.
How has the show evolved since you performed it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
It’s a longer version. In Edinburgh you have to cut everything down to fit the 58-minute slot or 59 minutes or whatever it is. It’s a longer show with an interval, which I like as well because you can create different moods and the theatres get a chance to sell drinks – which helps keep them open.
What’s your mode of transport for getting from place to place?
We all travel in one vehicle. I’ll have a company manger who will do most of the driving. Of course I’ll drive to the nearby venues but on longer journeys you need to not have that stress because the audience has paid whatever amount to come and see you and they want to have a good time. The older I get the more I realise I should save it – save it for the evening and give yourself entirely to the show. It produces a better performance.
What’s the one thing you have to have with you when you’re on the road?
I suppose the obvious answer is make-up! The audience doesn’t want to look at me unmade-up – it’s a horrible sight.
And what do you have to have on your dressing room rider?
Nothing. I’m far too practical, as are my Fascinating Aida colleagues. The minute we realised that we got charged for everything that’s on the rider we stopped having one. If you put a £40 bottle of Dom Perignon on there it’ll cost you £70 because they have to send someone to buy it so I’d much rather bring my own. My only specification is that I have to have a lockable dressing room because I’ve been robbed too many times.
What are your pre and post show routines?
I’m not really particularly habit-formed. I put my make-up on, do my hair and go on stage, then I come off stage, take my make-up off and go to bed. It’s very boring. I have a phenomenally boring life.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
Somebody once accused me of having an artichoke in my hair. I was most upset. It was a rather attractive flower on a clip and it looked lovely.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Miranda is terribly funny. She’s marvellous. And from the past it’s people like Fats Waller – people who did funny things with music. Rossini is another one. He wrote the funniest tunes and he understood better than anybody else in the history of music how to write a comic tune.
When it comes to comedy is there a line you wouldn’t cross?
You don’t know til you get there really. There are obvious lines you wouldn’t cross, like paedophilia, but they’d be known by the audience.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your solo show?
Er, their handbags and their coats and I’m just hoping they’re not robbed by fellow audience members. No, I’d like them to have the feeling of having had a really good evening and having spent their money wisely. That’s really important to me – that people have a really good time.
To book tickets for Dillie's show, please call the box office on 01702 3511135 or go online www.southendtheatres.org.uk
How would you sum up your solo show?
It’s a lifetime distilled into a cabaret show. It’s quite sad and quite funny – well, very funny at times – and it’s a lifetime of looking for love. It’s songs with stories and it’s very, very personal indeed, unlike Fascinating Aida which more takes pot shots at things. This is a very personal journey, although I hate to use the word ‘journey’ – it sounds like I’m about to say ‘I’ll reach out’ in a minute. But it’s my story through song, some very old songs and one or two that are brand new.
What has influenced your song choices for the show?
They chose themselves. It was such an easy show to put together and it was a lovely show to put together too because I just sort of shook everything and it all fell into place.
What made you decide to go it alone this time?
Adele [Anderson, who co-wrote the show] decided she wanted to go on holiday to North Korea and other things so we decided we’d have three months off from Fascinating Aida. But I’m not very good with time off; I don’t like it so I decided I’d do a solo show. Then what happened is Adele was diagnosed with cancer and ended up in hospital instead of North Korea so basically she had to take the rest of 2015 off and most of this year too until she gets fit and strong and clear and everything. I can only describe that as ‘a bugger’ and my little solo show, which was only meant to occupy me for three months, has suddenly grown. My producers loved it and said ‘We think you ought to do this more and people ought to see it because it’s a lovely show’ so I’m taking it around the country and I’m taking it to New York, to a wonderful theatre complex called 59E59 on the Upper East Side.
You probably get asked this a lot but does the show mark the end of Fascinating Aida?
I hope not, no. It would be very hard to go on without Adele. We’ve been together for 32 years.
Is it lonely being on stage without Adele and Liza Pulman?
We’ve always had solo moments in a show so it’s fine, but what I did find odd was doing pantomime and not seeing the others backstage. It’s more than just about being on stage together – it’s about a whole life. Liza came to see the pantomime one night and it was such a relief to be in the dressing room with her.
You’re accompanied by Michael Roulston on the piano. How would you describe the dynamic between you?
We haven’t dyamic-ed yet. We’ve yet to dynamic! But the songs are stories, a lot of them, and in order to tell a story you need to focus on that and not on putting the background in, putting the foundation in, so having a pianist is invaluable. It means you can be in the story completely as the storyteller.
How much of the show is scripted and how much will be ad-libbed?
It’s all scripted. I’m not an ad-libber by nature. I’ll ad-lib if something very funny happens or something occurs to me; of course I’ll throw something in. But often as not it’s a scripted show and as audience member I like to know that the guys I’m paying to see know what they’re doing. There are some brilliant improvisers out there but I’m not one of them and they are rare.
Do you encourage audience participation or forbid it?
It’s not that kind of show so I don’t have to forbid it or encourage it. There’s a little bit where I get people to simulate tap dancing but people aren’t usually tempted to participate. It’s very private and personal and if anybody wanted to join in then they’re at the wrong show.
How has the show evolved since you performed it at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
It’s a longer version. In Edinburgh you have to cut everything down to fit the 58-minute slot or 59 minutes or whatever it is. It’s a longer show with an interval, which I like as well because you can create different moods and the theatres get a chance to sell drinks – which helps keep them open.
What’s your mode of transport for getting from place to place?
We all travel in one vehicle. I’ll have a company manger who will do most of the driving. Of course I’ll drive to the nearby venues but on longer journeys you need to not have that stress because the audience has paid whatever amount to come and see you and they want to have a good time. The older I get the more I realise I should save it – save it for the evening and give yourself entirely to the show. It produces a better performance.
What’s the one thing you have to have with you when you’re on the road?
I suppose the obvious answer is make-up! The audience doesn’t want to look at me unmade-up – it’s a horrible sight.
And what do you have to have on your dressing room rider?
Nothing. I’m far too practical, as are my Fascinating Aida colleagues. The minute we realised that we got charged for everything that’s on the rider we stopped having one. If you put a £40 bottle of Dom Perignon on there it’ll cost you £70 because they have to send someone to buy it so I’d much rather bring my own. My only specification is that I have to have a lockable dressing room because I’ve been robbed too many times.
What are your pre and post show routines?
I’m not really particularly habit-formed. I put my make-up on, do my hair and go on stage, then I come off stage, take my make-up off and go to bed. It’s very boring. I have a phenomenally boring life.
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
Somebody once accused me of having an artichoke in my hair. I was most upset. It was a rather attractive flower on a clip and it looked lovely.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Miranda is terribly funny. She’s marvellous. And from the past it’s people like Fats Waller – people who did funny things with music. Rossini is another one. He wrote the funniest tunes and he understood better than anybody else in the history of music how to write a comic tune.
When it comes to comedy is there a line you wouldn’t cross?
You don’t know til you get there really. There are obvious lines you wouldn’t cross, like paedophilia, but they’d be known by the audience.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your solo show?
Er, their handbags and their coats and I’m just hoping they’re not robbed by fellow audience members. No, I’d like them to have the feeling of having had a really good evening and having spent their money wisely. That’s really important to me – that people have a really good time.
To book tickets for Dillie's show, please call the box office on 01702 3511135 or go online www.southendtheatres.org.uk