BWW INTERVIEWS: Ricky Rojas And Lizzie Gee From THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

Lizzie Gee and Ricky Rojas are both part of Sasha Regan's Wilton's Music Hall transfer of the Union's celebrated all-male Pirates of Penzance. Experienced choreographer Lizzie has been with the project since its inception, while Ricky has replaced American Alan Winner in the role of the Pirate King.

How did you get involved with Pirates of Penzance in the first place?

Lizzie: I had a phone call from my agent that Sasha was after a choreographer. We had a meeting, and she said 'do you want to do the job?' I'd just had a baby and he was literally only a month old, so I had to make a [difficult] decision. He was ten weeks old when I started rehearsals, so I had to make that decision as to whether it was worth coming in and leaving my bambino at home. But my mum came down, which made it all very easy, and Sasha being a female director and understanding motherhood made the whole experience a lot easier for me, I think.

Sasha and I have talked before about juggling motherhood and work. How did you find that, Lizzie?

Lizzie: Well, you might not want to write this down, but it was like a military operation regarding feeding him. I was still wanting to feed him at home, so I would literally leave the house at ten past ten, get to work for 11, have to express in my lunchbreak, then leave the theatre quarter past four to get home for five. It was down to a fine art so that I only missed one feed a day. We'd scheduled it all round so that I could feed him! Sasha understands all that, so it was fine. I only live 45, 50 minutes from the Union, so it wasn't too far away.

When the show announced its transfer to Wilton's, were you already involved?

Lizzie: I think we knew it was going to do this transfer quite early on, I think. I was always going to be involved in it, so long as I wasn't booked up in something else. The fact that we've got new cast members means we can recreate, rather than just doing a carbon copy of the last show. Also, it's a totally different theatre, so you get something from that alone. The new company - it's like doing a new show. I quite like it that way.

What were the main challenges of adapting the choreography to Wilton's from the Union?

Lizzie: They were better challenges! The challenges were in the Union, with it being the smallest theatre I've ever worked in, so I suppose the challenge for there is now making my life easier, because I'm going large-scale. It's harder to pull things in than it is to develop things and make them broader. The only slight problem we've got here is the split level stage - the drop from the first stage to the second stage - you can't just step off it. There are two sets of stairs coming down which we use, but it's hard because you have to split your focus sometimes. But then it can work in your favour because not every theatre's like that, so I'm trying to make it my advantage, not my disadvantage.

Ricky, tell me a bit about you, your background and your experience.

Ricky: I was born in Chile, grew up in Australia and now I live in London. I started doing musical theatre over here, my first show over here was the Buddy Holly Story and then Fame, Grease, Joseph and then I went to Broadway for a bit with Burn The Floor.

You were a vocalist in this dance-focused show. How was that?

Ricky: Originally in the show, the singers took more of a backseat, but they reworkshopped the production when they took it to Broadway, so we were more involved. The two vocalists were more featured in the production, in the numbers and stuff. We got some choreography, which was cool. That was loads of fun.

Was that your Broadway debut?

Ricky: Yes! It was awesome, it was really cool, because it doesn't happen often that you get a call: 'You want to do a show on Broadway?' I was like yeah, nice, alright! Where do I sign? What show is it? Doesn't matter. I was out there six months.

You're a bit of an international jetsetter...

Ricky: A little bit. It's quite nice, though!

When did you return and what attracted you to Pirates of Penzance?

Ricky: I got back in January and now I'm here doing this. I'd been away for a while and I'd not heard much about Pirates, and then when I got back, my agent called me to audition for it and I was like 'what's that about, an all-male version?' He said 'just go' and I was like 'okay'. So I auditioned for it, and I think it was around the time it was at the Whatsonstage Awards. My friend was like 'dude, you're auditioning for this, you have to do it, it's awesome, really funny!' I was like 'okay'. And coming here for my audition was really cool, because I'd never been to this venue before. And it's kind of like, you don't know what to expect. I walked into the main hall and I was like 'whoa'.

It must be very different from Broadway.

Ricky: It's kind of cool, because Burn The Floor was cool but it didn't have much to get your teeth into character-wise, whereas now I'm in something totally different. Musically, it's like two ends of the scale.

How has it been coming into an already established cast?

Ricky: Yeah, really cool. The cast have been really welcoming, really nice. Very accommodating.

Lizzie, are there any big differences between choreographing a mixed and an all-male ensemble?

Lizzie: Hm, if I was going to do this with twenty girls and twenty boys... I suppose, no, not really, because the women still have to be like women rather than men playing women, dragging it up, camping it up and making it something hyper. It's trying to be real. If I had a bunch of girls in here, I'd probably stick to the same choreography. People just laugh at it because it's surreal. For the first fifteen minutes of the show, it's all eighteen-strong cast, swashbuckling, shouting 'rarr', muscles and all of that, chests out. Then we go to bizarre-land where you hear these giggling girls coming around the balcony and you go 'ah, I get it, now, this is why it's all male, because they're meant to be women!' But I wouldn't have done it any differently if it wasn't. I've just found people that can be dainty as well as raw with their choreography.

You mention Wilton's big balcony - a departure from the tiny one-level Union. What are your plans?

Lizzie: We're playing with it hugely. At the Union it was exciting because you used the area around the back of the seats and we had poles and ladders, but we haven't got that here - if you put a ladder up the balcony might fall down! We're having to play with different levels and make the audience draw their attention right to the top, make everyone turn around when they hear someone shouting in a very ladylike voice 'the sea is over there' or whatever. It makes you look over there. I like it, because it makes you have to not just look straight forward. The thing about the Union that I think was quite exciting was that it wasn't just looking at a normal show right in front of you, you had to use your eyes and imagination to help create the atmosphere. You have to make use of what you've got in the space.

I remember Alan (former Pirate King) hanging off the rafter during With Catlike Tread.

Lizzie: This is the annoying thing, everyone has said to me 'have you got the Pirate King hanging off a pole?' I'm like 'we haven't got a pole!' [to Ricky] He hung upside down off this pole...

Ricky: I want to do that!

Lizzie: I've been looking for where I can attach a pole to Wilton's Music Hall without bringing it all down...

Ricky: They said they could hang a rope from the top... I'm willing!

Lizzie: Alan did that, but we'll see.

I think the performance you did at the Whatsonstage Awards was interesting as well, because of the reaction of everyone in the audience.

Lizize: They didn't expect it, but they loved it.

They were a little shocked when they saw two guys singing romantically to each other, but then they loved it.

Lizzie: I got some really good feedback off a load of industry people who I really respect, who were at the Whatsonstage Awards. And they were really - they were really shocked but in a brilliant way, and now they want to come and watch it. Just from doing that little segment on that show has made them want to come and find out more.

Were you surprised at how well Pirates was received last summer?

Lizzie: For the little Union Theatre, which only sells 50 seats... it was sold out, we were Critics' Choice, we had 5 stars across the board. As we know, unfortunately, press does help generate publicity and tickets and I think that worked. It was word of mouth - people who didn't get to see it who hopefully now will be able to come and see it here. I think it did well.

Tell me a bit about how rehearsals are going?

Lizzie: It's good. They're quicker for me, I've got a more all-round [team] in the dance dept from my point of view - everyone's just quicker at picking up the choreography. We've only got three weeks. Last year we had four weeks, which was fine, because we were creating new ideas, whereas we're a step ahead of the game here because we know what we're doing. But a week off rehearsals, down to three weeks, is really short. We've got ten new company members, I think - the ratio is outnumbered with old/new cast, but they're really quick, so I'm laughing.

Ricky: I'm still working with the character, trying new things. I'm trying a Spanish accent at the moment, seeing how that goes, growing a bit of facial hair. Anything that helps. Getting the character!

And you've got a brilliant Ruth in Samuel Holmes - are you enjoying working with him?

Ricky: Yeah, it's really good. He's a big character - I was a bit like 'Hi, I'm Ricky' and he was all 'HI, I'M SAM!' I was a bit, how can I put it, a bit - I want to say intimidated but not... surprised. He's been really helpful. This second week, we've just started to get the scenes on their feet and really started to play off each other.

Lizzie: A lot of the choreography was taught in the first ten days, so now they need to get hold of the scenes and establish their characters.

Ricky, what's your knowledge of Gilbert & Sullivan like?

Ricky: I did Pirates of Penzance at high school. It's like the second production I've ever done. I played Frederic. I wanted to play the Pirate King but the Pirate King couldn't sing as high as Frederic, so they gave it to me instead. So now i'm playing the Pirate King, which is cool.

It must be nice to come back to it, then.

Ricky: It's still in there! I still remember different harmony lines and bits of script, although sometimes I am... forgetting some lines. But yeah, it's nice, it's still familiar.

Ricky, you're also a parent. What are your challenges as a dad?

Ricky: It's nice being back home, because I was away for six months. They came out twice while I was over there, but now I'm just so happy to be home. It's like, the fact that I've done six months away from home has made everything else a piece of cake. Rafael, my little dude, is sixteen months old. He's my little pirate.

Will you be able to bring him to see Pirates?

Ricky: I want to, yeah.

Lizzie: Arthur came when he was three months old. He's been well educated in theatre!

Ricky: I bet he was sitting there, taking notes at the back!

Lizzie: He came to the dress run at the Union. [to Ricky] We should put them down together, sit them together in their little pirate outfits...

Ricky: With little eye patches!

Wilton's is obviously a bigger space than the Union and you have more seats to fill. Are you nervous about that?

Lizzie: I think they've got good marketing people on it, and I am fully confident they've got all the tricks up their sleeves. They've got some clever ideas about using St Catherine's Dock with the boats over there, pirates going down the Thames. There's loads of different ideas they're coming up with. And we're all up for getting on a boat if it helps advertise the show and sell it and keep its life going. I hope that it keeps on going after Wilton's.

In that case, what do you foresee for the show?

Lizzie: I think the UK would take it on tour, I would hope, because it's Gilbert & Sullivan and we're doing it slightly twisty. I know there's a production of this show going aorund - the normal production of it - but if I was buying a ticket, I'd rather see the one that's a bit different. A bit quirky.

Ricky: Absolutely.

Plus Pirates is so popular - it's the Gilbert & Sullivan piece everyone knows.

Lizzie: It is! It's the biggest one. It's common.

Ricky: It's funny, I didn't realise how funny the script is. It's really dry. I was like... 'it's quite clever - it's quite genius!'

It's very easy to do Gilbert & Sullivan badly, but this production seems to be popular because, like Lizzie said, it's not just men dragging up, they're believing it, 'finding the truth'.

Ricky: That always works, though, if you play it honestly.

And you do have it easy in one respect...

Ricky: What???

Lizzie: He doesn't have to put a skirt on, put it that way!

Ricky: Although I do look lovely in a skirt! Yeah, I do have it easy in that respect.

Is Sasha planning on doing another Gilbert & Sullivan this summer [having previously done The Mikado]?

Lizzie: I don't know - I think you've just got to be careful. This has been the most successful one - it's going to the Kingston Rose two weeks after [Wilton's] for a week and a half [from June 2nd], and a couple of other big theatres might take it. We've made a name for ourselves. That's all exciting and I think sometimes 'stay where you are'. But who knows, we should try it out at the Union and then see from there. It's a great place to try things out trather than doing it commercially straight away and maybe not getting the right show.

Finally, future plans for each of you?

Lizzie: I'm quite busy! I choreograph freelance, so I have a show I did at the Dundee Rep, Sunshine On Leith, which has done two tours, and I've just found out it is going back on a UK tour. It's never gone on a UK tour before because it's a Scottish-based show. It's brilliant because finally the show that's won an award up there for best musical is coming my end... quite a lot of irons in the fire.

Ricky: I'm concentrating on being a daddy for the future. And I think, because I'm a songwriter as well, I'll concentrate on my music, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Find out more about the production and book tickets for Pirates of Penzance at their website - Pirates Is Back.

Choreographer Lizzie Gee instructs while director Sasha Regan looks on

Pirate King Ricky Rojas practises his knife-flicking skills

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