BWW INTERVIEWS: Roisin Sullivan From A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE

After a successful - and sold-out - run late last year at the Union Theatre in Southwark, and following plaudits for its powerful book, score and cast from critics - and Stephen Fry! - A Man Of No Importance is transferring to the Arts Theatre in Covent Garden, opening on February 10th. Set in Dublin in the 1960s, A Man Of No Importance tells the story of closeted bus conductor Alfie, an Oscar Wilde devotee, whose lifelong dream is to stage a production of Salome utilising his local amateur dramatic group.

Alfie normally stages a production of The Importance Of Being Earnest with this group, but upon discovering the mysterious Adele Rice, who has left home in order to forge a life for herself in Dublin, Alfie realises he has found his Salome, and resolves to convince her she is worthy of the role.

We speak to Mountview graduate Róisín Sullivan, who plays newcomer Adele, about the challenges and pleasures of the production - and about what it was like having Mr Fry in the audience.

Why do you think the show has proved so popular?

It hadn't been done over here professionally before. When I was training at Mountview, a lot of the boys would be singing 'The Streets Of Dublin', which is one of the songs in the show. The music in it is absolutely beautiful. A lot of actors have it in their repertoire, but it's just never been done here before, so there's a knowledge about it. I think that's why it's very popular. Also, the story of it. Alfie is struggling with his sexual identity in Dublin in 1964, where being gay was just out of the question, so his struggle with that eventually comes out. I think that strikes a chord with a lot of people as well, and I think the storyline and the music are beautiful.

You must be really excited about the transfer.

It's great for us - we first did it in the Union Theatre, which is a brilliant fringe venue, a 52-seater, I think. Everybody mucks in, you wash your own costumes, you do it for the love of it. So for it to get a transfer and that pat on the back from the industry makes it so much more special, because we've worked so hard as well.

It sounds like you really enjoy working at the Union!

Yes, definitely, it's a great experience. The dressing room upstairs is like an attic. You're all thrown in in the one dressing room, which is brilliant as well, because there's no attitude, we're all mucking in, we're all together. Last year, I was just straight out of college, with not much experience, but you're with people who have that West End experience as well, so you get to learn from there and get really close to them as well.

The Union enjoyed great success with their all-male Pirates of Penzance last summer, which is also transferring this spring to Wilton's Music Hall.

I was blown away by Pirates - it made me want to do another Union show. Sasha and Ben are quite picky about [what shows to do], and I think they're right to be. It's a really nice atmosphere there as well. It's a family atmosphere - we support each other's shows. We all stay in the bar afterwards and have a drink together, it's lovely!

What have been the main challenges of transferring the production from the Union to the Arts?

The re-blocking. The Union Theatre is very interactive, we go behind the audience and there's no wing space, so if something goes wrong with a prop or something, there's no backstage to run to, you just have to deal with it on the stage. We've been rehearsing in the Arts all week - it's just re-blocking it, really, it's a traditional theatre space. That's the main challenge. We also have to be very conscious of the fact we're not going to have radio mics, which is fine, but we're going to be in a bigger space, so we're going to have to project more, tapping into all the skills you learnt at drama school with the projection. So far, so good! We've been there all week and I'm really happy with it.

It must help having already done a run of the show.

Exactly, we already have our characters, we have our backgrounds and our stories. And also, it changes every night in as far you find new things, with the way you say things, or the way people react to you might influence the way you might say a line. It's very fresh, every night.

Tell us about the night Stephen Fry came and saw the show. You must have been excited!

We were like 'oh my god, God is in the audience'! It was brilliant. Stephen Fry is quite connected with Wilde, so there was a lot of excitement that he was going to be in, but then we had to knuckle down and be like: 'Okay, he's in, but we're not going to change the performance'. It was great - I did peek at him a bit when I wasn't on, through the chairs, and he did look like he was enjoying it. Because it's the Union, you can't avoid [seeing people]. And then he tweeted about it afterwards, saying 'finest acting and direction' or something like that. That was a really good moment.

You've also been lucky enough to retain the entire original cast from the Union for this run.

There were question marks over some people as they were auditioning for other things in the meantime, but it's 100% the same cast. It's brilliant. I couldn't imagine it differently. I knew bringing in new cast members would be fine, but it's great coming back in, because we know each other and connect so well. We get on really well as a cast - even on our days off we still all meet up, and I hope it does transfer onto the stage as well because it's supposed to be a close-knit community in Dublin. I think that does help, personally.

You've worked in musical theatre primarily - is this where you see your future?

I worked in Ireland before I came and did my training - I was the singer in Riverdance in America, I had worked in musical theatre in Ireland and in cabaret. In Dublin there's not the professional scene that there is over here. Professional shows maybe get put on once, twice a year, and that's not enough to keep you going. So I wanted to come [to London], but I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against anybody if I hadn't trained. So that's why I went to Mountview. I applied, got in, got my training so I'd be able to stand my ground against everybody. It's a tough business. I wouldn't turn my nose up at any work. At the moment I'm very much set on musical theatre, but I have experience in each of the three fields.

Was that transition from Ireland to England tough for you?

It's been okay, actually. I was really lucky that I came over, I stayed at my cousin's for the first couple of months to get myself settled. I've made loads of friends here, it's great because I was going to drama school, so I made loads of friends through the course and stayed in contact. Then, because I'm going from cast to cast, that makes it all much easier. I love London at the moment. It's a great city to be in. It's only a Ryanair flight home, anyway!

Your character is quite mysterious - do people connect with her or more with other characters in the show?

I suppose there's a bit of Adele in every girl who comes to the big city from the country or another country, not knowing many people, having to make your own friends - she wants escapism in the part that Alfie's giving her. At the beginning, she's like, 'There's no way I could play a leading role, what are you talking about?' But she comes round to 'I can'. She's a strong girl, she's got guts, she's feisty, but she has her moments where she breaks down and then pulls herself together. I'd say a lot of girls would identify with that, that you have to be strong and look out for number one.

Do you identify with that?

Definitely, and not to rely on other people. You have to rely on yourself, keep yourself together, stay true and you'll be okay.

Finally, what do you think the biggest message people will take away from the show?

Well, it is that typical Irish community where everybody looks out for each other, but then there's the influence of the Catholic community as well - how it gets in the way of Alfie's dreams and him coming out. I think a strong message from the show is to live bravely, love bravely and not to be afraid - if you're gay, just come out, don't be afraid, it'll be fine. Thank god that we are as a society today a lot more open to it.

 

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