"P", he said. "We're going into space..."
Recently, David (the gaffer) put a status on Facebook. It read 'The difficult second album...' It was a fair statement. It wasn't quite the scale of Gervais and Merchant dilemma after The Office but still we were wrapped inside our own little vortex of chaos.
We were in unchartered waters following IIG, (If I Go - Proforca's last production) unsure of what to tackle next. Having gifted the world with James Lewis' original (I still haven't met him) We were stuck with a dilemma. Did we take on a classic? Should we 'Bunbury' back to E17? Should we perform only originals, stories that resonate with us and our audiences? Or did we all just pack up and go home? (That obviously was not an option)
And then it happened. I received a phone call from David, he was stretched out on a sun lounger in Tenerife or somewhere, (Actually Lanzarote, not that it matters) whereas I was sat on a bench outside a Tesco with my £3 meal deal. a staple of any struggling actors diet. Director's get the glamorous life, it would seem.
"P", he said. "We're going to space..." (in case I had misheard him the first time)
He'd made the odd comment about how he was going to surprise us all and make us stage a musical set in space, and he kept mentioning a 'Whackoff.' Whatever that was, I'd no idea. Little did i know he didn't have sunstroke, and he wasn't joking.
I had never heard of Saucy Jack and The Space Vixens. It has to be said that I am not really a musical kinda guy, if you know me then spontaneous song and dance numbers are nothing close to what I am about. A lot of the cast talk about "Rent" and "The Book Of Mormon" while I just sit there completely baffled. We're all going to watch "Miss Saigon" sometime soon, the excitement is already up there, but I'm not sure why...
So, under the guidance of the Artistic Director, we are embracing love and glitter, sliding up and down poles and rubbing shoulders with space freaks, popping copious amounts of bubble wrap and grooving on to a higher galaxy, head strong and heart free. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it...
Like a team going for the league title, we have a fine mix of youth and experience, and that doesn't mean the people who have crept pass 30 years of age, we have a couple of secret weapons in the cast who have visited Frottage III before, original costume ideas, a fantastic M.D, and an outstanding choreographer. Put that with my two left feet and you have a show...! (The fact that I may be playing a homicidal maniac ex magician nightclub owner is very far from who I am too - but I'm digging deep!)
So, we're two weeks from the first show and the feel good factor is growing, as are the ticket sales (If there are friends of mine reading this and you don't have a ticket, I can only say that you were warned, numerous times...) At Proforca, we truly believe it will be a spectacular show that will entertain, shock and get you on your feet. It's gonna get hot at E17 this November but at Saucy Jacks there will always be a nice tonic to cool you down. (Just watch out for any discarded sling-backs. If you find one I had absolutely nothing to do with it, and you NEVER. SAW. ANYTHING). We know you'll have a brilliant time in my little nightclub. I'm very fond of it. (And that's a promise!)
Love and Glitter,
Paris.
Paris is a founding member of Proforca Creative and plays the title role of Jack in "Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens" - tickets on sale now from our website at www.proforca.co,uk (Some performances are now SOLD OUT!) You can follow Paris on Twitter @proforcaparis and @williamparisbai and at his website which is www.parisbailey.co.uk