Meet the Cast of Sweeney Todd: Neil Brown
/"Expect flamboyance with a hint of Super Mario on cocaine"
Neil in rehearsal with Daren Street (Photo courtesy of FRONT OF HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY)
Character Name: Pirelli
Tell us about your character: He’s a bit of a tosser really. No need for method acting here. No really, I am actually my character. Expect flamboyance with a hint of Super Mario on cocaine. He thinks he’s the dog’s b******s when it comes to barbering and let’s face it, he’s right, I cut my dad’s hair all the time.
Your favourite line your character has: “It was-a DA POPE!” Because everyone loves a religious reference.
Everyone knows something of the Sweeney Todd story (slitting throats and dubious pies), but what extra do you think we will get from the Simply version of this Sondheim telling? Me. (I guess the rest of the cast are okay too. Joking aside, we have a fantastic team who always deliver. Alison directing, Gary bringing his anti-faff policy backstage, Megan choreographing like a dancing machine (and tolerating my lack of dancing ability) - not to mention everyone else. Alison has a great vision, and I’m very excited to be a part of that this show!
What’s your favourite song in the show and why? Any song where the judge sings “Joanna”, just because it sounds like Alan Rickman as well as being incredibly rapey! I also like ‘Kiss me’ despite the fact that Joanna clearly dim... That harmony. That harmony…
Neil in rehearsal with the cast (Photo courtesy of FRONT OF HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY)
What other shows have you done? Most recently ‘Jerusalem’ with Pranksters in Guildford, which was great craic and probably the best set I’ve ever been on - a really fun show. I’ve done various other bits in the area, such as ‘Blackadder II’, ‘Bent’, ‘Road’. This is my second Simply show, having done ‘Grease’ as Roger. I truly am typecast as an arse!
Has anything ever happened to you, on-stage, that wasn’t in the script? Well in ‘Jerusalem’ Paul Weems (who is also in this show) unfortunately, nearly slammed me into an aluminium mock-up of a Winnebago - I think his aim was to kill me after 3 months of intense rehearsal together! Also putting extreme porn into fake scripts for the mechanicals was a genius prank from one of the cast of ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at school. It brought a whole new meaning to meta theatre.
What musical moment first made you think, “I want to do that!”? I don’t know really, I’ve always enjoyed singing, I guess it’d have to be year 6 where I got the opportunity to play Bottom in the children’s version of Midsummer Night’s Dream at School. It was a bizarre musical written by the beeb (although still not as bad as the recent interpretation), so I had to sing a little solo. I still actually have a video from that - My parents were that proud that they transferred it to DVD a few years ago, clearly just in case I’m on an episode of ‘This is your life’ - heard it here first boys and girls!
What are you enjoying most about being part of Simply Theatre? The social aspect is great, everyone tolerates my awful sense of humour and are a great laugh to be around. At the same time everyone’s driven to do a good job, Simply always put on great shows and it’s a privilege to be a part of.
What else do you do besides singing, dancing & acting? I run with my local club, Chiltern Harriers, who by the way are hosting a 10k race, Shardeloes, up in Amersham on 18th September, the day after the show. It is super cheap and a lovely route! Apart from running I currently am learning Japanese and am hoping to take an exam soon in basic competency.