MOST of us who live or
work in London will have at some point reached for a copy of the A-Z.
Over the years this trusty tome has been adapted and updated but has
remained the Bible for getting around this ever growing city.
But how many of us know
its origins, or that many believe it was created by a woman who
hailed from East Dulwich in Southwark?
Well, all that could
change thanks to a new musical, The A-Z of Mrs P, which opens
appropriately at the Southwark Playhouse on Friday (21st).
Inspired by her
autobiographies the show charts the story of how Bohemian artist
Phyllis Pearsall left her husband in Venice in 1936 and came back to
London.
Putting down her paints
and picking up a drawing board, she started working for her father,
map publisher Alexander Gross, and began to follow in her father's
footsteps to map the city by walking every street.
Billed as a musical
fable it stars Crystal Palace actress and comedian Isy Suttie,
perhaps best known for her her role as Dobby, the nerdy girlfriend on
Channel 4's Peep Show, as Mrs P.
Taking a break from
rehearsals the award winning 34-year-old says she has enjoyed not
only doing a musical but also finding out more about Mrs P.
"I'd never really
heard of her, didn't know her back story and so this has been a
fantastic project to be involved in," she says warmly.
"I've been reading
her autobiography while we rehearse. She had a fascinating if
somewhat sad life as her father was quite cruel towards her at times.
"But she was very
stoical and strong and I think that's what attracted me towards her
and the part. She was cool, adventurous, witty and flirtatious at
times but she went through an awful lot, including having to cope
with rejection from her parents.
"She also
embroidered a lot of things so no one really knows if she did
actually walk every London street and was responsible for the A-Z but
I'd like to think she was as she sounds like a great lady."
And she admits the A-Z
has come in quite handy since her recent move to Crystal Palace.
"It's nice to find
out about the lady whose book I use all the time," she chuckles.
"Crystal Palace is
great and it's lovely being here and getting to know it," she
adds. "It's poles apart from Elephant & Castle where I had
been living. It's green and very villagey whereas Elephant is very
gritty.
"But I love South
London - I've lived all over the place from Peckham, East Dulwich and
Camberwell. It's got a lovely vibe, lots of open spaces and it's so
easy to get to the Southwark Playhouse for this show which is
obviously very handy!"
As well as the ideal
location, the production appealed to Isy because of its musical
element.
Indeed, Isy actually
started out as a composer after graduating from the Guildford School
of Acting.
Since then she has gone
on to do several highly successful solo Edinburgh shows, has appeared
on TV, film and stage, has her own BBC Radio 4 radio series, Isy
Suttie's Love Letters and along the way been nominated for numerous
awards.
"I still do
composing and I've been writing songs since I was 11," she says
warmly. "My radio show is a mix of storytelling and music and I
did musical youth theatre at school but this is the first proper
musical I've done.
"After graduation
I got obsessed with stand up but then ended up doing more TV. I
haven't done much theatre - in fact I'd not done much since drama
school so I was keen to do this. It doesn't feel too much of a jump.
It's a great show with the most beautiful music so it's very
exciting.
"Also, it has a
four-week run which is really nice as it's quite lonely doing stand
up sometimes - it's nice to actually be able to get to know people
doing a job like this and go to lunch with them!" she laughs.
But despite her success
and not inconsiderable achievements, Isy remains down to earth and
modest.
"I've done some
amazing things and winning the Sony Award was very cool," she
admits chuckling.
"I just try and do
my best but really I can't believe I get paid to do this - I have to
pinch myself sometimes. I'm very lucky!"
The A-Z of Mrs P is on
at the Southwark Playhouse, Newington Causeway from Friday, February
21 until Saturday, March 29.
Tickets cost £22, £18
concessions. Call the box office on 020 7407 0234.
No comments:
Post a Comment