YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN CULTURE
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Caro Meets Musicals & Opera Interview
Stephen Frost: Fanatical
By Caro Moses | Published on Sunday 4 November 2018
A brand new musical has its premiere at The Playground Theatre this month, and I think it sounds very promising indeed. ‘Fanatical’, set at a Sci-Fi convention, is the work of Matt Board and Reina Hardy, and features a rather talented cast.
One member of said cast is comedy, theatre and TV stalwart Steve Frost. I know you all love him, so I arranged to have a quick chat to find out more.
CM: Right, can we start by finding out what happens in the show? What story does it tell?
SF: The story takes place at a Sci Fi convention where the fans of the ‘Angel 8’ TV show are gathering and awaiting the keynote speech from the creator of the TV show, who is flying in from LA.
CM: What themes would you say it explores?
SF: The themes of friendship, loyalty , love and being true to yourself.
CM: Can you tell us about the part you play? What attracted you to playing this role?
SF: I play Scott Furnish, the creator of ‘Angel 8’ the TV show, and the original comics it’s based on.
Every couple of years I like to get involved with a play after all the touring I do, this came along. Voila!
CM: Can you tell us a bit about your fellow cast members?
SF: Young, gifted and punctual.
CM: Can you tell us a bit about the creative partnership behind the musical?
SF: Well I’ve only just met Matt Board and Reina Hardy but they seem to know what they’re doing. It takes a long while to get musicals up and running and they’re still talking to each other, so that’s a good thing.
CM: Is any of this stuff familiar to you? Have you ever attended a sci-fi convention?
SF: I have quite a few friends/actors who attend conventions because of the shows they’re in, so I heard a few stories.
CM: How would you describe the music? What style or genre would you place it in?
SF: I would say the music style is jazzy punk acid hip hop country pop classical grime. Matt Board and Reina Hardy would say in the area of Sondheim only slightly more catchy.
CM: Now let’s talk a bit about you. Obviously we’ve seen you all over stages, TV and radio over the years. Has it so far been the career you wanted it to be? Did you have a plan when you first started out?
SF: My career started when I got laughs in my school nativity play, playing the Archangel Gabriel. Then it took off in exactly the direction I wanted it to. The only surprise was getting this job!
CM: What have you enjoyed the most? Is comedy more fun than acting? Do you prefer live work or is recording stuff just as interesting?
SF: Live stuff all the time, you can’t beat it. But what I enjoy most is going on holiday after you’ve finished
CM: Do you have any unfulfilled plans or ambitions?
SF: Ambition is the enemy of creativity (you can have that).
CM: What’s coming up next for you after this run at The Playground Theatre?
SF: After this I’m doing a cruise ship with The Stephen Frost Impro All Stars, then a Murder mystery play in Mexico then that holiday I mentioned!
‘Fanatical’ is on at The Playground Theatre from 8 Nov-9 Dec, head to this page here for more information and to book your tickets.
LINKS: theplaygroundtheatre.london | twitter.com/playgroundw10
