17 Sep 2024
After watching OVO’s smash hit new musical ‘The Highwayman’, by Kitty Morgan, I sat down to interview two members of the talented cast. Melissa O’Donnell who plays Rose and Faith Turner, Jem. My aim was to find out what happened behind the scenes to create such a magical show.
I started by asking how they came to be involved in the play. Melissa, said received a message from her friend Kitty, who wanted to try out a new musical with a rough sing-through in a pub.
“This was a couple of years ago and it just kind of built from there. I was working with OVO as a vocal coach in the Roman Theatre and just looked around and thought ‘This is where the Highwayman needs to be – I can see it here in this outside space’.”
She put Kitty in touch with OVO director Adam Nichols and the rest was history!
Melissa and later Faith were involved in the research and development for the show until they were ready to pen auditions.
During this process, Kitty worked closely with musical director Adam Morris who arranged all her songs. Between them they seemed to be “able to create music at immense speed”.
After more R&D, during which Faith became involved, there were individual followed by a group auditions.
Faith explains: “Because it was an ensemble piece we had a collective audition to see if we would all gel together and so we ended up feeling a great sense of camaraderie.”
Having seen the show I can testify that this group identity Faith speaks of really shone through and gave the end result a real sense of fun.
We discussed the challenges of touring and presenting the play in different spaces, large or small, indoor or out.
Faith explained: “I find it quite exciting – it has a different feel depending om how visible or close the audience is.
“The theatre in Norwich [the Theatre Royal, where the production debuted] is smaller but we had really warm, receptive audiences… We even had people who came back to see it twice! I believe in Ipswich it is more in the round and it will be good having that close proximity to the audience.
“It was lovely at the Roman Theatre being able to see the audience and build a relationship with them. I like the challenge – you’re not trying to do exactly the same thing at each venue. It keeps it fresh and keeps you alive in the story.”
In terms of the character development process, Melissa explained that in some ways it was harder being involved in the show from the very beginning because the characters and the expectations for each had shifted slightly. “I did some work with Adam and Faith to find the Rose that made sense to me she has established some security in things staying the same and this time we see her instigating the shift [that opens up the whole story] I was tyring to find where she held all the trauma in her bod… and really working through the nuances of where she is angry for my acting and singing. Faith and I did some off book improvisations – putting her in different scenarios to find the shades of her so she didn’t become a one note character.”
Faith, who plays barmaid Jem had a similar issue, not wanting her to become a “tokenistic panto clown.. It’s all about trying to do as much as you can between songs to make sure the narrative is clear. I think it’s important to have that kind of relief in character like Jem and Thomas French to take the pressure value off but there is a lot of pain underneath and I wanted the audience to witness that arc… I’m a big advocate for knowing how your character fits into a scene rather than developing a psyche that might or might not fit into a production…you have to be useful to everyone else.”
Both actors explained how the collaborative rehearsal process enabled the characters to organically grown together which is credit not only to the cast but Adam Nichols’ direction.
To summarise, I asked both actors what makes ‘The Highwayman’ a must-see show. Melissa began: “What makes this musical special is that you can’t really separate how you are dramatically and musically immersed. Kitty’s music is so detailed and intricate and the story gives us a need to engage and invest– it’s not a ‘just here to entertain’ plot and it doesn’t shy away from darker themes.”
Faith adds: “The heart and depth of the human relationships are universal – we still connect with these even if it is isn’t in the present day…
“It isn’t all doom and gloom, despite some of the trigger warnings! Yes it’s powerful and moving but I never feel hollowed out. There is charm with depth.
“I think it’s quite novel what Kitty has managed to do with the music and the spoken word; it’s engaging, fresh and quite contemporary despite it not being set in the present day. It seems to appeal to all demographics including the younger bracket which is great.
“Another good thing is that all the characters really matter. Although it’s about a highwayman actually everyone revolves around him and interconnects which is highlighted by the swirl set design behind us all (designed by Adrian Rees).”
Being able to find out how the show was developed has only increased my admiration for OVO and in this production. I hope to see Melissa and Faith and the rest of the cast in future productions before long.
