The exciting thing for me about directing ‘Leading Ladies’ is that we are presenting the UK professional premiere of the play. It has been done in the United States and Eastern Europe (!) but not yet here. This quite a privilege and of course a huge responsibility, especially as we have been in contact with the author, Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor, Crazy For You) who is taking a particular interest in our production.

The play is an American farce and has been described as ‘Some Like it Hot’ meets ‘Twelfth Night’ as the plot involves a feast of unbelievable cross-dressing and the appalling destruction of Shakespeare’s finest work!

Unlike English farce, which relies on innuendo and regular trouser-dropping, Leading Ladies has more of a sitcom feel and thrives on the actor’s characters misinterpreting lines and intentions, all set in the somewhat  innocent 1950’s.

One of the biggest challenges for me, as in all comedies, is to ensure that the actors get their physical timing right, as much of the humour comes from looks and reactions to lines – sometimes more important that the line itself – and keeping those reactions fresh and spontaneous. It helps in that I have a great cast, most of whom have both comedy and Shakespeare experience so they are in their element – even if they do see their beloved bard taken apart!

David Fawcett