The new musical play, Chaplin – The Charlie Chaplin Story, arrives at Shrewsbury’s Theatre Severn tonight.
The show tells the story of Chaplin’s journey from Victorian London to Hollywood and stars Steven Arnold, best known for his role as Ashley Peacock in Coronation Street, as Chaplin’s brother Sydney. Jenna Feasey speaks with Steven about his role in the production.
What can you tell us about Chaplin – The Charlie Chaplin Story?
The play features a cast of six actors, playing over 20 characters between them, and it’s all about Charlie Chaplin’s early life, his upbringing and how he travelled to the USA and went on to become a huge star. It’s a musical play, so there are also songs and performances and we have musicians in the cast, playing instruments throughout the production.
Through the play you learn about the hardships of Chaplin’s upbringing in London, how he was close to starvation and went from one home to another as a child. It’s an interesting contrast to the success he later experienced in the U.S and shows what he was able to achieve through his drive and vision.
How did you become involved in this production?
I already knew the play’s writer, Stuart Price, having worked with him last year on a play called Concrete Boots. We met again to discuss Chaplin and I jumped at the chance to be involved and take on this challenge.
In the production you play Charlie Chaplin’s brother, Sydney. How did you prepare for this role?
I initially searched for videos on Youtube but there’s actually very little in the way of footage, so I’ve mostly been reading a lot of material. Our director has read Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography and has therefore been teaching us everything there is to know from that. As I’m taking on the role of Sydney Chaplin, I’ve been learning about him and his life so that I am able to portray him as best I can.
What have you enjoyed most about being a part of this production?
My favourite aspect is the script and just the way that the play is written. I adore working with Stuart, and Dean Elliott of Maple Tree Entertainment and our composer, Jake Field have been wonderful to work with too. The cast are fabulous and we’re all working together, fighting to make each other better. Chaplin is a great, great show and being part of it has been a fantastic experience.
Your best known role to date is that of Ashley Peacock in Coronation Street. Having spent several years working in television, how does theatre compare?
Working in theatre is completely different to television. Since leaving Coronation Street I’ve taken part in 18 stage shows, which have consisted of Shakespeare, period dramas, and musicals. Having the opportunity to act in such a variety of shows and productions is a challenge, which is really what you want as an actor.
After Chaplin, what other projects do you have coming up?
I will be continuing to work on both stage and screen. My next project is a film about a bare-knuckle fighter, entitled Bare. I also be performing in a couple of two-hander plays, the first of which is called Broken Strings, and then at the end of the year I’ll be playing Captain Hook in a Christmas pantomime.
The show will be at the Walker Theatre, Theatre Severn on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 June at 7.30pm. Tickets £17.50 available from www.theatresevern.co.uk.
Interview by: Jenna Feasey
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