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Three Chairs & a Hat are bringing
Two shows to this year’s Fringe

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Hello Chris & hello Jenna! So, first things first, where are you both from & where do you live these days?
JENNA: I was born and raised in Oxfordshire, which is where I currently live.
CHRIS: I’m originally from Solihull, and I moved to Oxford in 2018.

Can you tell us about your theatrical experience?
CHRIS: I’ve been performing in musical theatre for over 15 years, despite my young and innocent face! Recently I’ve played Paul in Company at the Old Fire Station in Oxford for Mac Productions, Mingo in Crazy for You (OxOp), and before that I was Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence for Solihull Theatre Company, Lt Cable in South Pacific and Michael in Witches of Eastwick. Last year I made my Fringe debut playing several roles in the multi-role chaos that was Mrs Pack, for Three Chairs and a Hat.
JENNA: I studied music at university and have a background in opera singing, although musical theatre is my passion! I regularly perform with the Abingdon Operatic Society, most recently playing Julie Jordan
in Carousel. I was lucky enough to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019 in a production of Verity – it was a fantastic week!

Can you tell us about Three Chairs & a Hat?
JENNA: Three Chairs & A Hat was established by Nia to stage her work — originally her musicals, but over Lockdown it ventured into other areas: video drama, animation, and a major project of monologues by Shakespeare’s women. Musicals are still the main focus, though, and it’s so good to be able to perform them to live audiences again.

How did you first join Three Chairs & a Hat?
CHRIS: Mrs Pack was my first engagement with Three Chairs and a Hat, and I played Jenkin Lewis, a royal diarist; Arthur the grumpy bugler; Princess Anne (not a typo); a snobby courtier and an interrupted street crier. This year I’m only playing one person — Dexter — so there’s more room to explore my character, but fewer opportunities for different accents …
JENNA: I joined the cast of Verity when it played in Oxford in 2018, playing Val, Verity’s tactless friend. The part had previously been played by Rebecca Allison, who died tragically young of sepsis in 2016. Becca was a dear friend of Nia Williams, the writer, and — though Nia was unaware of this at the time — had been my musical theatre singing coach. So it felt very special to take over the role, and then to play it at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. This year the part of Val is played by Jen Smith and I’m playing Verity, so there’s some unlearning to do as well as learning!

What is it about Three Chairs & A Hat that makes you tick?
CHRIS: I love the kind of theatre that uses imagination and creativity rather than complex sets and props, and this is exactly what Three Chairs and a Hat aims for. I recently co-founded, with Victoria Wilson, a new theatre company, Torch Productions, and in June we staged Queers, a series of monologues, employing that pared-down style to bring the focus intensely onto the characters’ thoughts and feelings. I think Three Chairs have a similar ethos in many ways, wanting to concentrate on acting, situation and character, despite staging (so far) very different kinds of production.

How are you finding working with Nia Williams?
JENNA: At first it was a bit inhibiting to perform the role with the writer in the room! But in rehearsal Nia wears her MD/pianist hat, and is open to changes and ideas, so you forget to worry about that after a while.
CHRIS: Yes, it’s our director, Glen Young, who takes the lead in rehearsals (except when we need to look at specifically musical issues), and I think that’s a deliberate decision, as Nia appreciates his vision and creativity, and also likes collaborative work, and wants everyone to be part of the shows’ development on stage.

How are you & the rest of the cast finding learning twice as many parts?
CHRIS: Well, from my point of view, these shows are a break from the multi-character challenge, as I only play Dexter. But a lot of the cast are doubling parts, and I think that’s an interesting and exciting way to work for any actors, because they’re called on to convey contrasting personalities through their own acting skills, without resorting to costumes or make-up.

Verity has now been establish’d as an award-winning classic – but Three Chairs in a Hat are bringing something of a sister musical to the Fringe, can you tell us all about it?
JENNA: In Verity I play a woman whose life is in disarray. She’s been jilted at the altar by the love of her life, Dexter; she hates her job, and she’s nagged by her family. In Dexter, we see what led to this state of affairs and why Dexter let her down. It’s not a straightforward story, and some people might find more sympathy for Dexter than they expected. Verity also shows a different side in the prequel musical, and you begin to see why the approaching wedding means something very different to them both.

What are the running themes between the two musicals?
JENNA: They’re both about one wedding, and one relationship, but from two points of view. Verity herself is in a very different place in each show. In Dexter she’s apparently happy, a bit manic, desperately trying to arrange a perfect day and not hearing the doubts and dilemmas her partner is going through. We see the several of the same characters, friends, family and colleagues, in both shows, but they’re seen in a slightly different light. For instance, Eileen, the super-efficient PA at Verity’s office, shows a softer side as an unlikely romance begins (though she’s still very much in control!). And we’re also introduced to new characters in Dexter — mysterious Moira Day, secretive Grace, and Dexter’s hapless friend Samuel.

Can you tell us about the musical accompaniment to the two musicals?
JENNA: The music reflects the varied moods and events of the two shows. Some is playful and upbeat, such as Geek, which the close-harmony, matchmaking aunt and cousins perform with Fred; some is introspective, such as Fred’s love song to computers, Slipstream, or my solos Afternoons and Making Peace. Dexter also has a Bond-style song as he lives out a fantasy self, and a dramatic monologue-to-music about his inner conflict. There are romantic duets, but also a song which is essentially a massive argument between Verity and Dexter. And both shows have full ensemble numbers with all-out powerful harmonies.

Which of the two musicals do you recommend a punter sees first, & why?
CHRIS: Hmm, that’s an interesting question! We start the run with Verity, then turn back time slightly in Dexter, to explain how we got there. So that’s an intriguing way to do it. But it would work the other way round as well, and each musical can also stand alone — although obviously we’d love everyone to come to both!

What are you looking forward to doing outwith performing when you visit Edinburgh?
JENNA: I’ll have family and friends there and it’ll be great to spend time with them exploring the city, as well as seeing as many other shows as possible.
CHRIS: The ’shows to see’ list will be a mile long by the time we get to Edinburgh — I’m planning to work my way through as many as possible too. But no doubt we’ll have a daily quota of flyering to fulfil, as well!

You have 20 seconds to sell Verity & Dexter on the streets of Edinburgh, what do you say?
CHRIS: Verity/Dexter — one wedding, two stories. Songs, dance, drama, comedy, romance, and a herd of Moroccan donkeys … how can you resist?

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VERITY / DEXTER

Symposium Hall

21-26 August (19:15)

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