Inspired by a love of entertainers Sonny and Cher, Stef Smith’s dark play is a story of sequins and survival, writes Susan Welsh
Peter and Lily have a secret. They love Sonny and Cher, they are their favourite celebrity couple of all time. With a string of hits in the 1960s and a successful American variety TV show in the 1970s, Sonny and Cher were mismatched, they were camp, they were good honest fun.
Decades on, and Peter (Johnny McKnight) and Lily (Julie Brown) are still listening to their records, still lip-syncing to their songs and practising their comedy routines every evening. In the roles, Johnny and Lily look remarkably like the celebrity couple. “I’d love to say the moustache is model’s own, but I’ve an inability to grow any facial hair so I’ve got a dead rat on top of my lip,” joked Johnny, 38.
“The show is the brainchild of Stef Smith and was sparked by her obsession with Cher, but it has grown darker and more twisted to become a story about a couple who have had trauma in their life and are trying to paper over the cracks by going out to their garage and pretending they are Sonny and Cher.”
But their obsession with sparkle and showmanship is a tragedy. And as dark truths start to pop their bubblegum act, it becomes clear that not everything is quite as it seems..
“They are a Scottish couple living in America. It’s 1989, but they are still trapped in the late 70s. What has happened to them is revealed as the story unfolds.”
A chilling tale from Olivier Award-winning playwright Stef Smith, it will be performed by Johnny and Lily who are both Random Accomplice artistic directors, and also stars Julie Wilson Nimmo, who is best known as Miss Hooley, from children’s TV show Balamory.
Johnny said: “And The Beat Goes On was an irresistible proposition from the mighty pen of Stef Smith. It seemed to encompass everything that Random Accomplice looks for in a theatre piece: very dark and with a tongue placed firmly in the side of a gaping mouth.
“Horsecross Arts seemed the ideal partner after the successful collaboration with myself on Blithe Spirit. There’s the historic tradition of the theatre, a sense of the vaudeville past that seemed appropriate for this production. Combined with the talents of working with director/designer Kenny Miller, who wouldn’t want to have to grow the moustache, Monkees-style hair and dust down the flares.
“We hope the show provokes and questions the world in which we live.”
Stef, who is best known for supplying the text for award-winning show RoadKill, said: “I’m a lifelong fan of Cher. I’m interested in how she represents survival, even if only in pop culture terms. I wanted to write something that used Sonny and Cher as a jumping-off point, rather than write a biopic about them. I think Sonny and Cher represent a more innocent time, especially in the representation of famous couples.
“And I wanted to juxtapose this image of ‘a perfect couple’ with a couple who have no choice but to stay together; the idea that, under something perfect, is a very dark secret. I am always interested in the overlap of humour and darkness. I think they offset one another and there is a lovely alchemy that happens when the balance is just right.
“One of my other inspirations was Johnny and Julie themselves. I’ve been a big fan of Random Accomplice’s work and have always enjoyed their diverse mixture of comedy and drama. I wanted to write them parts that allowed them to show the diversity of them as performers – a balance of lightness and darkness.”
The show visits Aberdeen and Inverness this week. Johnny said: “I think a lot of people who have come along to it thought it was going to be a straight down the line comedy about Sonny and Cher, but it’s not. Some audiences have been quite surprised by it, but the feedback has been really positive.
“It’s a dark story, but light relief comes in the form of Julie Wilson Nimmo, who plays your archetypal American nosey neighbour.
“People might see her name and think it’s going to be a comedy because she’s in it, but she is just a brilliant character actress, and also not what she appears to be.
“All I’ll say to anyone thinking of coming to see the play is: don’t come along thinking it’s a tribute act, it’s not, but there is a wild array of fabulous costumes, wigs and music.”
And The Beat Goes On, which contains some strong language and is suitable for those aged 14 and over, is at The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, tomorrow, Friday, April 10, starting at 7pm (01224 641122/ www.aberdeenperformingarts.com) and at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, on Saturday, April 11, starting at 7.30pm. (01463 234234/www.eden-court.co.uk).