The education suite of Aberdeen’s HM Theatre bustled with chatter and music as I entered. The staccato plinking of a banjo and the soft wheeze of an accordion provided the soundtrack for a whirl of activity as a quartet of actors prepared for the newspaper’s photoshoot.
Shawls were thrust over shoulders, tumbling brunette curls were adorned with red carnations, and ropes and crates were placed strategically on the staging area.
“So what’s the play about,” asked Colin, the Press and Journal photographer, trying to make sense of the scene which was being assembled for his benefit.
“Well,” replied Joyce Falconer in her husky Aberdonian accent, which remains wonderfully undiluted despite living in Glasgow for the past 25 years, “Fanny Cha Cha comes up the Clyde in a banana boat.”
It was the perfect soundbite. Like the punchline to a joke. Or rather, as I was to discover, the start of a great story.
The Ms Cha Cha Joyce referred to is in fact the main character of her new play, which she wrote, composed and is directing to close the spring season of the Play a Pie and a Pint season at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree next week.
Part historical fact, part invention, The Tale O’ Fanny Cha Cha charts the story of a young Brazilian woman who, around 1928, escaped the clutches of her abusive husband. A new life in the Broomielaw area of Glasgow awaited her on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, and the chance to find new love, too.
In crafting the hour-long piece of musical theatre, Joyce has been inspired by two historical figures. The first, a Brazilian exile who became nicknamed Fanny Trollop, is cited to have introduced the city to South American music through her busking by the waterside.
“She was quite an infamous character and has become part of local folklore,” said Joyce, as we settled into a couch in the relative calm of the green room.
Fanny is played by actress Itxaso Moreno, a self-described “Basque-wegian” who has lived and worked in Scotland for 15 years since leaving her native Spain. While it was only a week into rehearsals when we chatted, Joyce was delighted with how the main character was shaping up.
“She’s very much how I pictured her,” she enthused.
The second character of the central love story, Joyce explained, is the fictional nephew of a very real Scotsman. In the show, Tam, performed on stage by David McGowan, is the relative of Thomas Donohue – the man who introduced Brazil to football.
And that’s the main setup. Add in an eclectic array of music – performed on stage by Joyce on accordion and Ian Bustard on banjo – and a chorus of 20 or so local performers, and you’ve got a rich and exciting hour of original theatre.
It’s performed “in the round”, too – a format which Joyce decided upon early on as she wanted the audience “to become the folk on the street” at the time of Fanny Cha Cha’s reign. It also allows a physical proximity which is ideal for the elements of audience participation which are written into the show.
“Literally being able to touch your audience,” Joyce said with a grin, “that’s very much traditional storytelling in its rawest form.”
In many ways, the story is an allegory for the cultural gifts which can come as a result of immigration. In coming together, Fanny and Tam’s relationship is as much a love letter between Scotland and Brazil as it is the main thrust of the play.
That said, the enduring negative perceptions of immigration are not brushed under the carpet.
“A main message of it is about Fanny being a Brazilian immigrant,” Joyce said.
“There’s so much bad press about immigration to this day. But it’s nothing new. We’re a nation of exiles and, with the seafaring nature of our country, folk have left and arrived, and it’s made us a multicultural society. But it’s still seen as a negative thing sometimes, despite the cultural diversity which has come with it.”
While she has taken a back seat on the acting side this time, Joyce is able to show her diversity of skills in Fanny Cha Cha, from her writing to directing to musical abilities.
Does is surprise people that she can do so much, I ask? Do they still think of you from your work on TV?
“It’s actually been six years since I’ve been in River City, but people still think . . .,” she said, tailing off thoughtfully.
“I used to write and direct in Aberdeen, but once you go on a TV soap, people put you in a box. I’m known as Roisin from River City by a lot of people, despite the fact it was years ago.”
She genuinely doesn’t mind the enduring association, though, she explained. Instead, she enjoys every opportunity to prove her breadth of talent, and artistic heritage.
And in a way, the experience of playing Roisin has given her a keen insight into the world of Fanny Cha Cha.
“When I first went on the show, it was like I had come up the Clyde in my own banana boat,” Joyce remarked.
“A lot of people didn’t like my Aberdonian accent, because we are so used to hearing central-belt accents on TV.”
The Tale O’ Fanny Cha Cha will premiere at the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, as part of the Play a Pie and a Pint series next Tuesday, April 29, and runs until Saturday, May 3. Performances start at 6pm Tuesday to Friday, and at 1pm on the Saturday. Tickets are available from www.aberdeen performingarts.com or by calling 01224 641122.