Dial M for Mayhem offers nostalgic fun - Guildford and Eastbourne dates
Middle Ground Theatre Company goes back to its early days with the nostalgic and semi-autobiographical new play Dial M for Mayhem.
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00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sausage Newspapers. Now, it's
00:06not Dial M for Murder, it's Dial M for Mayhem, and it comes from Middle Ground Theatre Company.
00:12We've been on the road, on and off, for 36 years, which is a phenomenal achievement,
00:17under the leadership of Mike Lunney. Lovely to speak to you again, Mike. Dial M for Mayhem
00:22is coming to Eastbourne and Guildford in our area. So, why is it Dial M for Mayhem,
00:30not Dial M for Murder? How do the two relate? Well, it is about a young theatre company
00:37who are touring the Highlands and Islands village hall circuit back in 1991, with a
00:43production of Frederick Knott's Dial M for Murder. And the mayhem actually comes with
00:50what goes on within the company. And indeed, what you get to see in Act Two, Scene Two,
00:57the audience is allowed to see what happens backstage while the play is going on. So,
01:02we have a play within a play. Now, this resonates on a personal level, because from Middle Ground
01:08and its history, we actually did these tours. So, we did these tours in 1991 through to
01:161995. The playwright has drawn on your memories then?
01:19Absolutely. And she did one of these tours. And so, you know, it's hands-on stuff.
01:24Oh, she was one of your actors, was she? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:27Oh, my goodness, yes. So, is it all absolutely true?
01:31Oh, no, it's true. We've embellished all sorts of chaos. You'll have to come along and see.
01:39That can't have happened. But I think it's the juxtaposition as well of a young
01:43company. And then there's an older person, there's two older people in the company,
01:46and one actor who's come full circle, who was once a big television star,
01:50Rupert Valentine Tinglewell. What a great name. And somebody says in the production,
01:58what sort of a name is that? To the response comes a made-up one. So, yeah, but it's very-
02:05There's nostalgia here then for the company. Oh, it's great. I mean, it's great. And hopefully,
02:10it will show the workings of a real theatre company. Yes, there is a play and a play. And
02:14yes, it is extremely funny in Act Two, Scene Two, when you get to see that, and the chaos,
02:21and what goes wrong backstage that the audience doesn't see, with, you know, doors that won't
02:26open, and an escaped pet of a child. And it's always good to look back,
02:31isn't it, to remember. But the fact is, Middleground has done so well for so many years
02:35now. How on earth has it managed to stay on track in difficult times? You're saying that
02:41things are as hard now as they've ever been. Yet, Middleground keeps on occupying that
02:46middle ground, isn't it? Well, I don't think I'm wired right,
02:54is the short answer. Am I allowed to say that, Philip?
02:57I think you just did, yes.
02:59I was a lad with a dream when I went to, I left a job to become a civil and structural engineer,
03:10and jumped ship to go to drama school. And from getting a full grant to getting nothing at all,
03:16because it was the arts. So it's like running off to join
03:18the circus then, is it? It is.
03:20Yeah, yeah, yeah, to my parents' emotional disgust. And, you know, I can understand that,
03:27but they lived long enough to see the success. But I always wanted to create. And nobody was
03:34going to come and tap me on the shoulder and say, Michael, we've been looking for you all our days.
03:39You're our man. It wasn't going to happen. So we had to be proactive and we had to do it ourselves.
03:44And it looks like it's been a really adaptable company, isn't it,
03:47looking at the productions you've done. There's not a set type of play that you do, is there?
03:53No, no, we do. You need, you know, this is a new piece of writing,
04:00and we've not put any familiar names in the cast. But it's a great evening's entertainment. But when
04:07you start with a new piece of writing, you're already, you know, two steps down. You've got
04:13to make up the ground because people aren't sure about things they don't know. And we're
04:20not hanging it on a big name, a big acting name, which we have done many times in the past. We've
04:26worked with, you know, big names of the industry from this side and the other side of the pond.
04:34So yeah, it is all a bit daunting. Be careful what you wish for. This is my life's work,
04:41as someone said to me the other day, and I'd never thought about that. I hadn't reflected really. And
04:45maybe it's time as I've just turned 60. So, you know, this is, I started when I was 24. Maybe it's
04:54time to, you know, say, yeah, well, yeah, we have survived 36 years, and we've done 50 productions,
05:00and we've employed... I was going to say, it's time to step down. You're not going to do that, are you?
05:04No, no, no, I can't step down, Phil.
05:08You're just going to keep on keeping on?
05:10I'm going to keep on for a little while. Yeah, yeah, I need to, yeah, we've got...
05:15It's not out of your system yet, clearly.
05:19I mean, some of it is. The shoveling aspect of it is.
05:24But, you know, we've just done a wonderful tour as well of The Verdict, the courtroom drama,
05:31the third time we did that, and we got, you know, five star reviews across the board, and
05:36that ticks the box, I think. But this is special. This is autobiographical, middle ground stuff,
05:43where we started, and, you know, it did, and watching these people, it takes me back to
05:49when you had to put it up and take it down in a day, and you move on, and you did it all again.
05:54Well, it's coming to Guildford and Eastbourne. It sounds great,
05:57Phil and Mike, and lovely to see you again. Thank you.
06:00Thanks so much, Phil. Thank you.