“Scribbler & Spouse” by James Robson
Tales from the Script
Come behind the curtain; come behind the camera. Get the highlights… and the low-down.
James Robson has written most kinds of drama in a thirty year career. Scripts for the Royal Shakespeare Company, for all the major regional theatres, for the soaps including ‘Emmerdale’, ‘Heartbeat’, and ‘The Archers’ for BBC Radio 4, plus an award-winning novel. His play ‘Mail Order Bride’ proved immensely popular at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, starring Sir Timothy West.
He’s tasted the triumph and felt the despair. He’s been in the spotlight – and in the wilderness. Now his new play promises to lift the lid and paint a warts-and-all picture of the scribbling life.
‘Scribbler & Spouse’ is an eye-opener on many levels. Yes, there are the jokes and the gossip – the affairs, the booze, the Award Ceremony Parties, the whole “Jeffrey Bernard” vibe. But there’s also a mature and complex love story detailing the effect on close relationships of a life that consists of: “sudden gain; sudden loss, money as transient as dew, success and happiness as elusive as fairy gold.”
And above and beyond all the down-and-dirty details of frustration and celebrity, there remains a ringing hymn of loyalty to the integrity of the creative craft. It’s fiercely funny, unflinchingly honest and genuinely touching by turns.
To launch his new script, James has joined forces with Yellow Leaf Theatre – the company who are steadily building a reputation for bringing new drama right to your doorstep, whether it be Studio Theatre or Village Hall. The three co-founders have been described as having “an awesome combined CV” – and all three of them will be involved in the new production.
Alan Meadows, who has directed all of the company’s shows to date, this time takes to the boards himself in the role of ‘Scribbler’. “I knew as soon as I read it that it could have been written for me,” he confides. “But all our decisions are joint ones. Fortunately, my colleagues agreed to let me loose on the stage.”
Vanessa Rosenthal – recently seen starring in her own play ‘Modelling Spitfires’ – joins Alan in the well-matched part of ‘Spouse’. She has known the author’s work for many years. “He’s a high-class writer,” she says. “Real and gutsy and truthful. I’m delighted and excited that we can combine in this way.”
Chris Wilkinson has taken leading roles in the last three Yellow Leaf plays. Now he takes over the Director’s chair. “‘Scribbler’ fits perfectly with the company’s good-quality, go-anywhere policy. It’s fairly simple to stage – but its impact is far from simple. We are all convinced it will inform, entertain and move audiences in equal measure.”
“Scribbler & Spouse” opened in May 2007, and has been touring from then on.
Yellow Leaf Theatre is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council, England.
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