Wilde Things

Brian Merriman obviously believes the Arts Council needs a kick up the arse. Why? Well, he's not only playing the lead role in Chelsea Life, which opens at THEatre Space@ the Mint, Henry Place, off Henry Street in Dublin, on July 12th. He is also directing the musical.

And, no, he doesn't necessarily simply want funding for this particular project, based on the life of Oscar Wilde, he argues that the Arts Council is "condescending" and "counter-productive" when it comes to its attitude to musical theatre in general.
"It just doesn't recognise the genre" he says."Whether you are a director wanting to stage a musical and need the extra finance involved or you are an actor/singer, the Arts Council just won't help you at all.
I've sent some extremely talented young people to the Arts Council because they want to study musical theatre in London and they get nothing. No form of support. That's why we do have this phenomenon of so many young people, who do want to work in this area of theatre, finally moving to London to establish their careers. They just don't feel their work is appreciated here. Or that there are that many career opportunities."
Focusing even more so on the "employment opportunities that are lost because of the Arts Council's negative attitude to musical theatre" Brian Merriman also points out that "many more people could be employed in this area" if there was a "major re-think.
"It even makes economic sense, on the broadest level, when you think of all the money that is made by musicals like Les Miserables," he points out."That made over a billion pounds! So the Arts Council situation in relation to musical theatre really does need a radical overhaul. But people are afraid to push that agenda, for fear they'll be described as 'commercial' rather than 'artistic'."
Even so, despite this lack of support from the Arts Council, Merriman says he himself is "willing to look at any idea anybody has for a musical and, if it's good enough, put it on.
That's exactly what he did in terms of Chelsea Life, adding that he urges "any producers, in Ireland, or beyond, to take a look at, with a view to staging it elsewhere."
The musical was originally written by Gerry Gallivan, with music by Steve Gavin. But, the question must be asked, do we need another show a musical play or otherwise about Oscar Wilde. Hasn't this story been told ad infinitum?
"The story has been told, often, but it's appropriate that we do this in the centenary of Wilde's death," Merriman responds."And it's even more appropriate that people can express some of the great range of emotions that surround Oscar Wilde's life, through music. I know there are countless books, plays, television programmes about Wilde because I've been researching him and find he's almost as well documented as Jesus Christ! But this is not a documentary on his life. It is, as I say, a play, with music."
Part of the appeal of musicals such as Les Miserables is, of course, the actual music itself. Thought it may not be to everyone's taste. Chelsea Life, Brian admits "isn't Les Mis" in that sense, but has music that is "totally appropriate in terms of the story being told." How so?
"We very much set out to capture the atmosphere of the time the play is set, so the style of music echoes that period and is appropriate to the play in that central way" he explains."This did, as you say, start out as a musical play written for radio and it has taken about eight years to bring to the stage. And as for the music I would have to say - in an unbiased manner! that there are some very dramatic pieces in it, some very light "ditty"-like pieces and one or two good love ballads. And more to the point, we have been able to convey the broadest possible range of feelings and emotions through the music. In that sense, I really believe Chelsea Life works as both a musical and a piece of theatre."