Real Art for Fake Shows Cause a Chuckle, Brother
Potential theatre impresario, David Anderson, is behind the posters for some fake shows causing real laughs.
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Have you ever thought that Gary and Martin Kemp, former members of Spandau Ballet and some-time actors, should portray notable UK children's entertainers The Chuckle Brothers on the stage?
No? What about Michael Barrymore talking about his life on the canals, called Michael Barrymoored? Still no? Well, admittedly, it's an acquired taste but if you were to see a poster for such a production, would you dismiss it as a joke or think, 'well, True was a while ago, and everyone's got to make a living'...?
FCB Inferno creative and Essex seaside town resident, David Anderson, has made it his mission to confuse and, possibly, cause elation among the residents of Southend-on-Sea by creating a host of fake posters for productions at the local theatre.
As well as the brothers Kemp and Michael Barrymore there's David Gandy watching stuff in 'Goosey Gandy' and the even more surreal, 'Don't Tell Jane I'm Having an Affair with the Ghost of Patrick Swayze'. The series of posters, called Two Tickets To..., are brilliantly pitched but ultimately fake productions mocked up to look sort-of-real and we talk to the man behind them to ask, well, why?!
When did you first have the idea for this project and where did the idea come from?
If I am completely honest I have absolutely no idea where the idea came from. It came to me about two years ago, but it took me a while to get started. I thought it was a funny idea but couldn’t think of a single poster for months. It was driving me mad. Then I thought about these topless, psychic twins named Kev and Les.
David Anderson beside the seaside with his dog, Bonnie.
Why did you choose the people you did to appear on the posters?
I wanted two responses from people:
“Is that a real show? Is Darren Day really in that?”
“Oh my God! Maureen, look at this! We’ve got to go. When is that on?”
I wanted the shows to be ridiculous but not so much so that they were completely unbelievable. (I know that sounds stupid after just talking about topless psychics but you should see the actual stuff that’s out there).
I’ve had to kill a lot of really silly ideas. That’s why it’s important to choose the right celebrities. They can’t look too out of place; they should be the celebrities that find themselves in these kinds of productions. I want them to be just on the brink of believable. A term I’ve just penned right this minute is 'Brinklievable'. No, 'Believabrink'. No, give me a minute…
What’s your motivation for taking this on?
I wanted to do a project that looked at us as a culture and what we decide to watch. What we, as a generation have decided is entertainment. Ha! That is a complete lie; I just did it for a bit of a laugh really.
My girlfriend works on a Saturday so I need to keep myself occupied, and once I started, I just couldn’t stop. I spent five hours on a Monday night cutting out pictures of Michael Barrymore and putting sailor hats on him. I mean, what’s happened here? I’m 35 years old!
I am very strict with the way these posters are produced and what wording is used. I end up making, on average, two or three for each show and picking the best one. I get them printed at the same printers the theatre does, and make sure that they all look slightly crap and rushed, which luckily comes quite easily to me.
You’ve been placing the posters on notice boards in and around Southend; have you been doing that surreptitiously? If not, do people ever stop and ask you about them?
It’s best to put the posters up during the day, as then it looks less suspicious rather than creeping around in the dark. I did get stopped by a family who looked very excited, as I put up a poster for the play 'Sorry Jane, I’m Having an Affair with the Ghost of Patrick Swayze'. It’s a shame they’ll never get to see it. I still think about that poor family today.
Are you worried that any of the people in the posters might be upset about you using their likeness?
There’s a couple that I’ve felt might be a bit close to the bone with certain celebrities, but hopefully if they ever find them they’ll see the funny side. You never know, Martin and Gary Kemp might be keen on the idea of playing The Chuckle Brothers. Well, I can imagine Martin being keen. Not Gary though. Never Gary.
You’ve left the actual phone number for the Cliffs Pavilion theatre on the posters; do you know if people have called about the ‘performances’ or have you called anonymously yourself?
That’s the only problem with this project. It’s a practical joke for which I’ll never get to experience the punch line. I love the thought of people ringing up and asking for two tickets to 'Basic Instinct; The One Man Show', but sadly I will never know if that’s happened. I feel that if I rang up myself, it’s almost like nudging them for the punch line.
Have you worked on anything like this before?
I’ve always got something on the go. I wrote and illustrated a book once about an invention convention, then shot a documentary about a darts academy and now I’m starting to do 'Killercateurs' (characteurs of serial killers). I get the professionals in Covent Garden to help me. Again, completely and utterly pointless. I mean what a waste of time. Who is ever going to have one of these on the wall? But… they make me laugh.
Do you have any more posters planned for the future?
I’m off to Bournemouth next week, then Clacton, Eastbourne and Margate. I’m hoping to spread the project out nationwide. I’m currently working on 'Rambling About Rambling With Danny Rampling', and a play titled 'So My Husband Woke Up From His Coma; A Mime Starring Amanda Holden'.
