When you just can't quite ask someone to leave....  and other awkwardnesses! - video Dailymotion

SussexWorld

If you caught The Unfriend on its premiere in Chichester a couple of years ago, you'll definitely be wanting to catch it again at The Barn Theatre, Southwick as the Southwick Players offer their take on Steven Moffat’s comedy masterpiece.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, group arts editor at Sussex Newspapers, lovely to

00:06speak to Sarah Pepui, and we've got a real treat coming up at the Southwick Players,

00:11haven't we? Was it a couple of years ago, the unfriend absolutely monster hit in the

00:16Minerva in Chichester, now you are directing it. You're directing it because you saw it

00:21in the Minerva and absolutely loved it. Well, set the scene first and then tell me what

00:26makes this play so special. Setting the scene, so the first 20 minutes of the play is actually

00:34a true story, that Stephen Moffat, the writer, had some friends called Debbie and Peter who

00:39went on a cruise, met this eccentric, fabulous American lady, and you know, you do the thing,

00:47you swap emails, well, should we keep in touch? And she actually did get in touch with them

00:52and said, can I come and stay for a couple of weeks, which they agreed to, but then Peter

00:57Googled her and found out that she was actually wanted for mass murder in America. And that's

01:03where the true story ends, because they just emailed her back and said, please don't come.

01:09But the story here, yes, as you would, only with our British manners, this couple in the play

01:18allow her to come and stay. And there comes this wonderful comedy of unique, inappropriate

01:28humour, repression, hilarious gaffes and laughs. And that's why I decided to direct it, because

01:40when I saw it at Chichester, it was just so fresh, so witty. I've never seen anything like

01:45it before. And I knew Southwick Players could deliver it.

01:49Yeah. And the fact that you loved it when you saw it in Chichester, does that heap up

01:52the pressure or does that just make it seem now a fantastic opportunity?

01:57Oh, the best opportunity. The cast that they had in the West End and at Chichester was awesome.

02:05People that we all know, they're all household names. But we have the best actors at Southwick

02:11Players. And they have completely risen to the challenge. And, you know, I think we do

02:17a very, very good version of it. I'm very proud of it. And my cast and the creatives too.

02:22Fantastic. With the dates, we should mention September the 24th to the 27th. It's The Unfriend

02:29by Stephen Moffat, the Barnes Theatre, Southwick. Sarah, lovely to speak to you. It sounds like

02:35it's going to be great. Thank you. Thank you.

When you just can't quite ask someone to leave.... and other awkwardnesses!

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