Comedian and actor Lucy Pearman tells The Theatre Playbook about her upcoming comedy show Lunartic, discusses her interest in space, her brand of humour and how she develops projects for the stage.
After a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, comedian and actor Lucy Pearman is bringing her new show Lunartic to London’s Soho Theatre this autumn.
In Lunartic, the Moon is putting on a show. But, as the Sun keeps reminding her, the Moon will never be a star – and without him, she’d be invisible altogether. Through her trademark blend of surreal character comedy, joyful audience participation and prop-fuelled silliness, Pearman tells a huge-hearted story about loneliness, big dreams and wanting to be seen. As the Sun threatens to switch off the light altogether with a total eclipse, the Moon faces the dark – setting off on a wonderfully daft celestial adventure.
Pearman made her debut full-hour show Maid of Cabbage in 2017. The show went on to have two sell-out runs at Soho Theatre. Her 2018 show Fruit Loop also transferred to Soho Theatre for two runs, and in 2019, she returned with Baggage, which sold out its Edinburgh Fringe run and transferred to Soho Theatre later that year.
Her first solo shows were Crack in Progress (2016) and the musical comedy Prom Kween (2017).
Here, Pearman teases details of Lunartic, discusses her interest in space and reveals how she developed the show for the stage.
Hi Lucy, please introduce us to your new show Lunartic.
Hello! Right, ok, well it’s a show about the moon. I play the moon and she’s pretty keen to do her show, but the sun has other ideas. He keeps threatening her with an eclipse, so it’s not perfect.
What are some of the topics or themes of the show?
It’s sort of about facing the darkness but also about having a go and staying optimistic, I think.
Where does your interest in space come from, and why did you want to create a show around this topic?
I spent a lot of time looking at the moon when travelling home from gigs. She became a bit of a nocturnal colleague. I have always felt like the moon looks so isolated and sad… I liked the idea that she worked nights but also love the way she pops out in the day sometimes, and I imagined the sun being a bit cross about that, like she’s stepping on his turf a bit.
What can you tell us about the characters we’ll see on stage?
The moon is definitely the main character, but there are others. The villain of the piece is the sun (spoiler… he’s not as cheerful as we are led to believe by the mainstream media… he’s actually a bit tricky).
There’s also a laughing dog and quite a lot of audience participation.
How would you describe your brand of humour, and how has it changed through your career?
Oh well… blimey. I like stupid things and I like it when people try their best. My favourite comedian is John Kearns because he has the most incredible way of observing the world and as a performer he’s just the best.
How did you develop the show?
It started as a 10-minute set that I would try out at gigs, and then I just kept adding to it and gradually made it longer. That doesn’t sound very sophisticated at all, does it?
What’s your writing process?
I try to do some research. I had quite a lot of books on space and planets. Then I do a lot of gigs so I find things with the audience, and I also do a lot of thinking and scribbling and drawing.
Are you thinking about performance from the start, and how you’ll play each character?
I suppose I probably am… I only play the moon so that’s quite relaxing this time. Previously I’ve played lots of characters in my shows, and the costume changes are quite stressful.
How do you balance both aspects of the production?
Yoga is apparently very good for balancing, so maybe I’ll try that.
This isn’t your first show. Does it get any easier? What lessons have you learned from previous shows that you brought to Lunartic?
Um, let me think about this… I think some things get easier, like you know yourself a bit better the more shows you do, and you trust your instincts more. But there are always challenges that make it difficult. I have learnt lots from previous shows, but the main thing is probably to trust myself and my ideas.
How has the show been adapted for the Soho Theatre after your run at the Edinburgh Fringe?
Without revealing too much, I think there will be a much bigger spoon involved.
As a performer, how do you find each show evolves or changes from the previous one?
Every show is different because of the audience interaction. I never know what they are going to bring, so that’s quite fun.
What can audiences look forward to seeing?
The moon in real life, up close and personal. A big spoon, Saturn, maybe even another man will make it back to the moon!
What are you working on next?
I’m writing lots of projects, doing auditions, and polishing my shoes and my moon costume for Soho.
Lucy Pearman will be performing Lunartic at Soho Theatre from September 29 – October 4. Tickets here.
Images: Lunartic (images supplied)