Earlier this year, Joe O'Byrne's The Haunting of Blaine Manor was crowned winner of the Salford Star Best Play Award. Now, he returns to the Kings Arms with his latest piece I'm Frank Morgan: Rewired. And it's quite different to last year's award winner...
The Haunting of Blaine Manor was a great drama with characters that enthralled, mystified and helped to unravel a dark, eerie tale. Joe's latest work I'm Frank Morgan: Rewired takes a bold turn. Relying on the dynamic of the cast and a host of unique characters are simply not an option!
This time, Joe's scripted a one-man show. Not only that, he's starring in it, too... "Yes, this time I am playing lead role, and this is the furthest I have ever pushed myself acting wise - two acts out there on my own, there is no hiding place" he explains "So yeah, I could crash and burn here, but I like to push myself."
The play's main character, Frank Morgan, is described as 'a hard man in a dirty old town'. Frank is a loan shark, a gambler and the owner of The Ace of Spades Night Club in Paradise Heights. Now, it seems the years are starting to take their toll, the mask is slipping and a man haunted by his own demons is slowly being revealed.
Joe discusses his unpredictable protagonist: "Frank was the first character created in a Tales from Paradise Heights...He was created then as a stand-alone tale. I had no idea that I would go on to create a whole volume of work set in the fictional community of Paradise Heights".
Paradise Heights has since evolved into a series of stories with believable and relatable characters, and Joe has taken great pride in seeing them brought to life on stage: "It's been great working with such a rich calibre of talent on these tales over the years, great fun and an honour to work with them all" he says "I'm sure I'll be working with many of them again in future tales."
The timing of Frank's return was inspired, in part, by the current social climate. Joe felt that many of the central character's 'qualities' are evident in some of our most prominent figures... "The way things are today, Frank would really thrive. Frank's a sociopath, a gambler, an opportunist and something of a lone wolf among a criminal community; he does things his way.
"The way things are today, particularly from a political perspective, there are world leaders that operate under those same personality traits and approaches to life and dealing with people" he adds "So I thought, 'You know what? Bring him back'..."
I'm Frank Morgan: Rewired sees Frank open up and shine a light into recent life events. And the further we go with him, the darker the territory becomes. It's a new interpretation that has side-stepped away from its origin and evolved into a fleshed-out and immersive locale.
"This is now a two act production, taking us into his club The Ace of Spades" Joe explains "Now he [Frank] can acknowledge that club, acknowledge his singer The Queen of Clubs, Miss Nula Christie. He can acknowledge the band, his door men, Strawberry Jack and Deaf Freddie; above all I can take audiences into that club. Fans of the series are going to see a few surprises. This is a Frank they won't have seen before."
The Queen of Clubs features the voice of Stella Grundy and the music of Tangled Man, plus a new score created for the play by Justin Wetherill.
All in all, it's one hell of an undertaking for Joe, but he seems enthused and motivated by the size of the task: "I've got all the hats on for this, writer, actor, director, promoter...I'm taking chances, risks, but playing safe is boring..."
I'm Frank Morgan: Rewired by Joe O'Byrne
Thursday 12th - Saturday 14th April 8pm
Kings Arms £10
To book tickets – click here
For more details also see the Frank Morgan Facebook event page - click here
Artwork by Darren McGinn
Words by Ian Leslie
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