Passing Through for NY
Peapod Prods hits the Big Apple
Edinburgh based grassroots company Peapod Productions is taking its romantic comedy Passing Through to the Chain Theatre in New York for two performances this week.
The company has been on an extended break since its tour of The Moonlit Road in 2015, but company founder Philip Kingscott says it is making a return with this short revival of Alistair Rutherford’s immersive rom-com, last seen in 2013.
Philip Kingscott and Christine Cornell
Kingscott told Æ: “I had taken a break from Peapod for a while to focus on other projects and also to help set up Battery Theatre making community-led theatre in Dunbar, quite different from the work I was doing with Peapod.
“I was in the early planning stages for a new show next year when I was approached about doing Passing Through again in New York.
“It seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. I’m really grateful to Chain Theatre for giving a small Scottish theatre company the chance to show their work in such a place. The theatre is right in the heart of Manhattan, about a ten minute walk from Times Square, so we couldn’t have asked for a better venue.”
The production re-unites Philip with writer Alistair Rutherford and director Andy Corelli. For this run the roles of Alice and Tracey will be played by New York based actress Christine Cornell.
little changes
New York audiences won’t see the exact same show that Edinburgh audiences witnessed, however, as Cornell explains: “Alistair has made a few little changes to the script to suit an American audience, and Trump and Brexit get mentions too!”
Nor, indeed, has the distance between the performers made rehearsals for what is an intimate piece as easy as normal.
Cornell adds: “Philip and I first worked together at the Fringe in 2013, and have remained great friends since. I can’t wait to work with him again, but the strangest challenge has been rehearsals with Philip and Andy, which have all been done via Skype so far!
“But we have a week’s rehearsal scheduled here before we do the show so we’ll have plenty of time to practice Phil’s magic tricks and me having water poured over my head!”
Listings
Passing Through
The Chain Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, New York, NY.
Mon 4/Tue 5 November 2019
Evenings: 8pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
ENDS
