Monkeying around can be educational

Oct 13 2008 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

Chris Mason and Che Varley learning stage combat _320

A classic Chinese fable inspires the Everyman Youth Theatre’s ambitious new production. Laura Davis meets its stars

AS DEMONS go, this one with its poisonous heart hidden beneath the guise of a cheerful teenage boy doesn’t seem too terrifying.

But then it lifts its head, revealing the steely determination in its eyes, and suddenly we are engaged in armed combat.

This is a bit of a tricky situation as I am not a natural Samurai and have never held a broadsword before.

To be honest, I’m a bit worried I might accidentally chop off my own head, making me the worst adversary in history, but at least I wouldn’t be around to be hear the mocking laughter.

I swing my weapon cautiously and brace myself for the clash of metal on metal.

“Slow is good, isn’t it?” I silently hope, thinking of the “bullet time” action of the Matrix trilogy.

But I am no Keanu and it’s a relief when reality kicks in and the vicious demon resumes its true shape as 17-year-old St Ed- wards College pupil Chris Mason.

”My character is the demon who’s been eating all his friends’,” he reveals, pointing to Che Varley, who plays the lead in the Everyman & Playhouse Youth Theatre’s production of Monkey!

“He’s been away training, and when he gets back I get beaten by a mop.”

Ah, so perhaps I did stand a chance in battle then, if the demon could be felled by a humble Vileda. But the boys quickly reassure me that this is because Monkey is such a valiant fighter who, at one point in the show, manages to wipe out an entire stage full of villains.

Forty members of the theatre group make up the cast of this exciting production, which would be an ambitious project for a troupe of pro- fessional actors. But the Everyman & Playhouse Youth Theatre has always had a reputation for ambition, and many of today’s adult stars, including Hollywood actor David Morrissey, discovered their talent there.

“It’s really amazing,” says Chris, who is studying A-Level drama and is about to start applying to theatre schools.

“I don’t know if there are any other theatre groups like it in the country, because we all get on with each other so well and there’s a really good atmosphere.

“My elder brother was a member and loved it, so, when I was 13, I went along and had a go.

“At school we do plays, but we never have the same bonding experience because, with the Youth Theatre, you can spend all year rehearsing.

“It’s also stricter here, but in a good way that gets the best out of you.”