Interview: Mercury Fur

Wondering what all the butterflies mean?


Each semester in St Andrews sees a multitude of theatrical events vying for attention, but none quite like this semester’s Mercury Fur, going up on the 28th February and the 1st March, funded by Mermaids Performing Arts Fund. Coming straight from yet another intensive rehearsal, director Jocelyn Cox tell us what sets this show apart and why we should be clamouring for tickets come Wednesday.

Written in 2005 by Philip Ridley, the play met with huge controversy, culminating in Faber & Faber’s refusal to publish the script and dividing critics. Jocelyn describes it as “gritty, raw and violent”, but many critics felt it went too far in its depiction of a dystopian yet potentially not-too-distant future. Set in an imagined post-apocalyptic London where riots have seen the destruction of law and order, and gangs, looting and drugs are the order of the day, many critics at the time felt it was unbelievable. For Jocelyn however, what makes the play particularly interesting is the fact that Ridley is a “real Londoner with his finger on the pulse of where society was”. For her, the riots of summer 2011 showed that “we should be listening to artists”, who often have a much better sense of society than politicians or economists. The play is important because it depicts “a society that you wouldn’t want to accept as potentially part of our own society” but perhaps is closer than we are comfortable admitting. Despite this controversy, Jocelyn assures me that there is nothing you wouldn’t see on film (think a 15 rating) and that it is simply the immediacy of the theatre that critics found so disturbing. Its very human themes of hope, what it means to love, what it means to be a family and the boundaries of morality mean that she can safely say that the production will “make people think and guarantee you will have an interesting conversation on the coach home”.

One thing everyone seems agreed on though, is that Mercury Fur is beautiful in its writing and characterisation and Jocelyn believes a huge part of the play’s appeal is how “well-drawn” the characters are, and of course the acting talents of her cast who have embraced this production with real passion. Rehearsals started 10 days before the start of term, with 10-7 rehearsals and now, during term time, they’re putting in between 15-20 hours a week. This level of commitment shows the cast’s dedication and passion for the piece and she believes that one of the reasons the show will be special is that “the cast has been so brave and made such brave choices, going into really tough things”, which will set the show apart. There are actually 3 casts involved in the production with the first being the video cast, whom many of you will have seen on Facebook in a series of newsflashes providing updates on the rioting. Then there is the cast who will perform the play as written, and finally an auxiliary cast whom the audience will encounter on their journey as part of a truly immersive experience.

The piece is site-specific, although the location is yet to be announced, and ticket holders will be emailed with instructions on the day of the performance. The audience will simply “get on a coach and go: the journey is all part of the atmosphere”. This alone sets Mercury Fur apart from the countless other productions that appear in the Barron each semester and Jocelyn assured me that it really would be “something different”. Additionally, it is on a much larger scale than many other shows put on in St Andrews, and it is partly due to this that the show is happening now, despite it “being in the works in [her] head for about a year”. Not wanting it to be anything less than the best possible, Jocelyn has waited till now, but – if the pre-production storm of social media publicity is anything to go by – Mercury Fur looks sure to be worth the wait.

Ticket sales will be online on Wednesday and even the tickets themselves will be unique, marking “the start of the journey and giving you a sense of the world you are entering”. Make sure to like the Facebook page or follow them on Twitter at @mercuryfursta or @productionsriot, and for those of you who choose to join them for this theatrical adventure, be sure to wrap up warm!