Cheers from New York!
I know I’m kind of an Oldie McOld to you, young London… but the chain of events that inspired IMPACT, the show I’m bringing to London’s Voila Festival began in the UK when I was EXACTLY your age. And the takeaways are universal and ageless. So I know you’ll be moved by them. And maybe you’ll gain some insight into your likely GenX parents…
Creating a piece that blends memory, music, and multimedia must be deeply personal and challenging. What was the most emotionally difficult part of developing Impact, and how did you balance those emotions with the show’s uplifting and humorous aspects?
It comes naturally, I guess. I mean, the initial reason I came back to the UK in 2019 was a really funny gig. I was the Mother Superior of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl in the odd, award-winning promotional campaign for Amazon Prime Video’s GOOD OMENS miniseries. And that’s part of the show. My job was to be a ridiculous evil nun, and after that I went to Lockerbie, where absolutely every home I was invited to had the GOOD OMENS book on the coffee table. It was weird and funny and the irony was not lost on me. It was a very healing trip for me and my companions.
As a writer it’s my job to figure out how to present difficult subjects in a digestible, even entertaining way. Theatre, music and images are often more powerful than news and… I’m going to say it, people – postings. It’s the ultimate, best form of communication. Sharing stories face to face, in the dark we form an instant, bonded community. Only this one has some silly, singing Satanic nuns. It still cracks me up.
Also, IMPACT is not a musical, but it does feature five original songs. I play keyboards and sing, joined by London-based musicians Julianna Antczak (cello) and Emma Shield (percussion).
Can you describe the moment when you stood on that subway platform in Boston and saw the newspaper headlines about the bombing? How did that initial shock shape your path forward, leading to the creation of Impact decades later?
There was no internet at the time, no mobile phones. News arrived on the television, radio and newspapers. Seeing that was like seeing a post on social media, but with no one to connect with immediately to ask, respond, cry, etc. I ran back out of the station, found the friend I’d just left and collapsed in his arms. I was 22.
I’m a Syracuse University alum (upstate NY), and I knew 5 of the 35 Syracuse students aboard the plane –they were going home for the holidays after spending a semester in London. And although I didn’t know any of them extremely well, the thought that someone else’s issues half a world away could tentacle into the lives of others like that was huge. And of course the shock of losing these young adults who’d yet to put their hearts and minds into the world was crushing. I’ve thought of them every time I achieved anything of any import.
So when the chance to go to Lockerbie came up in 2019, I took it. I basically expected a grief parade… but that’s not what happened. IMPACT is the result of 40+ “thin moments” and seemingly random connections that led me there on a beautiful, multi-layered, inspiring weekend.
In Impact, you explore themes of grace, kindness, and simplicity amid tragedy. How did your trip to Scotland and the personal connections you made there influence these themes in your performance?
They’re the heart of the story. I’m a fairly jaded comedy and music writer from New Jersey. I’m a straight shooter, I don’t go for the woo-woo, cosmic freakystuff. But the absolute openness and selflessness of the people of Lockerbie affected me so deeply that I was compelled to write about my experience there. And even though I’m taking the audience on the trip with me, the show isn’t actually about me. It’s about what we can do for each other in challenging times. You know, like… NOW.
You describe Impact as an “American love letter to the people of Lockerbie.” What reactions or responses from the residents of Lockerbie, or others connected to the event, have meant the most to you since sharing your work?
In Edinburgh, people came from all over the UK, and afterwards I invite them to share their experiences with me. And boy, did they. I think the most moving one happened in two parts. A former officer of the Scottish government who had the job of taking found items back to families in the United States whose loved ones were on the plane in 1988 told me it was the hardest and most important job of his life. But some of the thanks and gratefulness he was received with turned into lifelong friendships. A week later, a man whose job involved sorting, let’s say… “materials” retrieved from the 200-mile range of debris told me it was intense and traumatic, but he considered it to be the most important thing HE’d ever done in his life. And I had the unbelievable honor to convey the thanks and love the first man received to the second man. His face and body visibly changed as his wife smiled through tears. I will never forget it. As we embraced each other, he told me he’d seen the GOOD OMENS series and laughed. That’s IMPACT in a nutshell.
I’d like to close by reiterating that IMPACT is an uplifting, inspiring piece with considerable levity and laughs despite its roots. Last summer, a reporter’s intro to my first BBC News interview was appropriately somber – but their tone was levels lighter by the end of our segment. And that’s what the show does. It’s a tribute, a memory piece and a call to the best of our humanity.
Impact is at the Barons Court Theatre from 15-17 November as part of the Voila Theatre Festival – https://www.voilafestival.co.uk/events/impact/