A man ponders the female influences in his life in Nikki Langford’s latest show, Monty The Musical.
“The male perspective has always piqued my interest,” Langford explains. “I have mostly performed comedy and Monty is a bit of a show-off, hence a little of everyone in his story. I like that this is a girl dressed as a boy telling the story of girls from the boy’s point of view.”
A female character actor from New Zealand and creator of the iconic Gumboot Theatre, Langford plays Monty, the play’s 62-year-old titular (and sole) character, who has returned ‘home’ to speak at his daughter’s wedding. Through singing, dancing, anecdotes and home movies, Monty goes on an inner journey to find both himself and the right words to deliver the speech. What does he actually know about his daughter?
“The idea has been percolating forever and the Fringe has provided the momentum to make it real,” says Langford. “Working out by myself, from scratch, the processes required, the right questions to ask, and ploughing on despite not having the impetus a team can provide [has been difficult] and I have had to remind myself several times that I am doing this because it is fun.”
But despite the difficulties that she has had putting the show together by herself, Langford is excited to be having fun by performing in front of Fringe audiences for the first time ever.
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“Fringe is money where your mouth is. Terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure,” she laughs. “One collaborator pointed out that Fringe is NOT mainstream which freed me up creatively and emotionally to focus on the story rather than the audience (which was liberating) and that Fringe audiences are more engaged and out-of-the-box so it doesn’t have to look like mainstream theatre. My show is just about having fun by sharing stories. Delighting people is my cocaine.”