Daisy’s in full bloom with own show

Daisy Spencer and Rory Booth team up in a comedy musical that is set to have you LOL-ing all through.

Daisy Spencer and Rory Booth team up in a comedy musical that is set to have you LOL-ing all through.

Published Jan 20, 2015

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CRACKING it in entertainment is no easy feat and much of the time artists have to make things happen for themselves.

This is where well-known actress and choreographer, Daisy Spencer, finds herself as she launches her first production in Durban in just over a week.

In her musical comedy The P.A.R.C (The Performing Arts Rehabilitation Centre), Spencer not only pushes her boundaries as a creative, but puts herself out there in the story itself.

She explained that the show was conceived and written by herself, is co-scripted by Rory Booth and stars both of them.

“The show is partly inspired by a movie I watched starring Edward Norton and Robert De Niro. I started thinking, ‘what if there was a rehab centre for artists, a place where you could get counselling to help you see that you are actually not as good as you think you are?’” she explained.

In the show, the Performing Arts Rehabilitation Centre is where performing artists receive such counselling.

“We wanted to take something we know about and turn it on its head. Even today TV shows that are popular like the Glees and the Pitch Perfects which embrace difference and individuality. The P.A.R.C lends for loads of comedy, but also for a lot of heart,” she said.

Spencer plays Melody, who is sent to The P.A.R.C because she believes that because she’s a good actress and dancer, she’s also a good singer – but she’s actually quite bad on the mic. Through sessions at The P.A.R.C, Dr Doolilpersad (Booth) tries to help her get in touch with reality.

“Within the show we deal with a lot of issues that artists face in the industry. Nepotism in casting, bias in terms of ideals for body type, the pressures of what the industry expects you to be like. Melody has all the heart and belief and conviction that she’s going to make it. Doolilpersad is the triple threat – he can sing, dance and act – but he gave it all up after he just couldn’t catch that break and eventually gave into the pressure from his family to get a ‘real’ job. So through their friendship we get to see both ends of what it is really like to be a performer,” Spencer shared.

She said that aside from taking that big step into creating her own work, she’s also shared part of her journey as a performing artist in the show: “I’m excited and incredibly nervous at the same time. The story is partly based on my life. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, tell my own original stories. I’ve reached a point where, if I don’t get off my butt and do it now, I’m going to be safe and complacent for the rest of my life.”

• The P.A.R.C runs at The Seabrookes Theatre from February 3 to 15. To book: Ailsa Windsor: 083 250 2690.

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