Call Me Vicky (play)

Last updated

Call Me Vicky
Written byNicola Bland and Stacey Bland
Date premiered2019
SettingSoho, London; Elephant and Castle, London

Call Me Vicky is a play written by sisters Nicola Bland and Stacey Bland and first performed in 2019 at The Pleasance Theatre, London.

Contents

Background

The debut play from sisters Nicola and Stacey Bland is based on an entirely true story, which had been kept secret within their family for many years. The character of Vicky is the sisters' real-life aunty and the character of Debbie, their real-life mother. The writers discovered when they reached adulthood that Vicky was born biologically male and had transitioned before they were born. They began to hear stories from their mother, Vicky, and Vicky's mother about her journey from male to female, with all the trials and tribulations that ensued. The sisters, independently of each other, began writing about the stories they'd been told. And upon discovering that they had each starting writing about it, they teamed up to create the play text subsequently published and performed. [1] [2] [ non-primary source needed ] [3]

Synopsis

The play charts Vicky's journey through five years of her life from 1980 to 1985. The story begins with Vicky and best friend Debbie getting ready for a night out in the council flat in Elephant and Castle where Vicky lives with her mother, Sylvie. The two visit the Golden Girl club in the backstreets of Soho where Vicky goes on to find work as a drag queen, alongside her various jobs in the sex work industry; all in aid to save up for her sex reassignment surgery. Drugs and other illegal acts ensue until an encounter with a prospective client goes wrong and Vicky finds herself in prison, at the mercy of abusive prison officers and fellow inmates. Throughout all of this, Vicky manages to find love in the form of Sid, whom she met at the Golden Girl club earlier in the story, and mends her tumultuous relationship with her mother. The play ends five years from when we first meet Vicky and her friends and family. Vicky has had her long-awaited surgery and has settled down with Sid, and the closing scene ends with the revelation that best friend Debbie is expecting a baby, and Vicky is to become an aunty. [4] [5]

Theatrical Production

Call Me Vicky was first performed at The Pleasance Theatre, London from February to March 2019 as part of The Pleasance Theatre's #YouWillKnowTheirNames season. Directed by Victoria Gimby, the cast included Wendi Peters as Vicky's mum, Sylvie; Matt Greenwood as Vicky; Nicola Bland as Vicky's best friend, Debbie; Ben Welch as drag queen, Fat Pearl; Adam Young as Vicky's love interest, Sid; and Stacey Victoria Bland as Vicky's friend, Gabby. [6] [7]

In November 2019, writer Stacey Bland revealed on Twitter that she and her sister and co-writer Nicola Bland were working on turning the stage play into a screen play, following a successful theatrical run. [8] [ non-primary source needed ]

Reception

The play's debut run received widespread praise from critics. Upper Circle Theatre observed: "Beautifully written, directed and acted, Call Me Vicky reminds us how far we’ve come yet how much further we still need to go regarding rights and acceptance with the transgender community." Theatre Things wrote: "A powerful, eye-opening debut from Nicola and Stacey Bland, Call Me Vicky is well worth a watch." [9] [10] [11] [ non-primary source needed ]

The debut production also received much praise for the performances of Peters and Greenwood, [12] [13] [14] and garnered five nominations for the 2019 Off-West End Theatre Awards, known as The Offies: Best Male Performance in a Play for Matt Greenwood; Best Supporting Female Performance in a Play for Wendi Peters; Best Supporting Female in a Play for Stacey Victoria Bland; Best Supporting Male in a Play for Ben Welch; and Best Costume Design in a Play for Martha Hegarty. [15] [16] [ non-primary source needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Piper</span> English actress and former singer and songwriter

Billie Paul Piper is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest female singer to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one. Her follow-up single "Girlfriend" also entered at number one. In 1998, Piper released her debut studio album, Honey to the B, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Her second studio album, Walk of Life, was released in 2000 and spawned her third number-one single, "Day & Night". In 2003, Piper announced that she had ended her music career to focus on acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Allen</span> American actress (born 1950)

Deborah Kaye Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards. She has won a Golden Globe Award, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendi Peters</span> English actress

Wendi Louise Peters is an English actress. She is a Leapling. Peters began her acting career in theatre, with appearances in various productions including The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991), Guys and Dolls (1991), Into the Woods (1992), Bedroom Farce (1996) and Noises Off (1997). Then from 2003 to 2007 and again in 2014, she portrayed Cilla Battersby-Brown in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Joseph Adam Swash is an English actor and television presenter, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2008 and the twelfth series of Dancing on Ice in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendi McLendon-Covey</span> American actress and comedian (born 1969)

Wendi McLendon-Covey is an American actress known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. From 2013 until 2023, she played the role of family matriarch Beverly Goldberg on the ABC comedy series The Goldbergs, for which she was nominated for two Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alison Steadman</span> British actress (born 1946)

Alison Steadman is an English actress. She received the 1977 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for Abigail's Party, the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film Life Is Sweet and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the '50 Greatest Actors' voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Martin</span> English entertainer (born 1962)

Jessica Cecelia Anna Maria Martin is an English actress, singer, and illustrator. Specializing as an impressionist, her television roles have included Spitting Image, Copy Cats and two series with Bobby Davro. She featured as the werewolf Mags in the 1988 Doctor Who serial The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, and provided the voice of the Queen in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special, "Voyage of the Damned".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Corden</span> English comedian, actor, singer and former television host (born 1978)

James Kimberley Corden is an English actor, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and former television host. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for co-writing and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. In the United States, he is best known as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden, a late-night talk show that aired on CBS from 2015 to 2023.

<i>Blues in the Night</i> (musical) Musical by Various

Blues in the Night is a 1980s musical revue conceived by Sheldon Epps. It was produced by Mitchell Maxwell, Alan J. Schuster, Fred H. Krones and M Squared Entertainment, Inc., and Joshua Silver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicky McClure</span> English actress (born 1983)

Vicky Lee McClure is an English actress, model and presenter. She is known for her roles as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series Line of Duty (2012–2021) and Lol Jenkins in Shane Meadows's film This Is England (2006) and its Channel 4 sequel mini-series This Is England '86 (2010), This Is England '88 (2011), and This Is England '90 (2015). Before This is England, she appeared in another of Meadows' films, A Room for Romeo Brass (1999), where she played Ladine. She won the RTS Award and British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lol in This is England '86 in 2011.

Glenn Chandler is a Scottish playwright, novelist, producer and theatre director. He has written plays for theatre and radio, original screenplays for television and films, television series, and also novels. His best known work is the Scottish television detective series Taggart, which was commissioned by Scottish Television for the ITV Network from 2 July 1985 until 7 November 2010, and which continues to be broadcast around the world. Since the completion of Taggart in 2010, Glenn Chandler has focused on writing for the theatre, with a consistent run of productions in both London and Edinburgh.

Arinzé Mokwe Kene is a Nigerian-born British actor and playwright.

Gail Louw is a South African-born British playwright. She is known for the wide-ranging topics of her plays, though a central feature running through most of them is the focus on flawed characters in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. She is particularly well known for Blonde Poison which has had eight productions worldwide, including at the Sydney Opera House. In 2023 three of her plays were performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Four of Louw's plays were presented as a Gail Louw Season at The Playground Theatre, London, from February 27, 2024 to April 6, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morfydd Clark</span> Welsh actress (born 17 March 1989)

Morfydd Clark is a Welsh actress, best known for playing Galadriel in the Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–). She received a number of accolades for her performance in the film Saint Maud (2019), including a BAFTA Cymru as well as BIFA and BAFTA Rising Star Award nominations.

Matt Greenwood (born 27 February 1995) is an English actor best known for portraying Tom Clarke in the BBC drama series The A Word and Martin Dunbar in Waterloo Road. He has also appeared in Casualty, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Giri/Haji.

The Off West End Theatre Awards, nicknamed The Offies, were launched in 2010 to recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and ingenuity of independent Off West End theatres across London. Over 80 theatres participate in the awards, with more than 400 productions being considered annually by a team of 40 assessors, with the winners chosen by a select panel of critics.

Bang Bang! is a comedy play by John Cleese. It is an adaptation of the French play Monsieur chasse! by Georges Feydeau

Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jack Starbright in the Amazon Prime spy thriller Alex Rider (2020–2024) and Yvonne in the Netflix musical film Been So Long (2018). She also guest-starred in two episodes of Doctor Who (2017).

Nathaniel Curtis is a British actor. He is best known for his role as Ash Mukherjee in the Channel 4 drama It's a Sin (2021).

References

  1. ↑ Paddock, Terri (2 February 2019). "Call Me Vicky Q&A video and photos: How difficult was it to transition in the 1980s?". Terri Paddock. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Live, London (1 February 2019). "'Call Me Vicky' – a new play written by two sisters – tells the true story of their transgender godmother. Starring Corrie legend @WendiPeters, it's on at @ThePleasance. Full interview here..." @LondonLive. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "'Call Me Vicky' – a new production". London Live. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  4. ↑ Press, Playdead. "Call Me Vicky". Playdead Press. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Bland, Nicola; Bland, Stacey (1 February 2019). Call Me Vicky. Playdead Press. ISBN   978-1-910067-74-1.
  6. ↑ "Wendi Peters to star in Call Me Vicky at Pleasance Theatre | WhatsOnStage". whatsonstage.com. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Call Me Vicky (Closed March 09, 2019) | Off-West End | reviews, cast and info | WhatsOnStage". whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  8. ↑ StaceyVictoriaBland. "2019-11-15". @Stacey_Bland. Retrieved 23 March 2020. After a successful run @ThePleasance this year, 5 OFFIE noms & lovely reviews, @nbland and I are looking for a team to help rework @CallMeVickyPlay for TV. We are currently reworking the script and it would be great to meet: -TV script writers – DOP – Directors #OVconnect
  9. ↑ Wheeler-Artwell, Ashanti (2 February 2019). "REVIEW: ★★★★ Call Me Vicky, Pleasance Theatre". Upper Circle. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Liz (2 February 2019). "Review: Call Me Vicky at The Pleasance". Theatre Things. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  11. ↑ Bland, Nicola (1 March 2019). "9 shows left! Catch it whilst you can @CallMeVickyPlay @ThePleasance pic.twitter.com/bmsqscEUGd". @NicolaBland. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "Call Me Vicky at the Pleasance Theatre | Review". LondonTheatre1. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  13. ↑ Howard, Tanya (2 February 2019). "Call Me Vicky Review – Pleasance Theatre". The Live Review. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  14. ↑ Golpira, Ghazaleh (22 February 2019). "Call Me Vicky at Pleasance Theatre | Theatre review". The Upcoming. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  15. ↑ "2019 – Page 15 – The Offies" . Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  16. ↑ Pleasance (6 March 2019). "Only FIVE more chances to catch the (Theatre News) @CallMeVickyPlay!". @ThePleasance. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.