Felipe Pacheco on performing in Toto Kerblammo!
Tim Crouch’s latest production, Toto Kerblammo! at the Unicorn Theatre is currently wowing young audiences and their adults with its incredible 3D binaural sound design and superb performances. Toto, the dog from the title, is played entirely without fur or tail by the amazing Felipe Pacheco. We were able to tempt him in with the promise of Scooby snacks for a quick Q&A.
Hi Felipe, it’s brilliant to talk to you today. Firstly, can you tell us about the story this extraordinary show tells and what your roles are?
Hello! Great to be here. Okay, so Toto tells the story of Effy, and her dog, Toto. Effy’s going through a hard time – her mum isn’t around – and so she is sent to live at her aunt and uncle’s. There are no dogs allowed in their block of flats, but she does meet a friendly neighbour, Noah, who starts asking all the right (and difficult) questions. In my eyes (or more aptly, ears), it is all about a coming together of worlds: the real world and the dream world, a dog’s and a girl’s world, the sonic and visual worlds… Ultimately, Effy needs help, and Toto and Noah (I play both characters) are there to offer that.
You’ve been called upon to be a creature before, having been Gregor Samsa in Frantic Assembly’s astonishing Metamorphosis last year. What is it about your performance skills that makes you ideally suited to play animals?
I have indeed, and that’s a great question, I’m not sure I’ve ever thought that of myself! I guess I’m a pretty physical performer and so enjoy giving non-human things a right good go in my own human body. Something that has been great in both Metamorphosis and Toto Kerblammo! though, is that the directors were conscious not to go ‘full beast mode’, if you get what I mean. Tim often says that going full dog, with maybe a costume, a silly voice, actual ‘woofs’, etc. would be futile. As in, the audience already knows you’re not a dog – we don’t use CGI in most theatre shows, so why waste time in really trying to go full dog (or cockroach in Gregor’s case)? What’s probably more interesting, is to give the audience little ‘sprinkles’ of dog, or cockroach. What I might call ‘iconic’ gestures/ movements, and let their imagination fill in the gaps. That’s probably better than many other solutions to that problem – and something that is intrinsic to theatre since it began, right? I mean, asking the audience to use their imagination… This guy called Shakespeare does it all the time in his plays and someone was telling me the other day that he wrote some pretty good stuff.
What’s your own most doggy personality trait?
Love that question. I would say that I’m pretty reactionary and amplify many interactions I have? Good things are always amazing and sad things mean the end of the world, and I think that’s quite dog-like: “Walkies” are paradise, and a bath might mean the last breath you’ll ever take!
You’re working alongside another hugely talented actor, Peyvand Sadeghian. How’s that been? Does she now consider you her pet?
You’ll have to ask Peyvand that! But she’s brilliant, and a lovely person too. Sometimes it can be hard doing a two-hander, because it’s quite an intense period of time we spend together, you know? Luckily we have lots of fun and she even gives me biscuits if I’m a “good boy”.
Writer and director Tim Crouch is an absolute theatre wizard. How has the rehearsal process been with him?
I’m glad you think that, I do too. I try not to keep telling him because I think he’ll think I’m a bit weird, but I have learnt so, so much from Tim – about theatre, storytelling, acting, and I count myself incredibly lucky to have spent this time with him and his work. I am endlessly invigorated when someone like Tim reaches a conclusion I would never have in a million years. That’s what it’s all about. Thank you very much Mr. Crouch. The play really validates the different ways we communicate with each other.
One of my favourite features is you playing Noah with a Scouse accent, when the location is clearly the South East. What do you think this brings to the conversation?
We reckon that the play is set in a pretty diverse area, and you can have anyone living there, from anywhere. It just so happens Noah is a Scouser, and that makes me super happy. What it says is that he is probably new to that neighbourhood, otherwise he’d have the same accent as everyone else. That then gives me a lot of foundation for his character and justifications for his actions as he tries to nurture his relationship with Effy. Maybe they’re both new and a little lost, and maybe they can both help each other out.
There’s a huge amount of physical work in the show, aside from the mental energies required to tap in to the binaural sound. What have the challenges been for you?
I think you’ve put that incredibly well. Working with the tech is sometimes a little tricky because it can get a little tiring, as you say, or uncomfortable, or it just does what it wants and glitches out from time to time! But that’s all par for the course I think, and as long as we’re taking care of ourselves and each other in the wider team, then it’s all smooth sailing.
Has it been in any way easier or harder to work for a critical audience of children than of adults and would you do it again?
I would totally do it again, but I love it when adults come and see the show too – they have such a different experience. In that sense I’m really proud to be a part of this story, because it has so much to say to both children and adult audiences. We had a group of super smart Young Associates at the Unicorn come and watch the show during rehearsals and give us feedback. That was just amazing. They were honest with us, and very helpful. Theatre is in good hands if that’s the next generation of makers (and we give them enough time and space to make good work). Thanks for having me, guys! Love, love, love.
Thanks very much to Felipe to for taking the time to tell us about this brilliant production. He’s now off for a nap in front of the fire.
Toto Kerblammo! is aimed at ages 9+ and runs at the Unicorn Theatre until Sunday 3 November. Further information and booking details can be found here.