The Upward Journey of a Champagne Bubble, Etcetera Theatre
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We must admit, when we saw the title of this show, The Upward Journey of a Champagne Bubble, we would never have guessed in a million years what it was actually about, but we’re all for a little intrigue in how a show title comes about. Which was reason enough to grab time with All is Pink Productions‘ creative team of Eliza Christy, Siobhan Ward, Harry Daisley and Matthew Dangerfield to discover the story behind the show.
The Upward Journey of a Champagne Bubble will play at Etcetera Theatre between 6 and 8 August, more information available here.
What can audiences expect from the show?
Eliza: To laugh, be thrilled and be unnerved.
More than anything I think audiences will be surprised with where this story goes. Daisley’s writing is always shocking and grotesque. This new play does not hold back, and I think audiences who know Daisley’s work will respect the new heights of this dark comedy. The Upwards Journey of a Champagne Bubble will take audiences on a wild journey as our characters struggle to live up to their society’s oppressive and totalitarian rules on love and relationships. A new young couple strive to prove their love in a state sanctioned home visit but there is much to uncover about their wants, desires, and past.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
Eliza: The Upward Journey of a champagne bubble will also be previewing in Leeds this summer before we take the stage at Camden Fringe. All is Pink Productions is a London-Leeds based production company and we are excited to return to London to bring the play to new audiences. We took our previous play All is Pink in West Berkshire County to the Edinburgh fringe festival 2023 and to the Lion and Unicorn Theatre in London for a short run last year. Our previous play is what brought us all together and we loved it so much we decided we wanted to keep working together creatively as much as we can.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
Harry: The starting point for The Upward Journey of a Champagne Bubble was discovering the criteria for LGBT asylum claims in the U.K whereby individuals must supply extensive evidence to support a claim. The idea of ‘proving how gay you are’ to the state via testimony seemed instantly invasive and radiated stereotypical ignorance to me. In a community that inherently defies traditional romantic and sexual structures, it seemed crazy to me that queerness had been given a criterion. So, I began to develop a narrative that subverted this criterion-based approach to love, sex and romance by applying it to heteronormative relationships. By amplifying the issue into a more universal context, I hope to encourage audiences to ponder on the question: can love be measured?
How long have you been working on the play?
Harry: Ideas for a new show with All is Pink Productions began as soon as my bum hit the seat of the coach on the way back from the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. We had just completed our run of our debut show as a company – a satirical black comedy that dissected and subverted the phrase ‘eat the rich’ to sold out audiences and 5-star reviews. With headphones on and the rolling hills of Scotland fading behind us, I began to ponder on what to satirise next. The answer did not come until many months later when I put pen to paper following some conversations with love, sex and relationship ethicist Dr Luke Brunning in June 2024. Our conversations gave me the inspiration to interrogate heteronormative conventions of love and from then, I have been brainstorming with the wonderful members of All is Pink Productions to develop characters and a narrative that do just that.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
Harry: Naturally, it has shifted and changed and then changed again. I’m an indecisive writer and like to write multiple different beginnings, middles and endings for plays and then eventually string the best of them into something tangible, like putting beads onto a necklace. The essence has always remained much the same: a satire on popular conventions of love, but the characters and narrative structure has really been put through the blender. Only now are they starting to emerge as something more fully formed and realised. And undoubtedly, rehearsals will challenge, stretch and reimagine the text. As a writer/ director, this is the most joyful part for me – where the cast and I spin straw into gold, from page to stage.
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
Matthew: I was drawn to this play because it has a timely relevance, exploring how we view love and marriage in today’s society. Harry is fantastic at interweaving comedy throughout the script and you never know what to expect next. It’s this dark comedy that drew me to the role, I could hear the character’s voice straight away and it’s been an exciting journey discovering the nuance in Harry’s script. The world around the characters is so vivid and I can’t wait to share this show with audiences at Camden Fringe!
How challenging has this role been for you?
Siobhan: This role has been the greatest challenge in my career so far. The character has so many intricacies and complex layers that I wanted to give Harry’s sharp and intelligent writing justice through my performance. The biggest challenge was creating truthful relationships between my character and the others. With the subject matter I believed that creating truth in the relationships was massively important. I wanted each interaction to be an honest expression of how my character perceived them.
How important is audience interaction to you?
Siobhan: Audience interaction is a constant dance between performer and viewer, sometimes it’s just more obvious. However we have always enjoyed breaking the fourth wall and making the audience feel in on the joke or equally confronting them with something slightly uncomfortable.
Many thanks to Eliza, Siobhan, Harry and Matthew for their time. The Upward Journey of a Champagne Bubble plays at Etcetera Theatre from Wednesday 6 to Friday 8 August.
