A new horror comedy, Osric Omand and the Lockdown Cock-Up is playing at the Hen & Chickens Theatre, Islington, from 23-26 February. You can buy tickets here.
I chatted to writer Joseph Emms to find out more about the show and his work, which follows on from Osric Omand and the Story of Hope, which played the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019.
You call Osric Omand and the Lockdown Cock-Up! the Fringe Blockbuster of the Year. Do tell me more!
JE: I do. We’ve tried to create a show that brings all the elements of a Blockbuster Movie…to the Fringe Theatre Scene.
We have fight scenes, a soundtrack, live music, exaggerated character tropes, questionable plot and other choreographed set pieces. We even have a car chase this time round.
It’s a show in which we have literally tried to crampack as much as we possibly can into at the total expense of our narrative. That’s the Blockbuster way right?
This sounds like a show full of fun and frantic action. What has been your main inspiration in creating it?
JE: So the main inspiration? I can’t name just one. We have put on several shows before detailing the mad-ventures of these characters, which has all stemmed from a love of sitcoms.
It seems obvious to name Python, so I’ll go more niche. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace certainly served as an inspiration, with its Lynchian/King styled comedy homages. Rocky Horror of course has served as a reference point musically, and when it comes to the fight scenes, I’m a huge fan of Jackie Chan.
It’s a show that’s very referential, whether it’s Hammer Horror or even Jurassic Park, it’s a show built from a love of the industry we work in.
On the topic of lockdown, how’s the last two years been for you – or are you fed up of answering that question?
JE: Honestly I’m not, as I tried to use the time creatively. Over the lockdown period I and the cast worked on a television script for Osric Omand, which I still tweak and send off to competitions from time to time.
Lockdown also served as inspiration for this current show too. I’m surprised there hasn’t already been a show about Covid-ridden zombies. I need to get this idea copyrighted and move fast!
The four nights at the Hen and Chickens Theatre is a preview for a run later in the year. Will the show develop before it returns, or does it feel practically perfect now?
JE: This is our first time performing live in 3 years so it’s very exciting…and terrifying. I’m treating this as a preview for a run later in the year.
We aren’t doing Edinburgh this year, but the plan is certainly to get a longer run on as soon as possible. The fun part, for me at least, is performing every night, developing, seeing what works, what doesn’t, tightening gags (not like that) etc.
So these four nights are a testing ground for us to develop further and grow as a show and company.
You mention “a prolapse-inducing cocktail of live music”, which sounds suitably horrific! What should audiences expect?
JE: They should expect exactly that. To prolapse in their seats during our musical numbers.
But in all seriousness, there’s a line that Matthew Holness has in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace that has always stuck with me. ‘Put conventional logic to one side. And enjoy’. And I think that’s exactly it. It’s one hour of live music, action, and copious jokes about sh*t.
Our aim is not necessarily to be political or cultural, even though it’s a show about lockdown, we simply just want to have a shared, silly and nonsensical experince with a group of random people in a dark room.
My thanks to Joseph – check out Osric Omand and the Lockdown Cock-Up here.