“Like binge-watching a season of MTV’s Catfish on acid, Henry Charnock’s ambitious new comedic drama ¿Rob or Rose? leaves us with the question, “what if reality … just isn’t that sensitive?”
The play’s ouroboros-like, time-loop cycle of scenes sees its characters waiting to meet an online love for the first time. Every time they think they’ve reached the end though, like a snake eating its own tail, they find themselves back at the beginning again. What will have changed each time they have to start over? Will Rob still listen to Joe Rogan? Will Rose still secretly be into water sports? And will they both remember the words to one of the world’s whitest raps?”
Henry Charnock brings his show to the Camden Fringe (1-2 August, Lion & Unicorn) – read on for more details!
Tickets – https://camden.ssboxoffice.com/performances/rob-or-rose-2/
Tell me about your Camden Fringe show! What’s it all about?
¿Rob or Rose? is a chaotic, comedic drama about how willingly naïve we are in our search for love and meaning. If you can imagine what it would be like to binge watch a season of Catfish on acid, it’s (probably) a bit like that!
What’s the best thing about being part of a festival like this?
So we’ve never done any festivals before and these are actually the first ever full performances of the show so we’re still figuring that out. So far though, it’s got to be getting the chance to meet some new, cool creatives. The way all the companies are coming together to support each other is so amazing to see and be a part of. Shout outs to guys like Juvenile Behaviour Theatre Company, Ascent (at the Museum of Comedy) and Daylight (at the Rose & Crown).
What has your company been up to over the past year of theatre recovery?
Well, I (Henry Charnock) have only just set up this theatre company, actually. My experience having graduated drama school during the pandemic has been that there’s very little opportunity out there for emerging artists like us, and that’s what prompted me to start writing my own work and learning how to produce shows myself.
We put on a scratch night a few months ago at Camden’s own Etcetera Theatre which was us
testing the waters, really. Luckily, it went so well that it spurred us on to try and do something bigger and better. Now we have our own company Theatre Non Grata and we’re debuting our first show at the Camden Fringe! We’re hoping things can continue to snowball
from here!
Do you have further plans for the show after the Camden Fringe? Or other shows in
other spaces?
There’s nothing set in stone for ¿Rob or Rose? yet, but the plan is to do it again in the near
future somewhere.
In terms of other shows, we’re currently finalising the details for a longer run of a new show at Halloween: that’ll be in Camden too. We haven’t announced anything yet, but it’s going to be this big, campy retelling of the classic horror film Nosferatu with elements of drag,
comedia del arte, and all sorts! It’ll be more spooky and funny than scary though.
We’re selling it as “the most fun you can have this Halloween without taking off your
costume” …
Let’s finish on a one liner. Why should I come to see ¿Rob or Rose?
It’s funny, it’s philosophical, and it has a rap being performed by two people who have absolutely no business rapping in public – how could you not?