Joseph Aldous brings his show Get Happy to Omnibus Theatre next month,
“Adam’s hot gay summer is in full swing, and things could be a lot worse. Sure, he may be about to turn 30 without a stable job, a boyfriend, or any real clue about what he’s doing with his life — but he’s having a good time. Life is a party, and Adam’s making the most of it. Everything is fine. Juuuust fine.
But when Adam’s best friend and housemate gets engaged to his boyfriend and moves out, it’s time to make a change. All of his queer friends are settled. Secure. And… Happy. When exactly did that happen?
Well, Adam can be happy too. Really, really, really, very very 100% super happy.”
Where: Omnibus Theatre
When: 1-12 Jul (no show on 7 Jul)
Ticket link: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/get-happy/
Read on for our interview with Joseph!
Get Happy has been described as a ‘glitter cannon solo show’ and you are writer, performer, and co-producer. How
does it feel to be taking this show to the Omnibus?
It feels wonderful, exciting, nerve-wracking, anxiety-inducing, and like it’s arriving at port after a long journey.
I first wrote this show way back in 2019 (I’ve had to shift the lead character’s age up a few times since then), and there have been a lot of times where I thought it had reached its natural conclusion.
So much stuff you write just doesn’t make it that far, and so to see this show that I’m so proud of arrive at a venue I really admire is gorgeous.
What does happiness mean to you?
I love it Lou, we’re going in with the deep questions!
I think that I’ve arrived at the conclusion that happiness for me is to feel peaceful, but as this show (hopefully) investigates, finding that sense of peace isn’t achieved via some quick-fix mentality.
The things we think will make us happy, a lot of the time, are just plasters – especially for queer people.
I think the idea of what constitutes a happy life as a queer person is complicated because our models for it traditionally have been straight: You get married, you have children, you buy a cosy house.
But when you’re only just figuring yourself and your community out in your mid-20s, how can you leapfrog to those things? And should you? Will it work?
What should audiences expect from Get Happy?
A lot of very, very stupid jokes. A good old cry. Maybe, just maybe, an absolutely incredible display of dance prowess
(featuring a confetti cannon? Who knows).
But above all, a really great night out. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and the sound of Ke$ha ringing in your ears. I promise.
The title is surely a reference to Miss Judy Garland? Do the divas of the past inform your work at all?
It is, and they do! You won’t find a lot of their direct influence in Get Happy (apart from, maybe, a needle-drop of the titular song – how could I not), but I think the love and admiration of divas sits in a lot of queer people’s bones and shines through regardless.
That bone-deep love of divas, their most famous moments, their phrases, are passed from queer person to queer person like a secret; we find community through them. They raise us!
What’s next after this award-winning show?
After the run I’ll likely retreat to my boudoir for several months, with one hand stretched over my face and the other clutching a nosegay.
Once I’ve realised I’m not getting any attention by doing that, I’ve got some TV scripts I’ve been working on and some other theatre shows that are slowly but surely being developed, which will hopefully soon
blossom into being.
I’ve got my eyes set on a big, glitzy, utterly moronic West End musical one day, too (with a diva you’re probably not expecting at the centre of it) – if anyone out there wants to hear my pitch, let’s chat.