Of Cats, Books, Plays and Writing

Throwing Shade Theatre Company’s new production of Australian play Down an Alley Filled with Cats plays at King Street Theatre, Newtown from April 25 to May 13. Playwright Warwick Moss and director Tom Richards play cat and mouse (or is it devil’s avocado?)

Warwick: Tom, what attracted you to the play besides it having been written by a genius. Why did you want to direct it?

Tom: Yes! Written by a genius did help – however, love a play where the characters have a journey and a discovery, with the added pleasure of a mystery. These types of plays, I find, are most enjoyable for an audience. Especially when an audience is swept along with the journey and the unfolding mystery, accompanied by interesting characters. Of course the twist and turns in the play only help to heighten the experience. A testing play to direct, and one where you have to keep turning pages back and forth to follow the plot.

Warwick: Weren’t you tempted to play the older character? It would be an actor’s dream, especially for a young fella like you.

Tom: When I was a young fella! I did want to do the play, but things didn’t work out that way. However, a few years later, I had the opportunity to act in your play, Lunatic Soup, (Blood Shot renamed), with the lovely Abigail of the No 96 fame. Another play deep with meaning and great characters. And, dare I say, another winner with an audience.

Warwick: As you got further into the script and rehearsal, were there tricks in the plot that tricked you?

Tom: Yes! There’s quite a few tricks in this play, accompanied by a lot of twists. We find ourselves continually questioning the script and ourselves as we try to discover the characters’ motives.  We have found the characters interesting with a lot depth. 

Warwick: The play was first performed in 1984. Think of George Orwell’s novel ‘1984’. What do the two have in common?

Tom: A tough question – not being a fan of the Orwell classic, and not enjoying the film all that much, it is hard to answer. However, pushed for an answer, I would say the game the character has invented bears a likeness to Class Hierarchy of Oceania, and the parties involved in that Government - Peace, Plenty, Love , Truth.

Warwick: Also in 1984 there were no mobile phones or PCs. How did this affect your staging of the play?

Tom: No! That is not a worry, really. The play is at its best without mobile phones and all the high tech devices of today.  I doubt it would work so well. It is a refreshing look at how things were in the 80s, and things just didn’t happen with the press of a button.  In the 80s time and effort had to be used to satisfy and out come. I am sure the audience will enjoy the combination of light comedy, mystery and thriller. Not many plays have those wonderful ingredients.

Tom: My turn now… How did you come up with idea for Down An Alley Filled with Cats?

Warwick: When I was younger I saw the movie ‘Sleuth’. It blew me away how just two characters and a clever plot in just one location could keep one totally entranced for 90 minutes. Years later I’d become an actor and simply decided to write a play, to see whether I could. I love dichotomy; the battle of the opposites in life and within ourselves. I had the characters in mind; the opposites; a young street smart rogue versus older, cultured intellect. I wanted to prove that opposites are in fact the same. All I needed was a place to put them; a pot on which to slam the lid, then light the flame.  At the time all the old warehouses around Darling Harbour were being demolished. I’d often go down there; down thin dead end alleys filled with mangy cats and smoke and drink and sit amongst the rubble and write plot points. An old book shop on top of a decaying old warehouse became the place. I threw the characters in there and the play began to write itself.

Tom: What is the connection with Cats and Poland?

Warwick: I love the secret behind the eyes of cats. They’re a thousand times smarter than humans. They’re mysterious. They don’t need to talk.  The old character Timmony loves cats too. I liked the idea of creating a character cat that we never see. It suggests how alone the old man really is. Poland? Simply the connection to rich European culture to contrast the brash colonial world of the younger character.  Part of the dichotomy.

Tom: What was your reaction when the play was successful worldwide?

Warwick: When David Susskind of New York called one night to say he was sending someone out to buy the rights I thought it was a mate taking the mickey. Then came the 4 year trek to London and Off-Broadway. It was nice to see other countries show interest, not just because it was Australian but because it was good. Yet, through all of that moment of fame, my favourite review remains the one from an earlier Adelaide production:  ‘Hurrah for Moss and Entertainment’.  There were too many socially serious plays at the time.

Tom: You have written several plays – What was your reason for writing the plays? How have they changed your life?

Warwick: The main reason for writing? Therapy. Writing is great for the soul. Shyness too. Many writers prefer to talk through the written word than face to face.  Imagination is a safer place to be.  And I find dialogue a lot easier and to the point than narrative. I don’t have the patience for narrative. How have they changed my life? They offered a great adventure into a world I hardly knew. They gave birth to a bucket load of characters who I can take out for dinner any time I like.

Tom: What can audiences expect from Down an Alley Filled With Cats?

Warwick: I like to think the Adelaide reviewer got it right. I like to think the audiences come out having been entertained and intrigued.  I like to think they think about the twists and turns of the play long after it’s finished. With the team involved in this production, it will be riveting.

Down an Alley Filled With Cats by Warwick Moss and directed by Tom Richards, runs 25 April to 13 May, 2017 at King Street Theatre, Newtown. www.kingstreettheatre.com.au

Images (from top): cast members Gabriel Egan and William Jordan, Warwick Moss and Tom Richards.