INTERVIEW: SECOND SUMMER OF LOVE – TALKING TO EMMY HAPPISBURGH
A love letter to a hedonistic youth that lies left in the shadows of a present-day suburban parenthood, Second Summer of Love is a coming of age comedy play telling the story of home counties mum Louise and her topsy turvy trip down memory lane. Once a raver, always a raver? Arriving at Guildford’s Mill Studio at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre this April, we spoke to writer and actor Emmy Happisburgh to find out more…
You’re bringing your play Second Summer of Love to the audiences of Guildford, Woking and Worthing this April. For those who may not know, in your own words, what can you tell us about the show and what inspired you to write it?
So it centres on a joyous flashback, a celebration of 90s rave culture which was inspired by – as I hit middle age – memories of the early 90s where I found myself right in the middle of the zeitgeist as it were, the beginning of rave culture, which sparked in The Second Summer of Love, which I think officially is, 1989. For me and for most of the people that wee around in that era, it was actually a counter culture that lasted 4 or five years and I just wanted to see it authentically represented on stage.
As a middle age woman I think its nice to see women my age being playful and dynamic on stage. Our generation kind of pick up plays from the past and midlife women, especially from surrey, are written as vey responsible, sensible, a bit dowdy and depressed even. My generation certainly wasn’t like that. We were the rave generation. Gen-X.
You’ll meet Louise, and she doesn’t realise it, but she’s about to reach peak midlife crisis. She’s been going to wildly inappropriate raver-cise classes, which is like zumba but with glow sticks and in the dark. Believe me, these do actually exist. And she realises that this is the midlife crisis.
We see her the previous week and she’s had to do her daughter anti-drugs homework, which completely counters the memories that she had of The Second Summer of Love and ecstasy youth. She bumps into an ex in Waitrose and she’s just having a bad week and she has this big flashback to 1990.
But by the end of the play, an unlikely Sage arrives in the guise of a pizza delivery driver who she used to know. She’s called for these pizzas because she knows this guy works for the pizza company and he gives her some very sage advice which means she has a plan to move forward to embrace midlife and still see the light and gives, which for me, gives the blueprint, of how I came to grips with the fact that I’m 48.
It’s my personal way through it; to be happy and embrace this age. I’ve written a play in my late 40s and basically the suggestion is that everyone has their thing, everyone has a talent. Whether that’s bringing people together or making people feel comfortable. As long as you’re embracing your talent and using that then that what makes you feel alive as a human and it’s that that you’re searching for. It’s not your youth, that’s gone, however much you want it. It’s about going forward. You’re not dead yet. Don’t give up your dreams.
It leaves the audience feeling good and optimistic. It’s an optimistic play.
How much of the heroine Louise do you see in yourself and is the play in anyway a brief biopic of your experience traversing from the 90s to the now?
It’s a fictional story, I will say that, but it’s very much based on real happenings and on real characters, or a culmination of lots of different characters into one, who I’ve met along the way during the early 90s’. I try to be authentic. I wanted to bring the idiosyncrasies of that era to stage.
It’s either made over cheesy like Kevin and Perry Go Large that sort of thing or it’s too hard, like Trainspotting which deals with a whole other side of drug use. But for the majority who experience The Second Summer of Love, there were idiosyncrasies that went with that particular culture that haven’t necessarily been represented, not for my taste, authentically enough on stage. I wanted to do that because I thought it meant a different voice, a different culture to put on stage.
Originally a one-woman show, you premiered the play at Edinburgh Fringe last year – playing multiple parts, how was that experience for you?
Yeah several characters. It was an absolute blast. I loved it. I recommend anyone to do it who is a writer of performer. My intention was to not be sh*t and to have more than five in the audience. We had audiences everyday and even sold-out on a couple of days. My husband and kids came up and flyerd for me for the weekend and my 78 year old mum also came up for a weekend literally dragging people in.
It was a very physical performance. I played all the different characters and theres a lot of movement and dance. Not like jazz dance, but, running man.
It’s a relief to have two more actors coming. Because the intention was always to make it a multi-part piece but it’s just not cost-effective to take seven people up to Edinburgh. It was more to test the water and to see if the subject matter had legs and to gauge the audience response. But I think I’ve definitely got a goer. I had an overwhelming reaction and now the aim is to get another producer on board and some funding.
We’d like to make it bigger and it’s always evolving.
You are now joined by two other cast members for this latest production and your real-life daughter Rosa plays your stage-daughter Molly – how has it been working with the fam – and more cast members in general?
Well it’s quite hard being mum and actor. She got an absolute boll***ing this morning because she had her phone in her bedroom last night, and she’s not allowed it, and now i’ve got to rehearse with her this evening. She’s brilliant, she’s got a better CV than me. She’s been in Inside No.9 and Not Going Out and she’s the voiceover for Topsy in Ra Ra The Noisy Little Lion. She’s great, a safe pair of hands. And Chris Freestone is an old friend and he’s just brilliant.
What’s the one thing your 90s self might be most shocked to learn about your self today?
That I’ve calmed down and I’m responsible. Also, probably that she’s be quite proud of me that I’ve written a show and taken it to Edinburgh.
You know I was involved in recreational drugs in the early 90s and giving it up was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I was worried for quite sometime that I might have lost a part of myself doing that. And I think that me coming out of that era going ‘what have I done?’, would look at me now and think, ‘you know you’ve done alright’.
You are local to the humble and historic market town of Guildford – have you got some favourite places you go to for leisure and pleasure?
Oh yes. I love walking in the Chantries, Pewley Down, St Martha’s. I love the High Street, I think it’s a beautiful High Street that I’ve been walking up and down since I was 11. I love the Yvonne Arnaud – I’ve been seeing shows there since Panto at the age of 5.
I love the health food store too, Food For Thought. I could get lost for hours in there – the staff are so knowledgable and that’s my go-to snack place when I’m in town. And also the coffee, the community and team at Harris + Hoole.
THE Quick Fire Round:
Favourite tune to dance to?
Awesome Three – Hard Up (1990 Mix)
Favourite night club?
Sterns in Worthing.
Favourite biscuit?
Wheat Free Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Cookie form Marks and Spencers. I’m such a Surrey girl aren’t I?
SECOND SUMMER OF LOVE
APRIL 20 – 21 / MILL STUDIO, YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD
APRIL 22 / THE CONNAUGHT STUDIO, WORTHING