Kayla Walsh
Staff Writer
Two days later, Hugo e-mailed me: he had his cast. Wondering how he managed to choose just four actors from the impressive amount of talent I had witnessed at the auditions, I asked him to explain his selection process: “First of all,” he confided, “I put all of the auditionees into piles, one pile for each role, and then started considering each person with facebook open and ready to stalk in case my memory needed jogging.” (That’s comforting, Hugo…) Finding that he still had three or four people who would be perfect for a couple of the roles, he narrowed down the options with the help of producer and choreographer Sophie Evans, until finally choosing his elite cast for the following reasons:
Larry, played by Andy Duane:
“Andy is certainly quite the character in himself, and this makes him perfect for Larry. His powerful voice, imposing figure and that alpha male streak that he definitely has himself were just a force waiting to be enhanced and channelled into the ultimate alpha male, animalistic Larry.”
Dan, played by Matthew Malone:
“Dan was the hardest part to cast, but in the end it had to be Matthew. He has the look, being tall, slim and handsome and such, and he instantly took to the role, really getting down the arrogance and pretension that characterises Dan, whilst still bringing his immutable charisma to the part.”
Anna, played by Breffni Hollahan:
“Anna represents the girl that guys wish they could take home and show off to their parents; she’s classy and intelligent, but is also helpless when confronted with the strong male characters. A difficult role, but one that Breffni is more than capable of portraying- what with being tall and beautiful and talented.”
Alice, played by Roisin Barron:
“Alice was the easiest part to cast. As soon as Roisin entered the room, I was pretty much certain it would be her. She’s a sweetheart, and will easily be accepted by all as the archetypal perfect girl who is senselessly thrown away by the conceited Dan. Be prepared to fall in love.”
After hearing such good things about Hugo’s cast, I was dying to see rehearsals get underway. The first day back after the Christmas break, I returned to Players to track them down.
