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MadonnaTribe
readers were promptly informed a few months ago about Madonna
& Me, a play written by Tommy Kearney that
will debut in London in pril 2007 at the Union Theatre
in Southwark. Today we are happy to meet the playright himself
for a nice chat that will bring our readers for the first
time ever behind the scenes of this project.
MadonnaTribe: Hi Tommy and welcome to MadonnaTribe
you are the author of Madonna & Me, a play set in
a suburb of Liverpool at the time when Madonna was in the
UK with her "Who's that Girl World Tour" ' at London's Wembley
Stadium. How did the inspiration to write this play come to
you and why did you choose Madonna as the element that bonds
the characters?
Tommy Kearney: The play spans a number of years,
from the present day back to 1984 when Madonna released Holiday.
It then follows the characters for a number of years, but
it's condensed. I wrote the play, because it was I play I
wanted to go and watch. Madonna was and still is very popular
in my household and all my mates at home loved her. She was
the person the girls all wanted to be like, so I used it and
you'll see the ultimate wannabe Paula, the fans will relate
to her I'm sure.
MadonnaTribe: What Kind of Madonna fan are you?
Tommy Kearney: A huge fan, I've got an extensive
collection of goodies and I've been to every tour in the UK
and I've seen her in Madison Square Garden twice, but the
best Madonna moment was being at the Brixton Academy gig.
I was right at the front and it was amazing!
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MadonnaTribe: Loyalty and Friendship are the main
themes of the play. Why did you choose these themes and
how did you explore them in the play?
Tommy Kearney: The play is a tale about a group of friends
and it shows how the friends you have as a teenager are
not necessarily the friends you have as an adult and why.
MadonnaTribe: You say that a simple song and video
can change a person's life, let's discuss this fascinating
concept and what is the Madonna song that changed your life?
Tommy Kearney: Well if I told you the answer to that,
I'd spoil the play!
MadonnaTribe: The show is set in 1987 with Madonna
touring with Who's That Girl show. Did you actually see
the show in Wembley; what do you remember about it?
Tommy Kearney: The show passes through 1987 and the
Who's that girl tour features in the play. I did go to see
the show on the 18th August 1987 at the old Wembley stadium
with two friends. We traveled down on the midnight train
from Liverpool and arrived at Wembley about 6am. Then we
waited and queued for hours. We dashed across the Football
pitch and arrived at the front. I'd never seen so many people
before. It was huge! At the end of the show Madonna asked
the audience for a comb. Then she combed her hair like I'd
never seen anyone comb before, it was just so, so sexy! |
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MadonnaTribe: Do you have a favourite song from that tour?
Tommy Kearney: Yes, who's that girl? I still love it
today.
MadonnaTribe: Are the actors in the play fans of Madonna?
Tell us more about them.
Tommy Kearney: If they aren't they soon will be! Annmarie,
who plays Paula is busy researching and has borrowed half
of my collection! I think she's wearing bows in her hair now
and lots of bangles! All the actors are all from Liverpool,
it's a 'Scouse' play so I wanted an authentic 'Scouse' team.
My director Pearl is from Liverpool too. It's nice being with
creative people from home who now live in the 'Big Smoke!'
MadonnaTribe: Madonna can now be considered a cultural
icon that has been standing out there for almost 3 decades.
What is, according to you, the main quality that allows Madonna
to be such an iconic figure that has the ability to put people
together, as it happens in your play.
Tommy Kearney: She just appeals to the masses and always
has! I think anyone who crosses cultural and racial boundaries
like Madonna brings people together and I think she loves
that and respects it and that's why the public loves her.
The gay community loves her because she's always stood up
for them. The Men love her because she's just so sexy and
women like her because they see a strong woman with a great
taste in clothes and now a great Mother. As an example of
her appeal to different generations I'd like to tell you this,
a couple of years ago I bought a fancy dress chest for my
niece. It had various costumes, like fairies and clowns. My
sister asked her if she wanted to wear the petal fairy dress,
her response was, 'No! I want to be a Cow Girl like Madonna!'
You see I think it runs in the family! Her mother wanted to
be like Madonna and then she does!
MadonnaTribe: What is the moral behind your play and
what is the lesson to be learned from Madonna & Me.
Tommy Kearney: Love thy neighbour. Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you.
MadonnaTribe: Many of our readers from the UK will
be surely coming to see the play, what would say to them?
Tommy Kearney: Well a big thank you for coming along
to see the play, I do appreciate the support. Please buy a
program so I can raise money for 'Raising Malawi' and also
bring your friends. They don't have to be a Madonna fan to
enjoy the play, you never know, they might find a little bit
of you in the characters!
MadonnaTribe: To end this interview, how would you
describe Madonna using just one word?
Tommy Kearney: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
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