Sam Wilson, Class 8C, is obviously the correct choice for Head Boy. He's got the PowerPoint to prove it.
But amidst school discos, playground football, and machiavellian scheming, the road to the top will certainly be no Geography with Mr Baker. (Geography with Mr Baker is massively easy.) As the race intensifies, will Sam cause another boy grievous bodily harm? See title.
After sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and a UK tour, this ‘painfully funny’ (Stage) 5 star comedy that ‘exudes originality’ (Recs) finally comes to London.
Sorry (I Broke Your Arms And Legs) is a riotous debut PowerPoint presentation combining the thrills of World Book Day with the hilarity of the Maths Olympiad. Don’t be late!
Pleasance Associate Artists and ‘terrifically exciting company’ (Stage), Maybe You Like It, present a double bill of high energy, story driven stage shows that are fast, funny, fluid and filmic.
We sat down with James Akka to learn more about
What can you tell us about Sorry (I Broke Your Arms and Legs) and the inspiration behind it?
Sorry is a character-comedy solo show based on my experience of being a gay 12 year-old nerd who cared too much about school and not enough about being kind. It’s mostly told through PowerPoint presentations, because I feel like I made a lot of those at 12. I should stress that very few of the plot details are true (I never broke anyone’s arms and legs!), but a surprising number of the smaller details are from reality!
Sorry is a character-comedy solo show based on my experience of being a gay 12 year-old nerd who cared too much about school and not enough about being kind. It’s mostly told through PowerPoint presentations, because I feel like I made a lot of those at 12. I should stress that very few of the plot details are true (I never broke anyone’s arms and legs!), but a surprising number of the smaller details are from reality!
This show is described as a "riotous PowerPoint presentation." How do you use something as traditionally "boring" as office software to create high-stakes comedy and "Machiavellian scheming"?
I’ve gone really deep into understanding the thrills and opportunities of PowerPoint - there’s much to be said for a visually exciting slide transition. PowerPoint comedy, too, has a long history by this point. It’s a perfect vehicle for setups and punchlines!
I’ve gone really deep into understanding the thrills and opportunities of PowerPoint - there’s much to be said for a visually exciting slide transition. PowerPoint comedy, too, has a long history by this point. It’s a perfect vehicle for setups and punchlines!
The show is famous for its "character and cleverness, all in Comic Sans." How does the visual "low-fi" look of the show help tell Sam Wilson’s story better than a high-budget set would?
At its heart, this is a show about one boy telling a story through his own eyes, even if his own viewpoint is hilariously naive. The set being bare helps us really zone in on the world Sam imagines – whether that’s reality or not. We chose not to specifically date the show in time so that it could speak more to anyone’s experience of being 12, but the comic sans and janky slides are certainly an homage to my own 2012 experience (as is the pre- and post-show music, if you listen out!)
Farce usually involves doors slamming; here, it’s slides clicking. How difficult is the technical timing when the performer is essentially acting against a digital backdrop they are controlling?
A peek behind the curtain: my director Caleb actually controls the slideshow (as well as the light and sound cues). We had some early experiences when workshopping the show that made us very wary of me controlling it myself. So it really becomes a dance between the two of us, but Caleb is so tapped into the timing of the show now that he could do it all with his eyes closed.
A peek behind the curtain: my director Caleb actually controls the slideshow (as well as the light and sound cues). We had some early experiences when workshopping the show that made us very wary of me controlling it myself. So it really becomes a dance between the two of us, but Caleb is so tapped into the timing of the show now that he could do it all with his eyes closed.
Sam Wilson is a 12-year-old who has done something pretty terrible (clue is in the title). How does the show balance his ambition with the fact that he's just a kid trying to survive the school disco?
Something I was keen to get across is how big the stakes feel while you’re at school, even if we have more perspective on those things as adults. You exist only in this weird system of houses and auditions and sets for Maths and achievement badges, and it feels like absolutely everything. The ambition to be head boy is not a small ambition to Sam: he may as well be campaigning to be emperor of the world. I think a lot of the humour, though, comes from us having that perspective and seeing his concerns from the outside.
Something I was keen to get across is how big the stakes feel while you’re at school, even if we have more perspective on those things as adults. You exist only in this weird system of houses and auditions and sets for Maths and achievement badges, and it feels like absolutely everything. The ambition to be head boy is not a small ambition to Sam: he may as well be campaigning to be emperor of the world. I think a lot of the humour, though, comes from us having that perspective and seeing his concerns from the outside.
How does this show explore queer identity through the lens of schoolboy awkwardness and biology homework?
Sorry is a show about being gay, to an extent, but more importantly (and perhaps more universally) it’s a show about perfectionism. What happens to you, and those around you, when you hold yourself to unbearably high standards? Sam’s perfectionism certainly stems, in no small part, from something big about himself he’s not quite comfortable with, and I think many queer people had similar experiences, but shame manifests around other issues at that age too, and in other ways.
Sorry is a show about being gay, to an extent, but more importantly (and perhaps more universally) it’s a show about perfectionism. What happens to you, and those around you, when you hold yourself to unbearably high standards? Sam’s perfectionism certainly stems, in no small part, from something big about himself he’s not quite comfortable with, and I think many queer people had similar experiences, but shame manifests around other issues at that age too, and in other ways.
Reviews mention that the show gives "cringe-inducing flashbacks" to being that age. What is it about the Year 8 experience that makes it such fertile ground for comedy?
What an awkward age! The cusp of puberty. There’s a strange experience we all go through around 12, where you sort of still have the joy and excitement of childhood, but simultaneously an awful realisation that some of that stuff might be embarrassing, and that your peers may be watching you. You care very deeply about things that in hindsight feel very small, and I think that contrast makes for a lot of great jokes. There’s also so much specificity about that world: auditions for the school play, experiences at a disco, the kid in your class who does karate on Saturdays. People delight in recognising and remembering those things.
What an awkward age! The cusp of puberty. There’s a strange experience we all go through around 12, where you sort of still have the joy and excitement of childhood, but simultaneously an awful realisation that some of that stuff might be embarrassing, and that your peers may be watching you. You care very deeply about things that in hindsight feel very small, and I think that contrast makes for a lot of great jokes. There’s also so much specificity about that world: auditions for the school play, experiences at a disco, the kid in your class who does karate on Saturdays. People delight in recognising and remembering those things.
On the surface, a 1964 Alaskan earthquake and a Year 8 school election seem worlds apart. What do you feel connects these two shows? Is there a shared "Maybe You Like It" DNA of community and crisis?
We make shows that run at breakneck pace, and we make shows that lead with story. Making compelling story always comes first for us and is at the heart of every conversation while developing pieces. I think there’s a consideration for kindness and yes, community, that is present through both shows, too.
What was the first piece of theatre you remember having a big impact on you?
Too many to name, but I had the time of my life at Hairspray when I was 14 or so. If I could sing or dance I’d absolutely want to be in that show. Such joy!
Too many to name, but I had the time of my life at Hairspray when I was 14 or so. If I could sing or dance I’d absolutely want to be in that show. Such joy!
What would you hope an audience member takes away from seeing Sorry (I Broke Your Arms and Legs)?
A couple people have said after the show that they didn’t realise theatre could be so funny. That means a lot to me. If they take away something about contemporary queer identity, or how to be kind to their friends, that’s a win too, I suppose.
A couple people have said after the show that they didn’t realise theatre could be so funny. That means a lot to me. If they take away something about contemporary queer identity, or how to be kind to their friends, that’s a win too, I suppose.
Sorry (I Broke Your Arms and Legs) runs at Pleasance Theatre in London from 22nd Apr - 9th May. For tickets and more information visit https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/sorry-i-broke-your-arms-and-legs
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