John McCrea and Louis Emmitt-Stern talk new play, SLIPPERY at the Omnibus Theatre

Summary

MICKEYJOTHEATRE PODCAST
John McCrea and Louis Emmitt-Stern Talk New Play, SLIPPERY at the Omnibus Theatre
(March 26, 2026)

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

Mickey-Jo, host of the leading MickeyJoTheatre podcast and YouTube channel, sits down at the Omnibus Theatre with actor John McCrea (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) and playwright Louis Emmitt-Stern to discuss their new two-hander play, SLIPPERY. Recorded just after the production’s first preview and ahead of its official opening, the conversation reveals the play’s origins, development, and the unique experience of staging it in an intimate setting—with an actual functional kitchen on stage. The discussion delves into the creative process, personal histories, queer representation, and the nuances of live theatre.

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KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. The Making of SLIPPERY (02:53–05:40)

• Fast-paced Production:
  • The set, a realistic kitchen, was constructed in just 36 hours, reflecting the dedication and resourcefulness of the creative team.
  • John McCrea both acts and cooks real spaghetti carbonara onstage, sometimes one-handed, marking a first for him in live theatre.

"We had about 36 hours. This all sort of came together, which is sort of a testament to the amazing team on this show."
—Louis Emmett-Stern [03:38]

"It's connected to what I'm saying now, each bit, which is actually great. If we could do that in real life, meal prep would be a breeze."
—John McCrea [05:02]

• Real Cooking as Dramatic Device:
  • The onstage cooking is seamlessly woven into the character’s actions and dialogue, adding to the naturalistic feel.

2. Play’s Genesis and Themes (05:32–07:48)

• Long Development:
  • Louis Emmitt-Stern started writing SLIPPERY six years prior and completed the first draft five years ago.
• Queer Relationships Post-Chemsex Era:
  • The play explores the aftermath of chemsex within the queer community, examining who the characters become once those elements have faded.
• Romantic Realism & Trojan Horse Drama:
  • Emmitt-Stern describes the work as a “Trojan Horse romantic drama”—a relationship play disguised as something else.

"I was very interested in, at the time that I started writing this, lots of fabulous queer plays that touched on the topic of chemsex... I was interested in who all of these characters were sort of 10, 15 years later."
—Louis Emmitt-Stern [06:12]

3. Staging and Influences (07:12–07:59)

• Comparison to ‘Skylight’ and Other Works:
  • While influenced by David Hare's "Skylight" (another play with onstage cooking and complex exes), both McCrea and Emmitt-Stern emphasize SLIPPERY’s unique tone and context.

"When I read it, it was the first thing that popped into my head as a reference. But doing Every Night couldn't feel more different."
—John McCrea [07:30]

4. Character and Performance (08:07–09:01)

• John McCrea’s Role:
  • Describes his character as “neurotic, emotionally unstable… struggling but resisting his struggle.”
  • The dramatic core is a person in grief, seeking solace in small comforts like cooking.

"He's neurotic, emotionally unstable, much like myself. No, he's struggling, really, I think, but he's resisting his struggle."
—John McCrea [08:12]

5. Theatre Spaces, Nostalgia, and Audience (13:36–14:18)

• Intimate Venue:
  • Both guests relish the closeness of the Omnibus Theatre, noting the audience's palpable engagement and the uniqueness of each live performance.

"It's lovely. I mean, last night was great because you get to really feel the audience with you."
—John McCrea [12:40]

• Physical Space in Writing:
  • Louis Emmitt-Stern meticulously drew the flat’s floor plan by hand, reflecting his fascination with domestic space and how it shapes character dynamics.

6. The Playwright’s Journey & Process (20:21–22:41)

• From Acting to Writing:
  • Emmitt-Stern came to playwriting through a love of dialogue and stories, especially plays, finding them more accessible due to his dyslexia.
• Slow-Burning Creativity:
  • He often lets ideas “sit” to see which ones endure, noting that new plays can take 6–8 years from idea to stage.

"I'm also dyslexic... I found as a teenager, like novels quite dense, but I loved narrative and so I felt like reading plays was like, oh, it's just like the things people are saying... I just found it really clear to read."
—Louis Emmitt-Stern [20:47]

"People always go, oh, what are you writing next? And I go, oh, you'll see in about six to eight years."
—Louis Emmitt-Stern [22:09]

7. Dynamics of a Two-Hander (22:41–24:55)

• Deep Character Work:
  • McCrea loves the challenge and satisfaction of “chunky dialogue” in a two-hander, emphasizing the realness of conversations those plays make possible.

"When you watch something that just feels so much like a realistic conversation... that thrills me."
—John McCrea [22:55]

• Subtext and Ambiguity:
  • There is a focus on what remains unsaid in relationships—two people “having completely different conversations at the same time” (23:42).

"And there's a lot in this play of like what's not said."
—Louis Emmitt-Stern [23:37]

8. Collaborative Creation and Adaptation (24:55–26:17)

• Actor-Writer Collaboration:
  • The play evolved significantly in rehearsal, with McCrea and co-star Perry Williams actively shaping the script through discovery of subtext and intention.
• Flexible Playwriting:
  • Emmitt-Stern values actors who engage deeply with material and influence its final form.

"It's nice to work with a generous and a not precious writer. I mean, not to say that you're not precious about your work, but you're not precious about things. A discussion and being collaborative."
—John McCrea [26:17]

9. What SLIPPERY Leaves the Audience (26:47–28:34)

• Provoking Reflection on Relationships:
  • The team hopes audiences leave reflecting on past relationships, what’s left unsaid, and that “everyone’s got their own version of events.”
• Relatable, Uncomfortable Truths:
  • The play may nudge audience members either to reach out to exes—or, perhaps, firmly decide against it!

"This play is gonna leave people wanting to come out and, like, being unsure about whether they should get in touch with their ex."
—Louis Emmitt-Stern [27:02]

"It just means that things are being perceived completely differently by other people."
—John McCrea [28:25]

10. Musical Theatre Memories & Future (29:11–30:40)

• Defining Jamie Era:
  • McCrea’s most vivid memory is his last performance in "Everybody’s Talking About Jamie," feeling the love and camaraderie of the company.
• Open to Future Musicals:
  • While currently loving straight theatre, McCrea expresses enthusiasm for possible musical returns—if the right material comes along.

"My last performance. It will stick out in my—that’s the one I remember the most. And it really felt like there was so much love in the room..."
—John McCrea [29:30]

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NOTABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• On Cooking Onstage:
  "Carey Mulligan? I think that's about it."
  —Mickey Jo Theatre Host, on actors who’ve cooked live [04:44]

• On Set Costs:
  "The cost of furnishing a kitchen for a show is the cost of furnishing a kitchen in real life."
  —Louis Emmett-Stern [04:00]

• On the Rehearsal Room:
  "[The play is] written in a way that both—you really, really juicy both sides of the story... everyone's got their own version of events."
  —John McCrea [28:14]

• On Subtext:
  "There's a lot in this play of like what's not said... two people having completely different conversations at the same time."
  —Louis Emmitt-Stern [23:37–23:42]

• On Audience Impact:
  "There was two women that came up to me and were like, it's so crazy that you sort of captured these small conversations that people think they have with their partner that is just them. And then you realize that everyone sort of goes through those things."
  —Louis Emmitt-Stern [27:02]

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TIMESTAMPS OF IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• 02:53 – Start of interview; play’s background and lightning-fast tech/set build
• 04:13 – Onstage functional kitchen and spaghetti carbonara
• 05:32 – Origins and themes of SLIPPERY
• 07:12 – Influences (e.g., “Skylight”); contrasting tone
• 08:07 – McCrea describes his character
• 13:36 – Audience intimacy, difference between large and small venues
• 16:40 – Playwright’s process of drawing the play’s floor plan
• 20:21 – Emmitt-Stern’s journey from acting to playwriting
• 22:41 – McCrea on dialogue and two-hander dynamics
• 24:55 – Evolving the script through rehearsal collaboration
• 26:47 – What the team hopes audiences take away
• 29:11 – McCrea’s musical theatre memories and openness to return

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FINAL THOUGHTS

This episode offers a warm, candid, and insightful look into the making of SLIPPERY, spotlighting the artistry and humanity behind new theatre. The hosts and guests celebrate the intimacy of small spaces, the collaborative evolution of new work, and the power of theatre to spark universal conversations about love, loss, and the complexity of human connection.

Transcript

[Hayden]

Howdy, howdy ho, and welcome to Fantasy Fan Fellas. I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and your resident lover of all things Sanderson.

[Stephen]

And I'm Stephen, your bookish Internet goofball. But you can call me the Smash Daddy.

[Hayden]

And we are currently deep diving Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epic Mistborn. But here's the catch. Steven here has not read Mistborn before.

[Stephen]

That's right.

[John McCrae]

Hey.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Hey.

[Stephen]

So each week you'll get my unfiltered raw reactions to every single chapter.

[Hayden]

And along the way we'll do character deep dives, magic explainers, and Steven will even try to guess what's next. Spoiler alert. He'll be wrong.

[Stephen]

News flash. I'm never wrong. Episodes come out every Wednesday, and you can find Fantasy Fan fellows wherever you get your podcasts.

[Midi Health Announcer]

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[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Oh, my God.

[John McCrae]

Hey.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

I am here at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham where a brand new play, Slippery, is playing. Its final preview performance before opening tomorrow night. I'm here to chat to one of the show's two stars, John McC, known for his appearance Off Broadway as well as originating the role of Jamie new in Everybody's Talking About Jamie, as well as the play's writer, rising star Louis Emmet Stern. Here's what they had to say about Slippery. Oh, my God. Hey, Louis and John, how are you both doing?

[John McCrae]

Good. Yeah, we're good.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. We're just off the back of the first preview.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yes.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Which was last night.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, it went well. I'm ready to do it again.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

It's like two previews and then opening tomorrow.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Straight in. Yeah.

[John McCrae]

Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And one day of tech.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yes, one day of tech. We sort of built this kitchen about.

[John McCrae]

We did.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

I didn't do it. Yeah, you were. We had about 36 hours. This all sort of came together, which is sort of a testament to the amazing team on this show. Yeah, yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

We're here in your lovely home that you've created on stage at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, which, based on London rent prices, you could probably charge a couple thousand pounds a month for.

[John McCrae]

Oh, yeah, yeah. It's an expensive old joint.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. It was learning that the. The cost of furnishing a kitchen for a show is the cost of furnishing a kitchen in real life. So. Yeah, well, you know, IKEA don't really mind that. It's for a show, you know, so

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

we should say we're going to talk more about the play, but there is a functional onstage kitchen because you, John McCrae, are not only acting in this play, you are making, I believe, a spaghetti carbonara.

[John McCrae]

Yeah. One handed.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Wow.

[John McCrae]

However, I did realise last night in the. In the first preview, I do some, but Perry does take over the end. Our wonderful, my wonderful co Star Perry Williams takes over the end of the cooking. So it is a joint effort. But, yeah, we are making pasta every night.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

And is that. I mean, I'm sure you've never cooked on stage before. Never. How many of us have?

[John McCrae]

No, exact. Carey Mulligan? I think that's about it.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Famously.

[John McCrae]

Oh, no, The Hot Wing Kings as well, at the. That was amazing.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

But you've joined the ranks now.

[John McCrae]

I've joined the ranks, yeah. I reckon theirs is probably a bit more edible than mine.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Is it a weird experience? Do you just have to try and get it into the muscle memory or is it deeply connected to what you're doing?

[John McCrae]

It's connected to what I'm saying now, each bit, which is actually great. If you. If we could do that in real life, we'd get like, meal prep would be a breeze.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, yeah.

[John McCrae]

But no, it's. It's connected to the action and. And it's. It is the easiest of the pasta dishes, I believe.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

So it's slightly. Slightly easier than Curry Mulligan. But you are doing it with one hand.

[John McCrae]

I am.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Which does make it trickier. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah. And you don't eat it, or is that a spoiler?

[John McCrae]

Well, we have to find out.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

We'll have to come and find out.

[John McCrae]

Some that gets eaten.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yes, we can say that, I think.

[John McCrae]

Yeah. Some of it doesn't.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Good to know. Good to know. So tell me, then, let's back up a little bit and talk more about Slippery itself and where this came from. Louis Emmett Stone.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, that's a great question. I started writing the play probably about six years ago, so it's taken a hot minute. And then probably since I finished the first draft, it's probably been about five years, that journey. And I was. Was really interested in the form of writing in real time and naturalism. And there was a lot of plays. I always say I sort of try and write Trojan Horse, romantic dramas. It's sort of like romantic dramas are so dressed up as something else.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

But I've noticed that before.

[Midi Health Announcer]

Yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

I think I'm sort of quite interested in just in people and like. And particularly the romantic relationship in all its forms. And I was very interested in, at the time that I started writing this, lots of fabulous queer plays that touched on the topic of chemsex and substance and issues with substance abuse. And I was very interested in who all of these characters were sort of 10, 15 years later. Particularly in the queer community, we sometimes don't see that. And I was sort of interested in. Yeah. What, What, What What? What? Who are these people once all of that's fallen away and who's left at the centre of that? Yeah, it was just something I hadn't seen on stage yet.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

So I think that was sort of the. The impetus and. And then also just was really fascinated by the dramatic potential of exes and, like, you know, people who, like, know exactly what buttons to push of yours, but also who you know really well and don't really know at all. Yeah. All of that sort of stuff, I suppose.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Were you thinking about Skylight at all, given the novelty of the cooking on stage, but also like a past relationship in the rear view mirror?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, it's really interesting. It's actually not. I mean, absolutely, as an influence on this play, but it. But I think that the. The tone of this play feels quite different. I don't know if you would agree.

[John McCrae]

When I read it, it was the first thing that popped into my head as a reference. But doing Every Night couldn't feel more different.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

Because the circumstances are so different, you know, but there are themes. But I think with any great writing, there are universal themes in it, you know, and everyone can go, oh, yeah, I lived that. Or I know someone that lived that.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

So.

[John McCrae]

And we had an interesting chat in rehearsals about how both of us have always been, or all of us have been, like, the one broken up with the one doing the breaking up. Like, everyone's got a piece of the pie.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. But, yeah, also absolutely love that play and it's thrilling to be sort of compared or in the same conversation as that play. So. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

What else can you tell us, then, John, about the character that you're playing in Slippery?

[John McCrae]

Well, he's neurotic, emotionally unstable, much like myself. No, he's struggling, really, I think, but he's. He's resisting his struggle. The entirety of the play until the. Until towards the end, really, where. Where he. And he. Yeah, he's. He's. He's. I think he's quite deep and he's going through a lot of grief, so that's sort of swallowing him whole at the moment. So he thinks, well, I might as well make some spaghetti. That'll sort. That'll sort it. Yeah. No, he's a wonderfully written character and he. He's. He can. I think he's. You know the song She's Always a Woman?

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

It always makes me think about that, you know, like, is just all the. Listen to it with that, like, all the facets of a person, like. And, you know, can kill you and Love you at the same time sort of thing.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah, very interesting. This is something of a London stage return for you. Because the last time I saw you on stage was Studio, Sea View, Off Broadway. I saw that comeback run when it was already.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, yeah, good.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah. Very talked about. Very buzzy. You were starring in Prince F on Broadway, one of the most talked about plays of the year. Last time I saw your work, it was at Soho Theatre. F'd you in my spaceship. This is gonna be a great day for titles that I can't necessarily say on camera.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

It's stuff getting lost in inboxes as well. My agent was horrified because she couldn't invite anyone because it always ended up in people's junk because it has a.

[John McCrae]

People never knew if they were allowed to say the title or not. Princess.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, yeah.

[John McCrae]

Just wait, you can say it.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That must have been a fairly extraordinary experience on so many fronts. I mean, there's so much of that play that we could talk about. But the thing, weirdly, I keep coming back to is the dressing rooms being visible pre show, which I'm not an actor, but if I were, I would find that incredibly anxiety.

[John McCrae]

We hated it.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

And we were like, it's boring. No one cares. But the main feedback was like, everybody loved it. Cause we all tried to get rid of it. And they were like, no, all of the audiences. Does that work?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Because I.

[John McCrae]

It's at our first venue, those were our dressing rooms. But in the second venue, we had dressing rooms upstairs. But once the play started. So it's kind of like, you know,

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

like it was a fake dressing room.

[John McCrae]

You saw it? Yeah, it was a fake dressing room. But, yeah, it was sort of like, you know, things being done pre show. It's like that. We were just interesting because. Because of the conceit of the show. We. We were very much actors on stage, so.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

And you were playing a imagined future version.

[John McCrae]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Of a member of the British royal family as, I guess, the only Brit in the cast.

[John McCrae]

Yes, yes. I mean, me here, who played Dev, has British roots.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

I tried to look into this because I was. I was figuring out his accent.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, he has family. He's sort of. He's sort of, you know, a nomad child. But he. He does have British roots, so. Not technically, but I was the only export. They all lived there. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Did you feel like some kind of a British ambassador in terms of what I was talking?

[John McCrae]

Because I'm not sure how well I did on that play, but. No, no, it was lovely. And I did. I Had a great time and it was. It felt very anarchic. So it was. It was great. I'd love to do it here. I just don't think we have.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

This is what I was going to ask is how it could possibly be perceived.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

We talked a little about this.

[John McCrae]

Yeah. I don't know. I would. I mean, what do you think? Because you saw it. So I'm sort of biased in my opin.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

I think what it left me with more so than the story within, is the personal lens. And those moments of breaking out was so powerful. And I was like, oh, this is what this play is about. Whether. I think once people actually come to see it and get past the marketing, it's the same with, like, a Diana the musical. The idea of the thing is probably more controversial than the thing itself.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, I agree. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Although some people. Some people would probably still say that the thing itself was also quite controversial.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

No, he'd love it. He'd be thrilled.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Where would you like to do it Here?

[John McCrae]

The Young Vic. Because it's yellow.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

That's as simple as I. Yeah, come on, Young Vic.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

It's that kind of a space. Do you enjoy having made, I'm gonna say this professional debut. London Palladium.

[John McCrae]

Oh, in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was it?

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

I was gonna. I thought you did Sound of Music.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, that was after. Oh, both. Yeah, both at the Palladium.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Sorry, sorry. Cut your childhood career in half.

[John McCrae]

Yes.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

No omnibus there today. I will.

[John McCrae]

We didn't have a kitchen.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

No, no.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Well, there you go. But now to be enjoying these more intimate spaces. How does that compare?

[John McCrae]

It's lovely. I mean, last night was great because you get to really feel the audience with you. We had a sort of a shock moment in the end. It was very vocal from the audience, which I love. But. Yeah. I mean, really, I was saying this to somebody else. I'm so driven by the material, so I don't really care where it. Where it is, as long as it's like something that fuels my soul.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, yeah.

[John McCrae]

So, yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. It's so, like, even watching it with an audience last night, like you said, it's so. You just feel like you're sitting in. Someone said to me, like, they kept wanting to just step up and sit on the sofa.

[John McCrae]

Yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

And I think it's got that kind of feel here.

[John McCrae]

It does, yeah. I mean, this is something. You can't recreate, that feeling of intimacy. Because even. I mean, even the. The two different ones we did of Prince. F. The change of, like, 250 audience members could be. It can be magnanimous. Really.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you have spaces that you think about when you're writing?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

I don't think so. I definitely the space in terms of the fictional world was so important for this and I. When I started writing this play, I drew about five or six different, like, floor plans of the whole flats. Yeah. Which none of them are quite like this, but it sort of doesn't matter because, yeah, when you see the play, there's sort of moments where, like, characters are in different rooms that aren't on stage and talking to each other from those rooms. So it was just really helpful for me to know where each character was at each different point in the play. So. Yeah, I suppose. Yeah, but not necessarily, I suppose. Theatrical space.

[Hayden]

Howdy, howdy ho, and welcome to Fantasy Fan Fellas. I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and your resident lover of all things Sanderson.

[Stephen]

And I'm Steph, your bookish Internet goofball. But you can call me the Smash Daddy.

[Hayden]

And we are currently deep diving Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epic Mistborn. But here's the catch. Steven here has not read Mistborn before.

[Stephen]

That's right.

[John McCrae]

Hey.

[Stephen]

Hey. So each week you'll get my unfiltered raw reactions to every single chapter.

[Hayden]

And along the way, we'll do character deep dives, magic explainers, and Steven will even try to guess what's next. Spoiler alert. He'll be wrong.

[Stephen]

News flash. I'm never wrong. Episodes come out every Wednesday and you can find Fantasy fanfellas wherever you get your podcasts.

[Midi Health Announcer]

This podcast is supported by Midi Health. Are you in midlife and feeling dismissed, unheard, or just plain tired of the old healthcare system? You're not alone. For too long, women's serious midlife health issues have been trivialized, ignored and met with a just deal with it attitude. Many of us have been made to feel ashamed or forgotten. In fact, even today, 75% of women seeking care for menopause and perimenopause issues are left entirely untreated. It's time for a change. It's time for midi. And MIDI is not just a health care provider. It's a women's telehealth clinic founded and supported by world class leaders in women's health. What sets MIDI apart? We are the only women's telehealth brand covered by major insurance companies. Making high quality expert care accessible and affordable for all women. Our clinicians provide one on one face to face consultations where they truly listen to your unique needs. We offer a full range of holistic, data driven solutions from hormonal therapies and weight loss protocols to lifestyle coaching and preventative health guidance. This isn't one size fits all care. This is care uniquely tailored for you. At midi, you will join our patients who feel seen, heard and prioritized. You will find that our mission is clear. To help all women thrive in midlife, giving them access to the healthcare they deserve. Because we believe midlife isn't the middle at all. It's the beginning of your second act. Ready to feel your best and write your second act script? Visit joinmiddy.com today to book your personalized insurance covered virtual visit. That's joinmitty.com the Care Women deserve.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

But yeah, definitely like the, the lived in space of the world for sure.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah, yeah. How did you draw the floor plans? Is my immediate question.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Literally how so? Just literally with like on paper.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

That's quite, that's quite like.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, I tried to use some like fun architectural software but that was too advanced and I actually found like real joy. And I used to love this really nerdy. I used to love like property magazines as a kid. That's so lame, isn't it? And just like looking at like all of these like, like beautiful like homes and like their floor plans. I moved around quite a lot as a kid so I think that probably, that probably is one of the reasons why I'm really interested in sort of domestic environments and what they, they do.

[John McCrae]

Do you watch those Architectural Digest, like home tours?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

I do and I love selling Sunset. I can't lie.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Of course. Of course.

[John McCrae]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Maybe that's all going to come through when I come and see the play.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

It's all going to connect.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Yeah. And you can tell me whether Jude is a Chrishell or a Christine.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

I didn't know if we were talking like sketched on the back of a napkin or like using the Sims 2.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

No, no, it was. Yeah, yeah. In terms of the. Literally just on like, like a notepad. Yeah. Just like.

[John McCrae]

Do you have them still?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Probably somewhere. I think they're probably.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah, they're probably somewhere when it transfers and it's like a record breaking West End run. Then you can sell those at like flea market.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

We can put them in a frame like they do at Wicked on Broadway and they have all the original stuff.

[John McCrae]

My friend's got seating plans of all the theatres he's worked in frames in his house and I think that's a lovely idea. And they look lovely. You know, they're sort of. We could do that.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

When you buy your, you know, seventh House.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Great.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

That's nice. I guess. If you were to have that. What are some of the most major theater memories that you have? Obviously, years at the Apollo with. Everybody's talking about Jamie. What have been some of the most impactful spaces and shows.

[John McCrae]

The Crucible was amazing. I mean, that's where it all started. Yeah. The Palladium, because of the nostalgia. I mean, I don't really remember it now, but you know that. Yeah. All of them. All of them. This. All of them, they will hold such memories. And the fact that they're such transient places that hold those completely different memories for every single person that comes through them, both audience and the people that work there. I mean, they're magical places that hopefully will survive the apocalypse.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Do you feel nostalgic when you go back to a venue that you've performed at just to, like, watch another show?

[John McCrae]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, because that's the. That's the thing that I was just saying. It's like you're like, oh, there's a whole different world in here now, full of completely different people.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

It's amazing.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

It's like when you.

[John McCrae]

What?

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

It's like an old house that your parents sold and then you don't live there anymore. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John McCrae]

Or like a school. Like, I can't imagine going back to, like, an old school and, like, the smell and everything.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah, yeah. I'm always curious with the actors who work as kids and then work again as adults. If you've encountered any of the people who you were acting alongside as a child again later in life.

[John McCrae]

Not. I don't think I've worked with any of them, but there's a bunch of us that are still working now because we. I went to Sylvia Young, but I did my first job with Carrie Hope Fletcher.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Sure.

[John McCrae]

So there's lots of, like. You see these people and you're like, I remember you. And, like, we all kind of are all lovely to each other when we see each other. I don't actually think I've worked with anyone yet.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

What does that say about you that,

[John McCrae]

you know, no one wants to work with me? No, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what that you. Maybe it's probably because we're usually all up for the same parts, similar age. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

You and Carrie have flesh?

[John McCrae]

Well, yeah. I mean, I was assuming for Hedges. I don't know why I Didn't get it.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

It was you two waitress, wasn't it? Your final two.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, I was down to do this.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John McCrae]

So you're welcome.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

And she's not really baking pies on stage.

[John McCrae]

Spoiler alert.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

You wanted the real deal.

[John McCrae]

I wanted the real deal.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

We're publicizing other people's shows.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Stop.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

No, no. Back to slippery, back to focus. Tell me more about the journey to playwright. And as you were like, connecting to the theater, if that is how it happened for you, whether you knew straight away that that was the hat that you wanted to wear.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

I think I probably came into it a bit like everyone else through acting. And I knew, but I sort of knew really early on that I wanted to tell stories. Yeah, I. I grew up. I didn't grow up in the UK and I grew up where there wasn't many. There wasn't any professional theater. And so I actually read a lot of plays and that was sort of my shoo into to theatre. And so I think I. I'm also dyslexic and I find I found as a teenager, like novels quite dense, but I loved narrative and so I felt like reading plays was like, oh, it's just like the diet, the things people are saying and like the action. And I was like, oh, I just found it really clear to. To read. And so I ended up like. Like things like Angels, America, like, they were the sort of. When people reading like Harry Potter, like, I was like, that was like, no, it's great, it's so good. And like, do you hear the voices?

[John McCrae]

Do you hear them?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Like, yeah, I think so. And like, it was just. It just felt really accessible to me. And I think that's why when I was. When I started writing that, that felt like the form that I just was so familiar with because that was how I accessed was accessing stories, I think. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah. There must have been some overlap time wise between if you said you were writing this six years ago and writing Spaceship. How many projects are kind of swirling around your head at any.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Loads. And sometimes you have to sit with things for a while to know if they have legs. And often, like, if you keep going back to something, it's a good sort of suggestion that it's.

[John McCrae]

Yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

And it's. And there's things people like. People always go, oh, what are you writing next? And I go, oh, you'll see in about six to eight years. And it takes a long time and development in theatre takes a while, but sometimes that's. Sometimes that can be really good. And Actually, it feels like this play is happening at exactly the right time with exactly the right people. And also when the conversation about chemsex is sort of back in the. Back in the news and back, you know, people are talking about it again. So it feels like the right time to be doing it. Actually, it feels like a great time.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

How does it compare to be doing something? To be doing a two hander, I guess, intimate space, sort of really connecting with that character and a single person that you're playing opposite versus being part of something more sprawling like a musical.

[John McCrae]

I personally love it. I'm a big dialogue fiend. I love chunky sections of dialogue. So he's laughing. I've got. But no. So that's. I mean, when you watch something that just feels so, so much like a realistic conversation that two people would have and are having all across, you know, the globe, that thrills me. And so I love that. And as much as I love doing, you know, bigger things with like musical numbers, they do sometimes feel like this like speed bump sometimes like you're just getting to the meat of a scene and then you can't say it because you have to sing it.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

And so to say it is. Is what I get off on, I think so. This is amazing.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

And there's a lot in this play of like what's not said, I think as well, which is what two people

[John McCrae]

having completely different conversations at the same time.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

And this has been really interesting in rehearsal, you and Perry being like, you think I'm saying this when I'm saying this. And that's the thrill. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Has it reshaped a lot of it since bringing actors in and they start to deliver the dialogue and you get it into rehearsal, has it kind of has your exact idea of what this play is and who these characters are shifted?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Oh, totally. Yeah. I think, I think that's the best bit about working with really generous actors on new writing. I think that there are some actors that, that are amazing actors and. But there are some actors that are amazing actors, but also are sort of like so passionate and excited about the material that they want to shape it. And, and that's really what you need because, you know, you and Perry have to do this every night. But also you never even, you know, I've been developing this for sort of five years and it's done sort of four workshops. And you never spend sort of the amount of time that we have, even in rehearsal, even in a workshop, going every line, every word and going, you know, can I find the truth Can I find the moment in this line? And actually, that's

[Hayden]

howdy, howdy ho, and welcome to Fantasy Fanfellas. I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and your resident lover of all things Sanderson.

[Stephen]

And I'm Stephen, your bookish Internet goofy goofball. But you can call me the smash daddy.

[Hayden]

And we are currently deep diving Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epic Mistborn. But here's the catch. Steven here has not read Mistborn before.

[Stephen]

That's right.

[John McCrae]

Hey.

[Stephen]

Hey. So each week, you'll get my unfiltered raw reactions to every single chapter.

[Hayden]

And along the way, we'll do character deep dives, magic explainers, and Steven will even try to guess what's next. Spoiler alert. He'll be wrong.

[Stephen]

News flash. I'm never wrong. Episodes come out every Wednesday, and you can find Fantasy Fanfellas wherever you get your podcasts.

[Adam Grant]

Hey, this is Adam Grant, host of Ted's podcast, Rethinking with Adam Grant. Have you heard of Bill? It's the intelligent finance platform that uses AI to help you avoid costly errors and optimize cash flow. In fact, Bill reports that over 90 of the top 100 US accounting firms trust them to manage, move, and maximize money. Proven by over a trillion dollars in secure transactions. Eliminate the friction and start scaling with the proven choice. Visit bill.com proven to talk with an expert about automating your business finances. And get a $250 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.com proven terms and conditions apply. See offer page for details.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Really joyful as well. And you learn. Yeah. How's it been? How was it for you?

[John McCrae]

It was amazing. It was great. It's nice to work with a generous and a not precious writer. I mean, not to say that you're not precious about your work, but you're not precious about things. A discussion and being collaboration, collaborative. Yeah. And we're all feeling like detectives, you know, just trying to find the clearest way of giving something to an audience. I think because it's got a. It's. We've got a lot to pack in in a small time. So we really want them to be with us in the bits that they're with us and then have some ambiguity when it. When the story deserves it.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

What do you think this show is gonna leave people with? What is, I guess, your greatest aspiration for the conversations people are having or the way that they're feeling as they leave the building?

[John McCrae]

Well, I don't know because I wasn't I'm on stage. But you were here yesterday amongst them all, so you could.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Matthew Iliff, our fantastic director, and I had a conversation about this quite, quite early on, and he said something which is great, which was like, this play is gonna leave people wanting to come out and, like, being unsure about whether they should get in touch with their ex or going, oh, I really want to contact my ex. Actually, maybe I shouldn't. And maybe just think about them and go. I hope that they're okay, but actually, maybe it's not a good idea to get back in touch with them. And I think that's. Yeah. Thinking about a past love, maybe, or things that you wish you'd said to somebody and didn't. And actually maybe knowing if they're unsaid might be the best thing. Yeah, it's really. It was really nice. Yesterday after the first preview, there was two women that came up to me and were like, it's so crazy that you sort of captured these small conversations that people think they have with their partner that is just them. And then you sort of realize that everyone sort of goes through those things. So that's really lovely. Yeah. What did you. I don't know. What would you. What did you. What left you.

[John McCrae]

I'm pretty. I'm so biased about my character. And I say, as I think Perry is that we are leave thinking. Well, obviously everyone thinks Jude's right, which is probably not the case.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John McCrae]

Well, actually, I think it's written in a way that both you really, really juicy. Both sides of the. Of the story, of the argument of. Because that's. I mean, that's what having an exes or. Or even friendships or family dynamics. Everyone's got their own version of events.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah.

[John McCrae]

It doesn't mean anyone's is true or untrue. It just means that things are being perceived completely differently by other people.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Everyone's sort of got their own version.

[John McCrae]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Listen, maybe people decide against their better judgment, they do contact their ex.

[John McCrae]

I hope so. I hope you just have a barrage of, like, chaos across the country, across the, like, theater community, where. But just like, you got people fighting. We need to bring Jerry Springer back in. That's what I want.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. I had a friend come yesterday, the first preview, and he's dating someone new. And I was like, you have to come back and bring this person. And he was like, I don't think so.

[John McCrae]

The new person, he needs to bring a date. I think it's a good date.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Do you think so?

[John McCrae]

Yeah.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Because you I think so, too.

[John McCrae]

At least we're not like that yet, you know.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Unless you are, and then there's some conversations to be had.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Either that or it's red flags on stage.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Exactly, yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Now I have to ask my go to musical theatre question because you're so known for the musical roles that you've played and the time spent with Jamie of all those years doing it regionally, doing it in London, original West End star getting to be in the film as well. What is your sort of defining memory of that chapter last.

[John McCrae]

My last performance. It will stick out in my. That's the one I remember the most. And it really felt like there was so much love in the room and there was a bunch of us leaving together who had been in it since Sheffield. So. Yeah, that'll always. That. I'll always remember that. That night. And I remember the stage door being lovely and. Yeah, that all. I think it's my last one. And you know so clearly that it is your last because, you know, you age out of these things and. And then passing it on to my best. One of my best friends in the world.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

It was.

[John McCrae]

I mean, who gets to do that? It was great.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Is there a big musical return anticipated for you in the future? Is this something you could see? Are you just telling the stories as they.

[John McCrae]

I mean, I'd never say never. I love doing it. I loved. The Cabaret was the last one I did and I loved doing that. So, yeah. I mean, if. If the right thing comes along. I'm never. I'm not one of those people that

[Louis Emmett Stern]

say, not Patti LuPone.

[John McCrae]

No, no, I love it. And. Well, yeah, she'll come back as well. She's. I mean, she's like Cher. She'll just keep doing a farewell tour. No, I love it. And hopefully one day. Yeah, for sure. Because it's such. It is a glorious thing to hear people sing. I mean, I love. You know, I love to sing and I love. It's this sort of transcendent, isn't it? So, yeah, I hope so. Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

And you're very, very good at it.

[John McCrae]

Oh, thank you.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

It's been a pleasure. You sing around rehearsal all the time. Yeah, absolutely.

[John McCrae]

That's really bad because I was just having. I'm Perry plays music and that's why. Probably trying to drown me out.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

If in character, as you're cooking and I don't know what conversation is going on while this is happening in the play, but if. If in character in this play, you're idly singing to yourself while you're cooking spaghetti carbonara. What's the song that's being sung?

[John McCrae]

Oh, my God. It depends on which part of the evening you catch it. Could be something really. I mean, there is music in it. I don't sing, but we do play a song. There's a song. So there's something that happens, but I don't know what's the song about?

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Like a horror.

[John McCrae]

Like an ex, don't you?

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Sure.

[John McCrae]

By the Pussycat Dolls. She wish your girlfriend was hot like me.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah. Yeah, I could see. That's so much me singing that while

[John McCrae]

I stirring onions passive aggressively.

[Louis Emmett Stern]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Nice. I am powerfully intrigued about this play. I cannot wait to come and see it and I hope everyone else is as well. Thank you so much for taking more about it. Thank you so much for joining us for this conversation. Make sure to check out Slippery at the Omnibus Theatre and stay tuned for more chats coming very soon. Soon. I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey day. For 10 more seconds, I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh, my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day.

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Subscribe.

[Hayden]

Howdy, howdy ho, and welcome to Fantasy Fan Fellas. I'm Hayden, producer of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast and your resident lover of all things Sanderson.

[Stephen]

And I'm Stephen, your bookish Internet goofball, but you can call me the Smash Daddy.

[Hayden]

And we are currently deep diving Brandon Sanderson's f fantasy epic Mistborn. But here's the catch. Steven here has not read Mistborn before.

[Stephen]

That's right.

[John McCrae]

Hey.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Hey.

[Stephen]

So each week you'll get my unfiltered raw reactions to every single chapter.

[Hayden]

And along the way, we'll do character deep dives, magic explainers, and Steven will even try to guess what's next. Spoiler alert. He'll be wrong.

[Stephen]

News flash, I'm never wrong. Episodes come out every Wednesday and you can find Fantasy fanfellas wherever you get your podcasts.

[Adam Grant]

Hey, this is Adam Grant, host of Ted's podcast, Rethinking with Adam Grant. Let me share with you why smart finance leaders turn to Bill. They know that clarity isn't just helpful, it's strategic. As the intelligent finance platform, Bill uses AI to automate the busy work for nearly half a million businesses so they can focus on intentional growth, eliminate the friction and start scaling with the proven choice. Visit bill.com proven to talk with an expert about automating your business finances and get a $250 gift card as a thank you. That's bill.com proven terms and conditions apply. See Offer page for details.

[Midi Health Announcer]

Lunch was great, but this traffic is awful.

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

Um, can we stop at a bathroom?

[Midi Health Announcer]

Are you alright? I keep having stomach issues after eating

[John McCrae]

like diarrhea, gas and bloating, abdominal pain

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

and sometimes oily stools. Sound familiar?

[Midi Health Announcer]

Those stomach issues may actually be a

[Mickey Jo Theatre Host]

pancreas issue called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or epi. Creon pancrelipase may help manage epi. Creon is a prescription medicine used to treat people who can't digest food normally because their pancreas doesn't make enough enzyme.

[Creon Medication Announcer]

Creon may increase your chance of fibrosing colonopathy, a rare bowel disorder. Tell your doctor if you have a history of intestinal blockage or scarring or thickening of your bowel wall, if you are allergic to pork or if you have gout, kidney problems or worsening of painful swollen joints. Call your doctor if you have any unusual or severe gastrointestinal symptoms or allergic reactions. Take Creon as directed by your doctor and always with food. Do not chew capsules, as this may cause mouth irritation. Other side effects may include blood sugar changes, gas, dizziness, sore throat and cough. These are not all the side effects of Creon. Call 800-633-9110 or visit creoninfo.com to learn more. That's c-oninfo.com I'm asking my doctor about

[Midi Health Announcer]

EPI and if Creon could help.