Joe Pasquale returns next week to the role of Frank Spencer in the hugely popular stage version of classic British sitcom Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em as it embarks on a new UK-wide tour. He told us about crazy stunts, not imitating Michael Crawford, nicknames and more. Time to get booking!
After its successful 2018 premiere, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em launches a new tour from Churchill Theatre, Bromley on Wednesday 26 February 2020. The stage version, written and directed by Guy Unsworth, is based on the classic 1970s British sitcom, written by Raymond Allen, in which Michael Crawford played the loveable but accident-prone Frank Spencer whose various attempts to hold down a job frequently ended in disaster. Pasquale stars alongside Sarah Earnshaw and Susie Blake, also reprising their roles as, respectively, as Frank’s long-suffering wife Betty and his disapproving mother-in-law Mrs Fisher.
After Bromley, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em visits Theatre Royal Windsor (24-28 March), The Beck Theatre Hayes (31 March-4 April), Stoke Regent Theatre (14-18 April), Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (28 April-2 May), The Gordon Craig Theatre Stevenage (5-9 May), Swansea Grand Theatre (9-13 June), Leeds Grand Theatre (23-27 June) and Kings Theatre Portsmouth (30 June-4 July).
Talking to… Joe Pasquale
Comedian Joe Pasquale has delighted audiences with his live stand-up tours for over 20 years. He made his theatrical debut in 1999 in Larry Shue’s The Nerd and, in addition to Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, his other stage credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Producers, The Wizard of Oz, Doctor in the House, Ha Ha Holmes – The Hound Of The Baskervilles and Spamalot.
He’s also well known for his television appearances including ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here (when he was crowned King of the Jungle), Dancing on Ice, Live From the Palladium, Sugar Free Farm, An Audience with Joe Pasquale, The Price Is Right for and The Paul O’Grady Show. He has appeared on five Royal Variety Performances and has become a mainstay of the British Pantomime season with sold-out performances each and every Christmas.
What can people expect from the stage show of Some Mothers Do ‘Av ‘Em?
Proper family comedy that is set in the 1970s and is so funny that you will laugh solidly for two hours.
In the original TV series, there were a lot of crazy stunts. How about the stage show?
I’m doing it all – hanging by my ankles, chicken chasing and all sorts. If it’s not dangerous or life-threatening, I’m not interested anymore.
Michael Crawford is inexorably linked with the character of Frank Spencer. Do you imitate his performance?
No. That would be an insult to Michael. I am projecting my own personality on to the role. When we did the final workshop, we had an invited audience. All the younger people didn’t know the show or have a frame of reference with Michael, but they laughed their socks off. Even the older people who remember the original forgot Michael doing it in within five minutes – the script is so good.
Do you find touring life tiring?
Touring in Some Mothers is a lot easier than my stand-up show, when a tour is usually forty one-nighters. A week in one place is like a holiday.
Got any nicknames?
Sarah Earnshaw who plays Frank’s wife Betty calls me The Unstoppable Moron.
What’s your most unappealing habit?
I am terrible for farting onstage.
What’s your philosophy for life?
Feel the fear and do it anyway. You’re a long time dead; you might as well live while you can.
