Ответы "не, петь не учился, само как-то", про "хотел быть военным лётчиком, но провалил экзамены", "не помню, как играл прошлым вечером", "уже в том возрасте, когда нет определённых ролей"- удивляют как всегда. Тремя Фантомами гордится, это трогательно. Ле Мизов (экраниз) не смотрел (ох, Эрл, и не надо). Что дальше с карьерой- понятия не имеет, но тв хочет. Мюзиклы новые не слушает. Ещё прекрасно, что ему нравятся последние 20 минут Призрака, это и так было видно, по тому, КАК он играет финал.
Interview from What’s On Magazine issue dated March 2013Twenty years in musical theatre has seen Earl Carpenter appear in some of the biggest and best musicals ever to grace the stage. Having played the role of Phantom in the West End, Earl is now back on the road with the anniversary tour of Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical, which stops off in Birmingham this month. What’s On recently caught up with him to find out what audiences can expect…The Phantom Of The Opera is undoubtedly an epic musical. Why do you think, after so many years, it continues to be so popular?I think most definitely the clue’s above the title - Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Those two individuals certainly know how to craft a musical. I think they were in a place twenty-seven years ago where they were able to collaborate with some of the finest ever theatre practitioners, and I think that’s probably the magic of it more than anything else. In respect of the product itself, at its heart it’s the Beauty And The Beast story, which everyone is aware of in some form, and I think that’s what captivates the audience.
So is Phantom your dream role?Any role that I get offered is a dream role. Any job offer is a dream! It’s certainly an honour to be given the custodianship of such an iconic role - absolutely! It’s a huge responsibility, because I’m playing the lead role in one of the world’s most classic musicals, and that’s quite a heavy burden.
It’s a role which you’ve re-visited on numerous occasions, so does it still present you with any challenges?Nightly! It’s live theatre, and there are so many other people involved in a show like this - so much technical wizardry and things like that. Things are bound to go wrong, and that fact alone ensures there are new little adventures each evening.
How much has the staging changed for the new production?
It’s a completely new design. Though although it’s different staging and has a completely different look, the production still remains true to the music. Cameron decided that, like his Les Miserables chapter - which we were all involved with - he wanted to give this a new lease of life for its anniversary.
With such a heavy touring schedule, how do you manage to keep your performances fresh?They just are, which is as they should be. You can’t do what you did the night before - in fact, I can’t remember what I did the night before half the time. It’s all about reacting; every night has a different mood and a different tempo, depending on the mood of the company, the mood of the audience, the conductor, time - everything changes.
читать дальшеYou mentioned the mood of the audience; is that sometimes difficult to adjust to?
No, that’s what makes it exciting. It breaks the duplication. We’re set certain parameters which we have to replicate eight times a week, however many weeks a year. Every city offers a different challenge, and every theatre poses a different challenge because it’s a different space - it might be smaller, it might be a different shape. And then you have different audiences, perceiving the show in different ways. Everything has a knock-on effect, which is great, and that’s what makes it particularly exciting.
Do you have to spend much time in make-up before a performance?
No, not really. It’s probably a good hour or so, but not as long as it used to be.
And do you stay in make-up between matinee and evening performances?
No, I always take it off, as it makes me feel quite claustrophobic. It doesn’t take too long. Certainly a lot less time than putting it on.
Do you have a favourite number in the show?
Not a favourite number, as such. For me personally, as an actor, the last twenty minutes of the show are great. You get a huge mish-mash of emotions; everything that we’re exploring and everything that we’re doing during that time is very exciting. And we’re also taking the audience on this incredible emotional journey towards the end. That, for me, is the most satisfying thing.
You touched on Les Miserables. Have you seen the film?
No, I haven’t been able to yet! It might be one of those that I’ll end up watching on DVD. It’s always very difficult seeing, for the first time, something which you love and in which you’ve been heavily involved. When I first saw this version of Phantom, I struggled with it. I was still doing Phantom in London when I was invited to go along to see the touring version on its opening night. I just sat there thinking ‘what have they done with it?’.
You’re a producer as well as a performer. Of which work are you the most proud?
A concert which we created about four years ago called Three Phantoms. It’s now been picked up by another producer, which in itself is quite an accolade because it was something we’d put together from scratch. Something else of which I’ve been proud is the fact that Cameron had the confidence in me to let me produce Les Miserables four or five times in a concert version. That was incredibly satisfying, and offered a much-appreciated nod of approval. It’s all been good, but what producing’s really done for me is to educate me about the environment of theatre as a whole - so now, as an actor, I know not to ask silly questions, but I also know when people are fobbing me off.
You’ve got an impressive list of musical theatre credits to your name…
Yeah, I’ve been really, really lucky. I consider myself fortunate to have entered the profession at just the right time. I think that by doing my apprenticeship at the right places, I quickly understood that there was a process that needed to be followed. I’ve been in professional musical theatre for twenty years now, and I think that’s quite an achievement. I realise it’s an industry where you have to keep re-inventing yourself. You need to have an understanding that the industry is trend-driven, and that you have to be versatile.
In your two decades in the industry, what would you consider to be the biggest change?
I think that’s just about to happen to me, actually. I’m now at an age where a lot of the roles have gone, and it’s also a fact that a lot of shows are cast so much younger nowadays, which means there are only a few shows I can go for.
But there’s always your producing to fall back on…
Yeah, I guess - but my love for producing has dwindled, purely because it’s so costly, so I’ve had to put that in a manageable place. We’re not producing anymore ourselves because the risk element is too significant, but what I do have to fall back on is my time in the industry. I see the next chapter in my career as being quite an exciting one. What can I do with what I already have? It’s all about synergy, and understanding how one affects the other; that sort of thing.
Of all the roles you’ve played, which has proven to be the most challenging?
Every role’s offered something very different and given me something quite extraordinary, so I can’t say that there’s been one in particular.
Do you have an all-time favourite musical score?
No, I don’t. I’m not an avid follower of musicals outside of work. You get younger guys in the company who are like sponges - they listen to anything and everything musical. They talk to you about certain songs, and I’m looking at them, thinking, ‘I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about’.
Was performing in musical theatre your first career choice?
No, I wanted to be a pilot in the RAF but I failed my exams at school. I always loved drama and art - things that didn’t require me to concentrate too much. Then, when I left school, I didn’t really know what to do, so I worked my way through a multitude of jobs, from selling solar heating and financial services to being an assistant manager at a Happy Eater. I was all over the place but eventually found myself going back to what inspired me the most - the theatre. At the time it was straight theatre; musicals came a little later. Initially I decided to join as many theatre groups as I could, and that gradually moved into musical societies, after which I discovered that I really enjoyed singing.
What voice coaching did you initially receive?
I didn’t; I copied. I copied people like Michael Crawford and Michael Ball. They were my inspiration, but I never had any training.
But you must have known from an early age that you had a certain quality to your voice?
I don’t really remember the process, to be honest. I just remember enjoying it. After doing it for a while, I realised that I wasn’t bad at it. I have an ear for music and I know when something’s okay and when something’s awful. I was aware that I was okay, and I guess I just moved forward from that. Then, over time - particularly with the am-dram circuit - I became more confident.
Your voice is your biggest asset. How do you look after it?
I don’t think about it too much. You see so many singers getting wrapped up in, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t be doing that’, ‘I shouldn’t be eating this’, or ‘I?shouldn’t be drinking that’. I have a routine, obviously, and I have to be careful. When you sign to big contracts like this, your life is, to some extent, controlled by the responsibility you have to look after yourself. Vocally, I know I should do more, but it’s worked for me this way for a long time, so I don’t feel I need to change it. With twenty-plus years of experience, I know what I can and can’t do.
You mentioned earlier the uncertainty of what happens next. Would you ever consider moving into TV?
That’s a process which is sometimes difficult; moving from a dominant musical theatre CV. I don’t know, there are options around. It’s just knowing which is the right direction to move in.
You’ve performed in Birmingham previously. What does it mean to be back in the city?
We were there with Les Miserables three years ago and also with Three Phantoms, so I’m really looking forward to it. I like Birmingham, especially the canal system and the back of The Mailbox. The reaction from the audiences is always really, really good, and the Hippodrome is such a fantastic venue with a really great buzz. Stuart Griffiths, the Chief Executive, is very passionate about what he does, and has made some very good decisions.
Birmingham is the last date in the anniversary tour. So what happens afterwards - a holiday?
I wish! I’m desperate for a holiday, but straight after Birmingham, I’ll be popping over to Scandinavia with Three Phantoms. Then, when we get back, we go straight into rehearsals for a six-week UK tour of Three Phantoms. So there’s plenty to keep me busy…