Christopher Hamilton: “Anybody who has been in a relationship will relate to OVER THE THRESHOLD”

Christopher Hamilton was born in Cardiff, Wales, and began playing the piano at the age of four, winning several national competitions. He developed a passion for singing and theatre which he continued to pursue in his spare time while working as a lawyer in the City. When he was seconded to New York and found himself moonlighting in the piano bars of Manhattan, he decided to concentrate fully on performing and studied a musical theatre course at Guildford School of Acting. Since graduating from there, Christopher has appeared in several shows and has combined his two great loves, singing and playing the piano. He has performed in cabaret all over the world. OVER THE THRESHOLD is his first musical as a writer and composer.

OVER THE THRESHOLD was part of the inaugural Perfect Pitch Showcase of new musicals in 2006 and this August it was presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it became a huge success winning the award for Best Music.

Now the show arrives to London willing to move again audiences. OVER THE THRESHOLD will be at the Jermyn Street Theatre between the 22nd September and the 3rd October with the same cast: Madalena Alberto, Kieran Brown, Helen French and Trevor Jary.

Christopher Hamilton tells us how was the creation of this show, how he lived the Fringe Experience and his feelings about opening OVER THE THRESHOLD in London.

HOW WAS THE CREATION OF ‘OVER THE THRESHOLD’? HOW DID THE IDEA OF THIS SHOW CAME UP TO YOU?
When I turned thirty years of age I noticed that a lot of my friends who were a similar age started acting strangely. Many of my female friends who had been coasting along in relationships broke up with their boyfriends and often married someone else and had children within the space of a year! I´ve always been fascinated with the differences in the sexes and how people deal with issues such as infidelity. I wanted to write a piece which did not portray the classic boy meets girl scenario but instead examined what happens when a relationship starts going a bit stale and couples take each other for granted.

LAST AUGUST ‘OVER THE THRESHOLD’ WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SHOWS IN THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT EXPERIENCE?
I had never been to the Fringe Festival before as a writer so I went there with absolutely no expectations. I knew that there were another 2097 shows taking place so I did worry whether anyone would come and see my show! I found the experience rather challenging because along with writing the musical, I was also appearing in it each night as musical director and I also produced it. However, I quickly got the hang of things and realised that if people saw the show and enjoyed it they would tell their friends. We were lucky in that we received our first 5 star review the day after our first performance and other reviews quickly followed. I was aware that all new musicals were considered for the MTM:UK Awards but I was so certain I wouldn´t receive any nominations as I was a completely unknown writer that I was in another show when the nominations were announced. I couldn´t believe it when my show was nominated in three categories: Best Music, Best Lyrics and Best New Musical. I´ll never forget the night of the awards. The award for Best Music was the first to be announced and it seemed unreal when my name was called. I really have no idea what I said in the speech but I remember I wanted to keep it brief!

FOR PEOPLE WHO HAS NEVER HEARD ABOUT YOUR SHOW, HOW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE IT?
There are four characters in the show whose lives collide over the course of one night. Secrets are exposed, temptation rears its head and reality hits home. Anybody who has been in a relationship –no matter what their age– will relate to this show. It takes a very honest look at what makes people tick and how misunderstandings and insecurities can sometimes lead people to do peculiar things. Hopefully the show will make people laugh but will also move them.

THE CAST OF THE SHOW IS COMPOSED BY MADALENA ALBERTO, KIERAN BROWN, HELEN FRENCH AND TREVOR JARY. HOW HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THEM?
The casting of this show was such an important factor. I wanted actors who were the same age as the characters they would be playing and I also had in mind the physical attributes they should possess. As the show only has four actors, each one had to be an excellent singer and actor. I was extremely lucky in that all four actors are consummate professionals and they have all played leading roles and have appeared in the London´s West End. The first week of rehearsals was challenging because it was a new piece: although I was confident it would work, there were moments when I had to rewrite parts of the script or the lyrics so that each characters´ journey was totally convincing. I am incredibly proud of how all four actors have developed their characters and have brought them to life so beautifully.

Helen French and Trevor Jary in a scene of OVER THE THRESHOLD

 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ALL OF YOU OPENING AT THE JERMYN STREET THEATRE IN LONDON?
The fact that the show is transferring to London for two weeks in late September has made all the hard work worthwhile. As far as the actors are concerned, it´s great that they get the opportunity to perform in London so all those people who couldn´t make it to Edinburgh can see them in action. I have some pre-existing engagements so I won´t be in London for the whole of the run but I very much look forward to being able to sit in the audience for some of the performances and watch the show.

‘OVER THE THRESHOLD’ TALKS ABOUT LOVE, AND ABOUT A COUPLE, ISSUES THAT TOUCH EVERYONE. DO YOU THINK PEOPLE FEEL EASILY RELATED TO THE CHARACTERS OF THE SHOW? IN YOUR OPINION, IS THERE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS PEOPLE WILL IDENTIFY WITH HIM/HER MORE THAN WITH THE OTHERS?
It´s very common to see a play, musical or film where the villains are totally evil and the good characters are nothing but virtuous. I think that people relate to the characters in my show because they are multi faceted and flawed. Noone is completely to blame for what happens but then none of them are blameless either. This reflects real life. Any woman who is keen to get married but is frustrated with her boyfriend will see a lot of herself in the character of Kate!

PERFECT PITCH HAS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT IN THE DEVELOPING OF ‘OVER THE THRESHOLD’. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE?
I think it´s wonderful that Perfect Pitch is encouraging new writing in the UK. When I submitted my musical to Perfect Pitch back in 2006 I did not know just how important this organisation would be in helping my work have a public platform. Until a piece is performed in front of an audience it remains merely words and notes on a page. I think, therefore, that Perfect Pitch is invaluable in helping new writers.

HOW HAS EVOLVED THE SHOW SINCE IT WAS PRESENTED INITIALLY AT PERFECT PITCH 2006?
After the show was staged as part of the first Perfect Pitch I did not do anything with it for a while. Then I was contacted via Myspace by a student of Montclair State University in the USA. He wanted to present some of the songs from my musical as part of a student project. I was incredibly flattered. I happened to be in New York when the presentation was due to take place so I attended. It was enormously rewarding to see a room full of teenage students respond so positively to my songs. Since that time I worked on the script and made substantial changes to it and also to some of the lyrics. However, it was only when Andy Barnes of Perfect Pitch called me earlier this year that I decided to take the show up to Edinburgh.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH ‘OVER THE THRESHOLD’ AFTER THESE TWO WEEKS AT THE JERMYN?
I´m not sure at the moment. Obviously I would love the show to enjoy a longer run somewhere else. We have been approached by two overseas production companies who have expressed an interest in staging the show. As it is such a small show with a simple set, it is relatively inexpensive to stage so hopefully this is just the beginning of OVER THE THRESHOLD!

YOU HAVE PERFORMED IN CABARET ALL AROUND THE WORLD, SINGING AND PLAYING THE PIANO. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST EXPERIENCE THROUGH ALL THESE YEARS OF PERFORMANCES?
That´s a difficult one! Every performing experience is unique. It doesn´t matter if I´m performing to two people or 2000 people – it´s all about establishing a good connection with the audience. I was invited to sing and play at a private party last year in Melbourne, Australia which was pretty cool. I´ve got family in Sydney so I spent six weeks over there having a great time.

‘OVER THE THRESHOLD’ IS YOUR FIRST MUSICAL. DIDN’T YOU THINK ABOUT PERFORMING ON IT? WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST, COMPOSING OR PERFORMING?
Although I am a trained actor, I would never consider appearing in one my musicals. It wouldn´t be fair on the other actors and I think that the director would have a difficult job directing the writer! It´s impossible to say whether I prefer composing or performing. I suppose the big advantage with performing is that one has immediate gratification in terms of audience response whereas there is a lot of solitude with writing. However, I love the fact that my songs can be performed and I don´t have to be in the same country! Ultimately, for me composing and performing are two sides of the same coin as I frequently perform my songs in various shows and cabarets.

Kieran Brown and Madalena Alberto in a scene of OVER THE THRESHOLD

YOU’RE WORKING IN SOME OTHER PROJECTS, COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THEM?
One of my new projects is something of a secret. I had an idea a couple of years ago to write a musical based on a Hollywood film from the 90´s. I´ve written three songs but I need to enquire about the rights issue before I proceed with it. I´m also writing a musical with a new writing partner based on a children´s book about a girls´ boarding school – very different to 30-something relationship issues!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE WEST END MUSICALS? DO YOU THINK THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW COMPOSERS?
Like many people in London at the moment, I am very frustrated with the current state of the West End musical. Even before the current global economic turn down, it was obvious that producers were not comfortable taking a chance on new work. It was a much safer bet to take a much loved film and turn it into a musical or take a pop group or personality and create a musical around it. This has the unfortunate effect of strangling any originality. Hopefully with producers such as Andy Barnes and Take Note Theatre fostering and promoting new writing, things might improve.