“I want the audience to be sat there like ‘Oh my God, I’ve felt like that!’” – Eggs The Play

Chloe Deakin | 7th March 2018

from left to right; Emily Curtis, Chantell Walker and Lauren-Nicole Mayes

Eggs The Play is making its Northern debut tonight in Suffragette City, ahead of International Women’s Day. VIVA spoke to the leading ladies, Director Chantell Walker and producers and actresses Emily Curtis and Lauren-Nicole Mayes, to find out more about the play.

What is Eggs about?

Chantell: Eggs is about two friends having a mid-twenties crisis. They’re confused with their place in society right now and how they should act, or how they believe they should act. Those social pressures take a toll on their friendship.

Lauren: They’re both coming from two completely different points of view. One is in a 9 to 5 job, she feels like her role in life is to be a mother, to meet a husband, have a family. Emily’s character is the complete opposite and couldn’t think of anything worse.

What makes Eggs special?

Lauren: It’s very funny, but there’s a dark subtext going on because of the issues. I think sometimes in plays it’s sugar coated, whereas this is blatantly honest, it’s pretty brutal.

Emily: A lot of what we’re talking about is thoughts that most girls have had, so it appeals to absolutely everyone, and it’s just for once that as a play we’re brave enough to let the audience come in and listen to what we’ve got to talk about, rather than people always second guessing what goes on.

Lauren: It’s just very honest, but it’s not just laugh after laugh all the way through, there is some really dark and emotional bits in there. My character talks about how she thinks that the person she’s with is cheating on her, she’s constantly wanting to reassure herself so she makes excuses for him, and then in the end she realises that, probably, her gut instinct was right.

Chantell: It plays out insecurities that we don’t talk about. It’s like with women we’ve got a ‘shelf-life’, even getting to thirty is like you’re ‘past it’ now. That’s kind of Lauren’s character’s insecurity.

Lauren: I think it’s really important. We don’t always talk about it, well we do talk about it, but we don’t go on a stage. We talk about it in our rooms and when you go for coffee with your friends.

Emily: It’s about making everyone feel that it’s absolutely OK to talk about and acknowledge these things, rather than feel judged if you feel a certain way. It’s absolutely alright to have different opinions, and to be doing different other than what you’re expected to do. It’s a very honest portrayal of friends.

Lauren: You don’t have to have the same opinions. They [the characters] are horrible to each other at some points, they even question why they’re friends. But, I think when you love someone that much and your friendship is that strong, you end up speaking to each other like crap sometimes. Sometimes you treat the people you love the worst and I think that’s what they do. But really, even though they have so many problems it’s that that brings them back together.

Chantell: I think it highlights important topics, but we’re not preaching. It’s just an honest portrayal of how these women are feeling. We don’t want men to be sat in the audience and feel like women are preaching at them. We want men to go ‘Ahh, that’s how you feel.’

Do you feel like you relate to your characters?

Emily: When I first read it and when we first started rehearsing absolutely not. I thought she was the opposite to what I am, but then I think the more that we’ve rehearsed I feel like there’s a lot of my character in me. I do feel that I am kind of creative, laid back, liberal, in a way, which my character is, and my biggest fear is climbing a corporate ladder and doing what everyone else is doing. I think I do have the qualities that she has as well, but I’m only admitting that now! Now I’m actually starting to like her, I found her annoying at first!

Lauren: At the beginning I thought she was very powerful and in charge and that’s what I liked about her. She comes across at the start as this independent woman who is doing really well in her business, she’s just got a promotion, all the things that we think, or we get told that we should strive for. But then, in the end she’s got doubts, she’s got insecurities, and that’s why I think I relate to her. I think when you’re wanting to get into a relationship or you’re wanting to meet someone everyone worries like are they good enough, ‘am I too much?’ And she goes on about like ‘I’m not too much’. That it’s OK to be the way she is, it’s OK to be outspoken, and it’s OK to be a bit in your face sometimes, but someone will love her for just being like that. So I think I can definitely relate and I’ve definitely warmed to her, because before I didn’t see any flaws in her but she’s definitely got flaws, everyone has.

What are your favourite scenes in the play?

Emily: There’s an art scene, where I’m doing some artistic contemporary dance. That’s my favourite. It’s the first time my character comes out of herself and feels more empowered. Lauren’s character comes across as the grounded, composed one at the beginning.

Lauren: There’s constantly a power battle between them. Even though they’re such good friends they do try and out do each other, because they’re feeling insecure, so they’re very competitive.

Emily: I talk about pubic hair in it, and at first it didn’t sit right, but now I enjoy talking about it. It’s the first time as actors that we can enjoy saying other peoples words that we wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable or get away with saying as Emily and Lauren.

Lauren: I really like the last scene, it sums up their whole friendship because they’ve been through a lot of turbulent times and then in the end they’re both laughing, seething through it. They’re making out like everything is OK and then it comes to a point where they drop their guards down. My character admits that shes got a lot of bad things going on, even though Emily’s character is in a difficult position at that time. Then it’s Emily [‘s character] who protects her and looks after her, and had been mothering the whole way through.

How do you hope people will feel when they leave the show?

Lauren: I hope they feel like uplifted and I hope they feel uncomfortable in parts, because it is uncomfortable, some of the things that they talk about. I hope they walk away feeling like ‘you know what, I feel better.’ If one of them can feel like ‘I’ve felt like that at some point in my life’ that would tick a box for me.

Chantell: Empowered! I think our worst fear is for a woman or man to watch it and feel like things have happened to shock. That’s not the case, so when we’ve worked on the play we’ve tried to make it normal. I want the audience to be sat there like ‘Oh my God, I’ve felt like that!’

Lauren: I think one moment you’ll be hysterically laughing, and then you’ll see their flaws and their insecurities. I think that people will feel hurt for their friendship. When the play goes on they start to see the cracks and they think ‘will they make it out of it?’ or ‘will they go their separate ways?’ So it’s nice to see them come back together.

Finally, what does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Chantell: I can’t really put it into words but on International Women’s day I remember how lucky I am to be able to choose my career, to be able to wear what I want, to be able to speak how I want. I feel very lucky and privileged.

Emily: Obviously, we can’t patronise what’s going on in other countries and a lot of women feel oppressed in a lot of other countries and not necessarily so much here. I think we all need to remember how grateful and appreciative we are today to be in that situation. Women have fought for freedom of speech and we’re getting on a stage and we can’t be any more free in what we’re talking about.

Chantell: I think it makes you remember not to take it for granted.

Lauren: And how much things have changed. I don’t think there’s a more poignant time for this play to happen. Its come at a perfect time.

Eggs is on stage at Manchester’s 53two for four nights between March 7 and 10. Tickets can be booked here.