Images: Stellaproductions.co.uk
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll – Tracy Star wanted it all! Sound familiar? Of course it does, it’s the story of every eighties rock star.
The Rise and Fall of a Northern Star combines drama and comedy, incorporating tragic element. It’s this combined with the choice of original music and clever dialogue that has seen it become a huge hit in theatres nationwide. In addition to this, the show creates a visual story incorporating magazine covers, video footage, websites and even a mockumentary featuring many industry experts. If I hadn’t been speaking to Stella Grundy, I could have easily been led to believe that Tracey Star was in fact a real life person.
Stella wanted to create an illusion that Tracy Star is an authentic character from that 1980s music scene in order to enhance the audience’s experience and emotional connection, but she also wanted to highlight this is a woman’s story from a woman’s point of view in the music business. ‘It’s a statement of whether it has in fact improved nowadays,’ Stella explains, ‘Tracey comes from a very macho time in Manchester 80s music. However, Tracey isn’t conscious of her gender and doesn’t see it as a deterrent but that just points out the pit falls that we except in society every day. We’re very accepting of male dominance and always have done. I think the show makes the audience look back and think have things changed at all.’
The show has already toured across the country to sell-out crowds, but Stella has now taken the production into a new phase, developing it for larger theatres. ‘The original version is very much based on one room and in an intimate space. Now we want to come out of the bedroom and by working with a new theatrical director Iain Bloomfield we’ve incorporated multimedia into the show and developed a history for the character Tracey Star.’
We’re very accepting of male dominance and always have been. I think the show makes the audience look back and ask if things have changed at all.
Stella went on to say, ‘the more prominent multimedia aspect is to bring it up to date. We’ve always included vocals and video but we wanted to make more of a point in history of iconic moments in rock n roll history and to do this we needed to include as many real to life features as possible. It’s a way of engaging the central character with the Manchester music scene and then bringing the audience into that reality.’
The audience may question is this just another show about the 1980s music scene, but Stella says it’s so much more than that. Audiences should be aware that the show has many emotional and heart-wrenching aspects. ‘It also deals with corruption, drug addiction and falling through the cracks so it’s certainly not the Wind in the Willows. The challenging themes are a very big part of it. Although I don’t want to put anyone off and hence why we’ve added lots of comedy. The show is designed to appeal to a broad audience, from those who were around in that era but also great for a young audience as there seems to be a cycle of kids listening to their parents music from the acid house scene. It’s also got appeal to people who’s interested in up and coming writing and people who are general theatre goers too.’
Stella’s passion for the character is clear and it’s this that probably makes her all the more convincing. ‘She is an amalgamation. Watching hours of BBC 4 and music documentary’s and reflecting on other artists who created alter-egos like David Bowie with Ziggy Stardust. I wanted to create maybe what I wished had been around. Tracey has no fear, which doesn’t always work out for her but I admire her all the same. I’d say Tracey’s like me but intertwined with other people.’
It’s made clear from the start that this story isn’t a bed of roses. Desperation and the idea of transience sustain the fragmentation of the rock and roll lifestyle.
Stella advises that the show is almost a cautionary tale about bands having a short market spread, yet a celebration of those who tried. ‘This is for all the people who didn’t go down in the music history like Oasis. It’s for all the bands that are good but just never make it which is almost worse than never making it at all.’ But she wants the audience to leave the show with the message of ‘keeping hold of your dreams and to go away thinking how important things are to you.’
‘It’s nice to reminisce and remember things that meant everything to you at one time or another,’ she says. ‘I’d like it if audiences could reflect on that.’
Emily Willson