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Masson’s smalls are big draws
From Victor and Barry to EastEnders, from The High Life to Stiff, FORBES MASSON just can’t stop taking the piss. And Pants to that. Wnrtts: Mark Fisher
nu enn pietut'e the seene.
l'ittt'ltes \lztsstttt is
sunnning ztt'nuntl lust year‘s 'l'.\l;\ .'\\\‘Ltl’tl L‘L‘I'Cttttttt} having I'eeeiVetl :t liest .\lusie;tl nnniinntinn t‘ni' .l/im't'. .r\nn l.nuise Rnss hats just sung 'llztpp} .-\nni\'et'szn'_\’. the \LlLlLlL‘\l snng limit the shnu. ()ne nt the hettei' nnes he thinks. .'\lltl here‘s l’etet' ()"l‘nnle. rushing tn enngi‘ntulttte him. The great netni‘ steps littl'\\itl'tl illlLl pulls: 'l l(t\'L‘Ll that line uhnut Inztst.‘
'l‘nztst. 'l'hztt's l’nt‘hes \lztssnn l'ni‘ _\nu. He’s the man \thn made his nznne Lining nitisienl enhzn‘et with Alan (‘uninting in n stlil\L‘. eutnp untl ever—sn-tnngue—in—eheek tlnuhle ztet knnn'n zis Vietnt' illltl Burr}: ‘Keh insitle and the living is ezis_\.' the} ei'nnnetl. .'\lltl he inst enn’t keep thnse untlet‘eutting hni‘hs nut nt’ his |_\ i‘ies. \Vhieh is why his Ilttlle‘Ltl\ Sit/l. .l/t'm't' ntnl ttn\\ HUI/x have little in entnninn \sith the sehninlt/ nl Bt'nztthx'u}; 'l'hes :tt‘e tnn knnxxing. \xise nntl \\ itt} I‘m” that. tnn it‘nnie untl sell—tlept'eeztting.
“The key is ztl\\;t_\'s tn sttlnet't.~ s;i_\s \lztssnn. 'Sn I end up suhVei‘ting tn_\'sell‘. There are it enuple nl~ snngs in l’un/x Iltitl enultl hm'e the [intentiztl tn he .sellzthle snngs. httt l tln untlet'eut them. It enultl he at Senttish thing. ltllllllltt. littst enin} tlning it.‘
But thnt‘s tint tn tlen} the sttL‘eess nl these sltn\\'s. /’((III\ npens this innnth in Dundee. .llim't' is i‘e\i\‘etl nest ninnth ill the King‘s 'l‘hezitt'e. litlinhtn‘gh. nntl .\l;tssnn ltits hztll n inintl tn ht'ing .S‘I/i/j/‘hnek tn lile nn tlte litlinhut'gh lii'inge. 'l‘hese the hunt} shn\\s \xith zt qunlit} nl' pttntntninte ehullienee Iltltl :tppezils tn :1 hi'nzttl Senttish :ttttlienee tzt tleentle Ltgn. .\l;issnn ntnl (‘untniing \\l‘ttlL‘ nntl started in (t entiple nl 'l‘t'nn ('ht‘isttntts shnxx s. and .\l;issnn \\ill t‘etttt‘n tn the (ilzisgnu thentt‘e littt' LtItttlllL‘I‘ nne this )L‘itl't.
l’uulx ezttehes up \\lllt nne Rikki Rintnttl. :t llits heen i‘nek stzu‘ \thn‘s Inst his knnek nl suitehine. ('hntnelenn—like. tn the latest tnusienl tinl. 'lt‘s itltttlltL‘l‘ tnle nl‘ |n\ e nntl tl_\slttnetinnnl Senttish titatlesf s;t_\s .\l;tssnn. ‘l'in innxing tht'ntteh the intisie lgi‘eu up \xith li'nnt glzttn i'nek tn the e;nl_\ xtts. [1‘s :1
68 THE LIST ' '
‘EastEnders hasn’t turned me into the next Grant Mitchell, but people in the industry down there now know who I am’
Y-front a black comedy?
hntnnge tn the \;n'inus petites and it takes the piss nut nltheinf
.\s well 41\ the L‘Hlllk‘tl} nntl [instiehtx l’t/l1/\ is :thnut n ehnt'netei' t'entl} tn em up his nltl tlt‘enins. lt‘s nnt ;ttttnhin;;t';ipltienl. hut it tlnes spring; t‘i'nnt .\l;tssnn\ nhset‘\;ttinns nl~ the atetin; \\nt'ltl. that innst liekle nt' [n'ntessinns. ‘l \\;ts intei‘estetl in the nature nt i'eimentintn s;t_\s \lztssnn \xhnse tt'nnst‘ni‘ntntinns ltteltttlL‘ the [NIH ttl~ l\)tttlltL‘_\ .\lnt't‘is. the negn'l} intpt‘isnnetl tenehet' itt lam/lpm/t'n t\\n _\e;tt‘s Ltfjtt. ‘.\s tttt Ltetnt' _\ntt enttstttntl} h;t\ e tn t‘ene\\ )ntn‘sell nntl keep _\nttt' heliel' gnine. lit/xllz'm/t'rx tnntle :1 huge tlillet‘ettee tn tn_\ lite. lt \xns sti'nnee :11 the tune. lteettttse ;ts snntt ;t\ l \\;ts ntt set'een l mu t‘eenenisetl in the street. It hasn‘t turned me intn the ne\t (ii‘nnt .\litehe|l. hut penlile in the intlttstt'} tlnnn thei‘e nn\\ kntm \\ltn l nnt.‘
Hut .\l;tssnn isn't eut nut Int :1 lnne running; snap. llis intneinntinn is Inn i‘estless. \e\t he \\;tnts tn tt‘_\ \xt'itine t‘egttlnt' \ttllfJ\ \\ ithnttt Lt tlte;ttt‘ie;tl setting. .\tn| he's tztlkin}; :thnttt tttt'nin}: his tnttsie;tls intn Lt ’l'\' \Ct'tttl. x\lltl. tun slums in. he‘s getting: {I t‘enl t;tste t'nt' tlit‘eetine. ‘l ln\e tlit'eetine. l-ieenttse lint :tn :tetni' l knnu \\h;tt it‘s like. sn li'ntit ;tn ttetni”s [tnittt nl' \ ie\\ I think lint UK. What l‘tl ln\e tn tln ne\t is tlit‘eet sntnethiny l‘nt tint “tiling.~
Pants opens at Dundee Rep, Dundee, Wed 17 April and runs until Sat 4 May
Stage Whispers
Re: Tread/rig The Boards
Cave Dwellers, a recent single issue drama