An Interview with Linus

An Interview with Linus

Linus Karp has been touring the UK with his latest show “How to live a Jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical Cats”. We caught up with him in Norwich, just before his performance at the Maddermarket Theatre.

Linus Karp is an intriguing name, one that makes a whole lot more sense when the penny drops you are Swedish. What brought you to the UK, and what keeps you here?

I was brought up in a tiny village in the forest which was lovely but not great for theatrical opportunities, which are mostly based around Stockholm. Rather than move there, I’ve always wanted to experience life in a different country, and as English is my second language, the UK seemed the obvious choice. I had been on holiday here before and thought I knew the place, but since moving I’ve found there was so much more to experience, particularly with regard to the theatre scene.

Interesting that you should say that - how does our theatre scene compare to Sweden’s?

I have to admit that my experience of Swedish theatre is limited, but it seems so much more varied and diverse in the UK, and perhaps more importantly for me, much more accepting of the weird and the wonderful. Scandinavian drama can be very good – you only have to see how much Scandi crime thrillers have been embraced in the UK - but it does tend to be very sad and serious. There’s nothing wrong with exploring the tragic side of life, but I sometimes think work from my own country can be a little “one note”. What I love about work in the UK is the ability to leaven tragedy with humour, which seems to run through everything. It certainly features heavily in my work, so this just seems the right place for me to be performing.

Your new show is “How to live a Jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical Cats”. That isn’t the catchiest title in the world – is it fair to say you enjoy defying convention?

I think it is fair. Whether it’s the title of a show, or the subject matter, it can be very boring to stay within what is expected. It’s much more fun to push things as far as you can take them. When you do that, I think that’s when all the interesting work happens. My last show I had a long and controversial title, but I loved it. It did what it said on the tin, but while it may have sounded shocking, it meant people got a surprise when the show turned out to be more poignant and moving than they were expecting. I also have to admit, “Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked” attracted a lot of attention and sold a lot of tickets - when you’re competing with so many other shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, that’s really important.

As we’ve got on to the subject of that show, it must bewilder you that, for many people, bestiality is acceptable, but Andrew Lloyd Webber is really going too far.

I’m not sure I would say acceptable, but I did find it hilarious that while I got some negative feedback with the first show, it was “Cats” that really got people fuming. Most of the negativity was directed at the film itself, rather than my show, so I didn’t feel personally attacked, but it was strange. Half the people seemed to criticise me for having the cheek to like the film, when they obviously hadn’t seen it themselves. I do genuinely like the film, but my show is very self-aware. I do realise the film is not for everyone!

The Maddermarket Theatre is a big venue compared to the pub theatres and Edinburgh venue of your last show, which must be quite a gear change for you.

It’s certainly challenging filling a bigger theatre, as is doing a bigger tour. I’m visiting twenty-one venues with this show which requires a lot of organisation and planning, and bigger theatres mean more ticket sales, which in turn means more publicity. However, while I did want to do something bigger and better, the difference is not so much as you might think. In some ways, the Maddermarket Theatre is the odd one out – many of the places I am visiting are still the sort of intimate spaces I’m used to. The main thing to keep in mind is how every venue is different. I recently did the show at the Soho Theatre, and the audience were rowdy, noisy and fully engaged. When I performed in Wiltshire it was completely different. The audience was lovely, but far more considered and restrained. Parts of the act that get belly laughs in one town will get nods of appreciation elsewhere.

Speaking of challenges, how was working solo on your own show? Do you value the greater degree of control or miss the collaboration?

It’s both, really. With my last show I had an amazing director, who taught me so much about working an audience when you are on stage on your own. In many ways, that experience provided the foundations that made this show possible. You have to bear in mind that I created this show while in lockdown, so I had to think about the practicalities of performance. It just made sense to make it as simple as possible. To be frank, it also made financial sense, which is a real consideration these days. I do miss working with people – when you come off stage, even if the show was great, it feels a little strange that you’ve no one to share it with. However, it does mean I can add and change things as the tour continues. It makes the process more fun for me, and for those people that come back a second time – which is surprisingly often – it’s great that they see something fresh. So it’s lovely to have a show that is all yours, but I do miss working with people.

This show seems a lot sillier than your work on the last one. Was that in response to these sober times?

I certainly wanted to make something that was joyous and brought everyone together in a big explosion of fun. In lockdown I really missed the theatrical community, but also playing to people, so it was important that the audience played a big part in the show, and that we were experiencing something together, rather than watching something streamed or recorded. As for it being silly, I’ve been told there are too many penis jokes, but I’m not sure I agree. “Cats” it’s quite a sexual show. I think it’s quite weird how it’s become a family show, considering how much humping and grinding goes on. It’s a horny show and I have to address that.

One final question - so what is it with you and animals, Linus?

I don’t know – I do love animals, but a second show about them is a bit weird. But, let’s face it – once “Cats” happened I just had to do the show!