INTERVIEW - Marcel McCalla

LS sits down with the ex-Footballer's Wives star to talk about his new stage role as a calypso protege

By Vicki Mortimer

From Footballers Wives to the beaches of Trinidad in a new production of Mustapha Matura’s Rum and Coca-Cola, Marcel McCalla has tackled many diverse and often controversial roles, since he was 14 years old, without losing any of his down-to-earth charm.

The passion Marcel feels for Rum and Coca-Cola, the Talawa Theatre Company’s and English Touring Theatre’s production in which he takes a starring role, is obvious every time he speaks of it. Working alongside Don Warrington MBE – the Trinidadian born actor in his directorial debut – is the reason for much of this excitement, but the script’s music and inter-generational relationships appealed to the young actor more than anything else. For two men “of a totally different generation and different era to still get on and still learn from each other” is exciting and something he feels, alongside the energy, would appeal to students in the audience of Rum and Coca-Cola. Music, McCalla says, drives this production and himself. It is primarily this reason that Marcel decided to take up the role of Slim, a young Trinidadian man learning the art of Calypso music. And Calypso is the part of the production McCalla enjoys the most; “this music is infectious”. It is obvious that McCalla has been deeply inspired by the Trinidadian spirit of Calypso, which he struggles to describe –  “Jamaica has reggae, Trinidad has Calypso.”

McCalla is a keen musician, admiring of the Leeds music scene and itching to perform at Carpe Diem’s near-legendary open mic night again. Performance in any sense, gigs or theatre, is his passion. Despite his TV work, McCalla describes with enthusiasm the raw excitement live performance evokes in him, something that will no doubt rise to the fore in this play of just two characters.

This was challenging for McCalla, but this raw energy is what “keeps him going.” It is theatre, which gives him the biggest buzz, “as every moment is brand new.” The uniqueness of theatre gives it an edge over the often “exaggerated” nature of TV. “But the thing is, if I’m being really honest with you, there’s more money in TV and it takes less time.” Despite this, the buzz he gets from performing live is far more important.

And being true to himself is obviously something McCalla does not struggle to do. His choice to tackle surprising subjects, such as a gay footballer in Footballer’s Wives and a gang-member in Little Sweet Thing, is not about politics or social issues. “I’m not going to say that in the future if something comes up it won’t tug a few strings in my heart, but really it’s about character.”

This is the same for the black-led theatre company Talawa behind this new production, a company McCalla admires. For an actor who has been performing since the age of 14, in high profile theatre such as a Sam Mendes directed show of Oliver! and TV’s Grange Hill, theatre has been an inherent part of his life, and the Talawa company’s work in London is something he would like to be involved with later on.  

In terms of future roles McCalla wants something where he can “be bad, really not giving a damn. That’s what I want!” That said, he’ll be happy to settle for playing Frodo Baggins, “because you can’t top that role!

But in the meantime all Leeds Student readers should go and see Rum and Coca Cola ­­­­because, Marcel jokes, “I’m in it.”

See Marcel in Rum and Coca-Cola at the West Yorkshire Playhouse from March 5 to April 3. Visit www.wyplayhouse.com for tickets.