This September, Unity Theatre stages Mona & Mimi, the debut full-length play by Catherine Leen. Set in December 1961—“between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP”—it imagines a meeting between two real Liverpool women: Mona Best, mother of drummer Pete Best, and Mimi Smith, aunt and guardian of John Lennon. One embraces the future, the other clings to the past, but as the evening unfolds, surprising parallels emerge.
Directed by acclaimed theatre-maker Nick Bagnall and starring Fiona Boylan as Mona, Meriel Scholfield as Mimi, and Noah Fox as Neil, the play shines a light on two often-overlooked women at the heart of the Beatles’ story. We spoke to Nick about the play’s period setting, balancing fact and fiction, and the creative process behind bringing these characters to life.
Mona & Mimi is set on one evening in December 1961 — between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP. How did this moment in time inspire the storytelling and tone of the piece?
The tone is set by these two brilliant women – one who recognises the present and the future and is progressive and a visionary, the other who at first seems to be stuck in a rather cold damp past. The world is on the cusp of a huge cultural shift – one embraces and one fears for it. The storytelling is inspired by the two extreme spaces they exist in. To look at this period of time through the lens of these two remarkable women is unique, I think. We seem to always want to view the story through the male lens so it is refreshing vital, necessary and an unusual place to visit. Mona can sense what is around the corner, not just for the band, but culturally and she wants to be right in the centre of it. Mimi navigates herself through these times and the need to protect her John is at the heart of all she does.
The play stages a fictionalised meeting between Mona Best and Mimi Smith—women who embody contrasting values and eras. How did you approach balancing historical context with creative fiction?
It is the writer’s job to stretch the historical truth in order to find the centre and muscle of the story, and allow the drama to explode theatrically. The most important thing for me in theatre is impact on an audience. We have to manipulate some truths in order to get the most from the moment. I am not interested in watching/directing or engaging in a history lesson – I am so much more interested in those two creatures and how they respond to each other in the moment.
Catherine Leen, the writer, has thoroughly researched and has a total love, admiration and respect for Mona and Mimi. She recognises their place in the story which is about to unfold in front of them. The history is there for all to see and manipulate accordingly, but I think with this Catherine has allowed us to be right in the moment with these characters.
Catherine takes us through this play with great respect and understanding of the time we are in and the recognition of the future but does it with great aplomb and joy and wit. She looks at both these women and gives equal weight to their huge part in the next episode of the story of the Beatles.
You’ve directed a diverse mix of productions—from Hansel and Gretel, Edward II at Shakespeare’s Globe to Our Lady of Blundellsands, Sweeney Todd, A Clockwork Orange in Liverpool. How has your experience in both classic and contemporary theatre shaped your approach to a new, character-driven work like Mona & Mimi?
I come at everything with the same amount of rigour and playfulness. My work is shaped by the team around me. I wanted to do this play due to my deep, slightly, obsessive fondness of the Beatles and this particular time. More importantly I was intrigued by these largely forgotten major players in the Beatles’ story. I also know that Catherine has unearthed a fabulous story and am happy to give it its first outing. There will no doubt be a future for this play.
I was intrigued, fascinated and slightly pissed off that these women, especially Mona, tend to be a side note. This is wrong. Their deep love of those boys as mothers/guardians is utterly absorbing. I suppose I am always after the human turbulence in characters and in all I do I tend to reach for the truthful and the turbulence. I am thrilled and excited by looking at the world through these women’s eyes. It has been a long time since I have done something where an audience gets to see the whites of the actors eyes. I adore my job and I am very lucky that I get to play in such varied Playhouses and tell such vital, rich stories. The inner turmoil in both these creatures will be wonderful to unravel in front of an audience.
“Without Mona and Mimi I am not sure what the Beatles story would look like – very different I am sure. I want an audience to leave with a fondness and deep respect for the incredible part they played.”
Can you describe your collaborative process with Fiona Boylan (Mona), Meriel Scholfield (Mimi), and Noah Fox (Neil)? How did you work together to shape their dynamics, particularly between Mona and Mimi?
I work from a place of ‘firm fun’, an open hearted and playful room. They are all incredibly agile actors so they dictate how I play things not the other way round. The actors are the front line and I would be stupid to not listen and respond to what they instinctively bring. When you are put in a room with highly intelligent theatre makers it is nothing but learning and listening. The play will develop through all of rehearsals as all new plays do. Then an audience will arrive and we learn again. I hope my rehearsal process provokes an open heartedness and rigour in our story telling. And if it doesn’t then I will tell them where to stand and how to say the lines!!
Fi and Meriel are two wonderful human beings that bring a total understanding of these women to the room. They are transformative and always challenging and questioning. They work in tandem and the trust between them will be palpable and shared on stage. They are a hoot to work with and I admire their bravery each day.
The Liverpool setting and local music history are woven through the story. How has working locally—especially at the Unity Theatre—shaped your engagement with the city’s identity in this piece?
I have never worked at The Unity and always wanted to, so am delighted. I remember seeing the BIG WOW there many years ago and was struck by the intimacy and warmth the space provided, I take my little girl to their Christmas shows so to be putting something into that space is a treat. I am very aware of the Liverpool audience and that is always the first character on my cast list – ‘audience’. The Liverpool audience from what I have learnt tell you loud and clear when the work is good and by god they tell you just as loudly when it ain’t.
Music pretty much runs through all of the work I do and it is no different with this piece. The streets are lined with music and memory in Liverpool and I hope and hope we can allow that to seep through the doors into our hearts. Music hits you in the stomach far quicker than dialogue so I will be allowing myself to indulge in that as a story telling device.
What would you personally hope audiences take away from Mona & Mimi?
I want them to recognise these two brilliant women and the part they played in what is probably the greatest musical phenomenon that has ever been and very likely we will never see the like of again. Set at a time when the Beatles are about to explode, for me to sit and recognise what impact these women have had is everything. Without Mona and Mimi I am not sure what the Beatles story would look like – very different I am sure. I want an audience to leave with a fondness and deep respect for the incredible part they played – but not only that but also the sheer love that seeps from these women towards the boys is nothing short of life affirming.
Mona & Mimi is on at Unity Theatre from Wednesday 3rd to Thursday 4th September. Tickets are available via Unity Theatre’s website.