A revered cabaret artist with many strings to her bow, Fancy Chance aka Veronica Thompson touches down in Soho this month with her debut solo show Flights of Fancy. From being discovered as an abandoned baby in Korea, to growing up in the grunge area of Seattle, and then becoming a cabaret star in London, Fancy Chance has had an extraordinary life. So much to talk about and alas so little space (cough, editor, cough), Jason Reid and Fancy had a chinwag this week and here are the highlights…
Hey Fancy! Why did you choose to go down the autobiographical route with this new show?
I had previously worked on a show with Nathan Evans (who directs Flights of Fancy) called ‘I Love You But We Only Have Fourteen Minutes to Save the Earth’, performing alongside Timberlina, David Hoyle and Bette Bourne; that show was partly autobiographical and was the starting point. From there it was about finding the confidence to go that one step further and also building my creative relationship with Nathan. For a solo show, it seemed easier to be talking about myself, my life experiences and the subjects I wanted to address.
How have you found it exploring those life experiences, especially your childhood and adoption?
That wasn’t very difficult for me. The only thing that’s been hard is the scene where I’m addressing my birth mother. In a way, it’s almost like re-visiting trauma. And even though I don’t remember it, it’s still something that’s always there.
Those personal and serious undertones run through the show, but there’s also a lot of fun. So how do you find the right balance of light and shade?
Well the premise of the show is that we’re all on a flight, so my performance is interspersed with video clips. I won’t give too much away about the in-flight entertainment but there’s a video introducing the audience to the indigenous culture of the place we plan to land, plus there’s a singles app and we look at the various conversations I’ve had on them. And of course there’s lashings of music and cabaret.
Away from the show, what’s your take on the topic of whitewashing in Hollywood and the industry in general?
I’m glad it’s being talked about much more now. I put a lot of that down to increased conversations on the internet and social media. It’s a positive step. Most movie companies just want to make money, and they can’t make money out of actors no one has heard of. Sadly whitewashing is nothing new.
Is the whitewashing of East Asian faces on a par with and treated as seriously as the omission of black actors, in your opinion?
No, not as much attention is paid to the whitewashing of East Asian actors. There simply isn’t enough representation of us period. And the continued whitewashing just makes us even more invisible. Black actors do have a bigger voice and are more represented. However, that doesn’t mean they’re represented enough.
Finally, would you date a Trump supporter?
I probably wouldn’t, but I’d try to gain a greater understanding of why they voted that way before saying no. As a liberal progressive, I think we need to be the bigger people and try to understand and engage in what the opposite side thinks. You can’t just shut down opinions. It gets us nowhere. We could have the same values but they may just be coming from a different place.
Fancy Chance, and her show – Flights of Fancy is at the Soho Theatre from 25th – 29th April.
