In a theater, most plays begin when the curtain rises. But Cashy C’s: The Musical starts when a pawnshop’s front metal security shutter rises.
An actor enters the room when the blue shutter cranks up, guiding the audience to their seats, which are flanked by shelves containing vintage TVs, toasters, turntables, toolkits, fans, guitars, lamps, a tattered printer, and a kettle.
We encounter a member of the staff who must deal with patrons who exhibit varying degrees of hysteria and shadiness while being helpless to prevent falling into peril.
A rapper makes an appearance from a DJ booth in between the play’s sections to provide musical commentary on the drama playing out on the shop floor.
In Bradford’s city center, actual customers pass the store window while going about their daily business, unaware that they are what producer of the show Rosie Freeman jokingly refers to as “our great extras.”
The cast and crew are ready for some audience members to inadvertently walk in during performances, as they have done during rehearsals, unaware that it isn’t a shop right now.
Kirsty Taylor, a writer and director, chuckles, “I think there were occasions when they could steal the show.”
This was once a frozen food store, but because it was vacant, it has been outfitted as a pawnbroker to serve as the backdrop for Cashy C’s: The Musical. The name is a blatant allusion to a specific chain of pawn shops.
The inspiration for the idea, according to Taylor, “came from being in a Cash Converters, a specific one in Bradford, a big one.”
“The personnel was quite pleasant. Some people simply brought Xbox games because some young people wanted some cash.
“Then, when I peered into the back, I saw people’s kettles and other items that they were temporarily selling. These items ranged from home items to items that were significant to them to their children’s Christmas presents that they had to resell but would later buy back for more money.
“That just got me thinking about what kind of environment it could be.”
Every kitchen appliance or kid’s toy has a backstory as to why someone had to trade it in before repurchasing it with interest.
According to Taylor, this makes a pawn shop a compelling location for bringing together underlying themes related to addiction, criminality, poverty, and debt. “The list of things that other people may not be aware of if they are not from this background or do not reside in these locations.”
Although the novel is set in Bradford, the author claims that anyone living in any city can relate to it.
Taylor has been working on the program for a while, but as the cost of living crisis has taken hold, it has become more current.
The situation for the play’s context “got much worse as the play developed,” she claims.
“Actually, I had no idea things could be any worse. And things continued to deteriorate, and now we’re at their worst. I’m not sure if this is the peak because it will probably last for however long.”
Taylor spoke with actual pawn shop employees for her research, and they informed her that customers are more diverse than the “stereotypical characters that you might expect to see.”
She claims that regular people are the ones who use these services.
“Concerning this train driver, one kept saying. It consists of individuals with a variety of jobs. Not simply jobless people are affected. Not just those with five kids are affected. Not that it ought to be inappropriate for them.”
The writer doesn’t want her show to just be pawn shop porn despite its themes.
She made her name writing and performing poems that are love letters to Bradford, flaws and all, and she is incredibly proud of her hometown.
In addition to its dark themes, Taylor describes her play as “a celebration of Bradford and working-class culture, character, wit, and humor, as well as how we speak to one another.” “as well as music. It is so heavily reliant on music.”
Rapper Ty Richards plays the narrator in Bradford, a show with music written by Taylor and Jae Depz and a thriving rap and bassline scene.
Richards fronted a music video to promote the show rather than creating a traditional trailer, and he believes that this, along with the fact that it is being staged in a shop, helped it appeal to people who wouldn’t typically go to a theater. The Bradford performances’ tickets were all gone in less than a day.
The rapper claims that the narrative speaks to him. “I believe it has been successful in reaching the people I grew up with, growing up on an estate and being exposed to themes of drug use, poverty, and crime.
“However, it’s also the distinctive personalities, the sense of community, the friendliness, the fact that everyone knows one another, the rumors that circulate, the role models, and the people you look up to that can get you out of a jam.
“Growing up in working-class communities has its advantages and disadvantages, with the former being balanced by the latter. It is exactly how I was raised.”
Taylor acknowledges that she has debated whether the program reinforces stereotypes of the working class.
I wanted the play, to be honest, she says, because “we’re living this life and we’re here.”
“Although I didn’t want to glorify working-class culture or crime, I did want to be completely honest about some of it. The characters are therefore not flawless. We are not, because we are not.”
When Bradford is named the next UK City of Culture in 2025, Taylor is likely to receive more attention. The author claims that the title is “just about opportunity.”
“It’s about Bradford being on the news and in the media for something good, and for people to get a chance to try stuff out, to see what they like, to find out what they’re good at, to have things going on in this city,” the statement from Bradford reads.
With Cashy C’s, the author follows Rita, Sue, and Bob Too playwright Andrea Dunbar and filmmaker Clio Barnard, whose most recent film Ali and Ava was nominated for best British film at this year’s Baftas, in giving an affectionate but unvarnished view of Bradford.
Taylor continues, “I’ve just always been fascinated by the people of Bradford and their stories. More people are dropping off used items as she speaks to stock the shelves for the show.
“Each character has a backstory that could all be related to real people I know, have met, or my family.
“I spend a lot of time working in both community and educational settings, and this shop is Bradford’s window.
“All the time, we run into these characters and people. For us, it is true. And I was simply curious about how to convey some of those tales.”
The musical Cashy C’s is playing in Bradford until October 7 and in Keighley from October 21 to 23.
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