All or Nothing's Carol Harrison on Bringing the Mod Musical to London's West End

All or Nothing, the self-described “Mod Musical” now at the Ambassadors Theatre directly following a run at the Arts, tells the story of the Small Faces, the English rock band from the 1960s that produced such era-defining hits as “Lazy Sunday” and “Itchycoo Park.” Their story, as well as their music, have come to the West End via the tireless devotion of Carol Harrison, the show’s producer, author, director and co-star. Playing Kay Marriott, mother to Small Faces lead singer Steve (who died in 1991), Harrison has the thrill of living with her own show on a nightly basis, as she explained one recent afternoon to Broadway.com.

How do you talk about All or Nothing to people who know little or nothing about the history of English rock, or about the "mod" subculture in music?
You don’t need to know the Small Faces’ story in advance because it’s told to the audience every night. I think the show gives you everything, so what more could you ask for?

Whom do you see as your audience for the production?
Fans of the time, fans of “mod,” fans of the band. It’s also important to me that people from other countries come and see us, so that we can say to people from the U.S., for instance, “This is a homegrown musical! Come over from the Bay Area, or wherever, and see something British!”

Can you give us a flavor of the drama that runs alongside the music?
The entire thing comes from my love of [Small Faces frontman and singer-songwriter] Steve Marriott. He used to come ‘round my house when I was nine and had simply one of the greatest voices ever. At the same time, here was this guy from a working-class background who was not going to be a doctor or a lawyer, believe me, and was expelled for burning down a school and had a mother who wanted him to find a way out. Of course, what she wanted was for him to be an actor, whereas he wanted something entirely else.

Isn’t the period of the show as important as its plot?
Very much so. The 1960s were such a revolutionary time for London. We seemed then to lead the world in everything, starting with fashion and music. Working class people were saying, “I’m an artist; this is our culture," and here we are 50 years later and that look and those sounds live on today.

Was it a no-brainer that you would give yourself the role of Steve's insistently adoring mum, Kay?
We have the same accent, the same stature, the same hair color, and of course I knew Kay, who only died two years ago. And because I’m known in this country for TV [EastEnders, especially] and stuff like that, the following I have as an actor made it a no-brainer in that sense, really. But I don’t think of myself as the star; the guys who play the older and younger Steves are the stars to me. My part is like a series of cameos, really.

Was this a difficult show to cast, given the multiple demands placed on the performers?
They had to be good musicians, especially Steve, because of his vocals. It’s not easy to act, either, because of the emotions you go through; the actors don’t just come on, say a few lines, and sing another song.

What about the height requirements for a group called the Small Faces?
That was even harder, since kids today are taller than they were. We wanted people who were maximum 5’8”: this show celebrates small people.

Were you at all affected by the arrival in London of the Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon, which focused on English rock from the same period and went on to win the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Musical?
I went to see it, of course, because I was putting mine together at the same time or even before; this has been in the pipeline for eight years. I liked it and was pleased for its success but was gutted initially that they got out first because I thought it would look as if I was jumping on the bandwagon. I now think of them paving the way, so to speak. Their success shows people that musicals like this can be done, but I do think ours has got a lot more [to offer]; our book is better because I wrote it [laughs]!

Was it always a given that your own son, Alfie, would figure in the cast, as well?
Absolutely not! Alfie’s now 28 and had long said he didn’t want to be an actor. He did filmmaking and had a documentary shown on Channel 4 [in the U.K.]. But one day when we were doing the show [off-West End] at the Vaults, there was a virus going around. We had three people off, so I said to him, “Luv, you’ve got to go on.” He said, “I can’t,” and I said, “Of course, you can,” and he liked it and he’s very good. He’s definitely got the acting bug now.

Given the many and varied caps you are wearing on this, is there anything connected to All or Nothing that you haven’t done?
Funny you should ask: when we were at the Vaults, I even cleaned the toilets! They were so terrible that I thought, “I’m not letting the audience in here. Give me some rubber gloves!” But the fact is, if I hadn’t taken this on myself, it wouldn’t have happened; it wouldn’t have got where it is. The acting is really the icing on the cake. My first love, and what I’m most proud of, is the script. Sure, it’s about the music, but the show is actually held together by the narrative, and the directing was just a natural progression from there.

Do you ever pause to consider what Steve Marriott himself would make of this show?
He’s looking down at us saying, “Well done” —I think.

Lastly, what do you say to playgoers who may show up at the Ambassadors Theatre expecting to find that playhouse’s long-running tenant, Stomp?
You know, I think they’ll be very nicely surprised. And if they want a bit of tap dancing, well, I’ll get someone along to do that!