It’s obvious Lisa Chappell and Jodie Dorday have been friends for 25 years. Their laughter is infectious when they reminisce about old heartbreaks and share their current struggles with menopause.
Now the two have come together to act in Di and Viv and Rose – ironically, a play about female friendship spanning the decades – both agree the work is a welcome light after dark days.
“I’m so in the rehearsal space that I remembered it was Lisa’s birthday and not my own mother’s!” says Jodie, 54, as they break into fits of laughter.
The show has finally been brought to the stage after three Covid postponements. Jodie, who plays Viv, is also a producer and tried desperately to keep the play alive, which is when Lisa, like an old friend often does, came to her rescue. But Lisa insists it was the other way around.
Starting out with a different cast, Jodie felt helpless as she navigated the lockdowns and watched actors fall away due to schedule clashes with the new dates of the postponed shows.
“It was a very fraught time to be producing a play,” tells Jodie. “What happens in the theatre world when something is postponed is that people reschedule, and it’s very hard to retain your original cast and crew, so we’re very, very lucky to have Lisa join us.”
Lisa, 54, who is best known for her roles in ’80s Kiwi show Gloss and Australian series McLeod’s Daughters, also found herself in a tough spot around the same time and says it’s her who should be thanking Jodie.
“At the time, I didn’t have work for about a year and Jodes was so supportive with the Covid stuff – even things like getting me the support payments,” says Lisa. “There aren’t many producers who put in the work for their crew like that.”
Written by Amelia Bullmore, Di and Viv and Rose begins in 1984 when three young women meet on the outskirts of London and decide to go flatting. The audience experiences their life journey together, which Lisa describes as profound, funny and poignant.
Adds Jodie, “It’s quite remarkable to be old friends and have the opportunity to play old friends on stage. Because you have a great base, you don’t have to pretend very much. But at the same time, this is probably the most challenging role I’ve ever done. You’re talking 40 years of ups and downs that these women go through, and some of it’s funny and some of it’s heartbreaking, just like real life.”
Jodie (left) and Lisa admit they don’t want the fun to end.
Coincidentally, when we rewind 28 years, shortly after Jodie and Lisa met while acting in a play, they found themselves in Sydney. Lisa was at drama school and working part-time when Jodie showed up on her doorstep.
“I had a relationship break up and thought, ‘I’ve got to get out of here and do something different,'” recalls Jodie. “So I hopped on a plane to Sydney.”
“I had just been dumped,” chips in Lisa. “It’s a bit of a laugh really, that we both ended up heartbroken in Sydney together, but also starting a really fabulous new life.
“I’ve got a photo of the man who dumped me right here!” adds Lisa, holding up a photograph. “He was in the play The Herbal Bed with Eilish and I. I don’t normally carry around photos of my exes, but I wanted to show Eilish a photo of us back then.”
Actress Eilish Moran, 57, plays Di in Di and Viv and Rose, and also joined the cast as a life-long friend.
Life imitating art: Di and Viv and Rose also stars another good chum, Eilish.
“The funny thing about this production is that we’ve all known each other for that long, just like the characters,” says Lisa. “I worked with [director] Stephanie McKellor-Smith in the play The Sneeze when I was about 21 and I used to hang out with Theresa [Sokolich, production manager] back in the day – her best friend played my brother in Gloss.
“What I like about the rehearsals is that it’s reignited those friendships that were made in our 20s and we’re all menopausal women now,” she jokes. “We’re all going, ‘Oh, I can’t do this!’ And, ‘I’m so hot!'”
Both Jodie and Lisa agree it’s going to be difficult to walk away once the play comes to a close.
“You’re sharing this incredible, intense time with each other,” explains Jodie. “As I’ve got older, it’s hard to say goodbye to people, but I also know I’m going to see them again.”
Di and Viv and Rose runs from November 10-20 at The Pumphouse Theatre in Auckland. Visit pumphouse.co.nz for more information.
