The Pickle King - Notes
Justin's notes
Having found something good, there is a temptation to want to preserve it forever. However, the act of preserving something also changes it unalterably. We've tried to add new ingredients to each of our shows, to make them fresh each time. Now, as we draw towards the completion of The Pickle King, I sometimes find myself struggling with a desire to bottle what has been a wonderful partnership.
In the time I have been working with Jacob, we have made three productions that have been successful beyond anything I ever imagined. We have toured nationally and internationally, ended up living with our partners and have had children. It has been, quite literally, a very fertile time. I feel very privileged to have worked with Jacob and the other wonderful people who have contributed so much to Indian Ink. I count many as my firm friends.
The figure of Death first appeared to us when studying the commedia dell'arte in Italy. Death is a stock character in the commedia; ever present in daily life, but always outwitted at the last gasp by the comic zanni (crazy servants). In these times of refrigeration and irradiated food we often try to pretend he is not there. We use medicine, science, cosmetics, diets, exercise regimes, work, and ever increasing wealth to keep him at bay. But he is as present as ever and working on this show I have come to believe that we lose sight of him at our peril - he reminds us what is truly worth preserving.
