Twenty years ago, Antonio Forcione and BoothbyGraffoe put on a show together. It worked rather well.

It wasn’t because it was necessarily carefully planned, but because they'd built up enough trust to just wing it and see what happened.

This September they're doing it again, and Wot Italian? comes to the Quay Theatre on Thursday 24 September.

Over the Summer. I sent them both a series over questions, and I was delighted to read their musical and comedic style hasn’t changed.

How would you describe the show?

Antonio explains: "Music, comedy, stories and a bit of madness." 

Forcione is an internationally acclaimed guitarist. Boothby is the comedian, described as both surreal and whimsical (and a firm favourite of mine from my North London days in the 90s). 

So, it's not really a gig, and it's not really a comedy show. It's a mishmash of both. It doesn't stay music or comedy for long.

The chemistry is the whole show

Ask Antonio what's hardest about performing with Boothby, and he’s quick to reply:  "Not laughing when I'm supposed to be playing! Boothby can suddenly say or do something completely unexpected, so I always have to stay alert." And yet his favourite moments are the bits where neither of them know what's coming next. "Those moments are genuine, and I think the audience can feel it."

How did they meet?

I asked where they both met. Don't expect a straight answer from Boothby. His version involves a transgender skiffle band, the soup kitchens of Arbroath, and Antonio learning three chords before he "pawned his washboard, bought a ukulele, stopped wearing make up."." Then, almost as an aside: "I'm kidding, of course. We didn't meet in Arbroath. It was Aberdeen."

The show where everything went wrong but somehow became great

Antonio was invited to open for an array of big stars at the legendary Olympia in Paris. During his very first instrumental piece, the bottom E string suddenly broke right in the middle of the tune.  Instead of stopping, he grabbed the broken string with his left hand, started pulling it to create different notes. Somehow he turned the accident into an improvised melody and an ending to the piece.

He goes on to say how the whole experience was terrifying, but he didn’t stop and in the end he received one of the biggest standing ovations of the evening. 

And that’s what happens when you’ve been performing for over 2 decades, you just get on and deal with it. 

Why they love a venue like The Quay

Antonio says a smaller, more intimate venue makes all the difference: "You can feel every reaction from the audience, and there is much less distance between you. For a show like Wot Italian?, that intimacy is perfect."." 

The Quay is the perfect venue for it, small enough to feel personal. Overlooking the river (well, Sudbury Rowing Club), with its friendly and warm atmosphere, it ticks all the right boxes.

Antonio put it best when I asked what he hopes people say walking out: "I'm not quite sure what I just saw, but I really enjoyed it."

Wot Italian? Will be at The Quay Theatre in Sudbury on Thursday 24th September, 7:30pm. You can get tickets here