Scooby-Doo And The Pirate Ghost – Live On Stage!, Edinburgh

Published on Friday 26 June 2009 10:01

'ALAS poor Shaggy, I knew him, Velma." From one great Dane to another, literally, that's the journey Jamie Brown's career has taken him on of late.

Having just finished playing the title role in a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the 24-year-old actor was faced with a big decision when his agent called asking him to audition for the role that brings him to the Edinburgh Playhouse next week: To be, or not to be... Scooby-Doo? That was the question.

It didn't take long before his friends had an excuse to break out the Scooby Snacks however, as Brown, a self-confessed fan of the cartoon, jumped at the chance. To good a role to let go begging perhaps?

"Myself and my brother Carl were obsessed by Scooby-Doo as children, it was a huge part of our TV viewing," admits Brown, above, adding with a laugh, "Little did I know all those years ago that I'd end up playing the role on stage – that's a weird turn of events."

He continues, "When I got the phone call for the audition, I started crossing off the characters. I thought, 'I'm not quite gangly enough to be a Shaggy ... not quite broad enough to be a Fred. Then she mentioned I was up for the part of Scooby. That was strange, how do

you prepare to audition for Scooby?"

Nonetheless he did, a improvised piece of physical theatre convincing the producers he was the was for the job.

Based on the long-running Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, Scooby-Doo And The Pirate Ghost follows the age old tradition of the TV adventures. As the curtain rises, the Mystery Inc. gang (Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers and Scoobert 'Scooby' Doo) are called upon to help a friend in distress.

"In this one we go to an island to visit Velma's pen-pal Sophie, only to find that the island is all but deserted. All the tourists have left because these pirate ghosts have appeared to reclaim the treasure that was there long ago. Of course, the gang decide to hang around and investigate," adds Brown.

Yes, as in the Bard's state of Denmark, something is rotten on the idyllic tropical island and soon Mystery Inc's intrepid investigators find themselves battling the Pirate Queen and her ghostly crew. Hi-jinks and mayhem ensue, keeping fans on the edge of their seats for 90 minutes. It's hard – and hot – work for Brown, who is trapped inside his Scooby costume throughout.

"I certainly don't need any extra exercise doing this show. Running around being chased by ghosts is all I need," laughs Brown. "There's certainly less fun ways of keeping fit but it is incredibly warm in that costume so we have fans backstage and lots of drinks so that I can refuel at every opportunity."

One of the biggest challenges for Brown and the cast is ensuring their characterisations remain true to the cartoon.

"Audiences have a strong idea of what the characters are like and expect to see those characters in the flesh, so it's really important in terms of movement, mannerism and vocals that all the characters are spot on," says Brown, adding, "But when all the elements come together you do believe that you are part of a Scooby-Doo episode – everything is so true to the old episodes."

Which means the Pirate Queen is sure to say, at the end, "Darn those pesky kids."

Scooby-Doo And The Pirate Ghost – Live On Stage!, Edinburgh

Playhouse, Greenside Place, 2-5 July, various times, 10-20.50, 0844-847 1661