The Right Size


The Right Size was a British theatre company active from 1988 to 2006, led by Sean Foley and Hamish McColl. Their major success was The Play What I Wrote, a tribute to Morecambe and Wise, and other key productions included Do You Come Here Often? and Ducktastic.

Early years

Foley and McColl have frequently been reported as saying that they met in Paris around 1987 when they were learning to be clowns at the school of Philippe Gaulier. But it seems more likely they met earlier at Oxford Youth Theatre. They formed The Right Size in January 1988. The name arose when working on their first show, which was originally titled The Right Size. When they decided to change the name of that show to Que Sera, they kept The Right Size as their company name. McColl said this was because they "liked everybody's aspirations to be the right size."
From their earliest shows, such as Que Sera, The Bath, Flight to Finland and Moose, The Right Size often tried out productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe or London International Mime Festival, and then toured in the UK, Europe and internationally, sometimes in collaboration with the British Council. The shows were devised by Foley and McColl with their collaborating co-performers and creative team. "I grew up by creating my own work," Foley said later. "Nobody was going to give me a job, so I created one myself by creating a theatre company, The Right Size. On the first show my partner, Hamish McColl, and I built the set, drove the van, did the show, took the set out, went to the pub."
They were described early on in terms such as "one of Britain's most promising young clown theatre companies" and "he multilingual clowning theatre company specialises in brash physical comedy that is part mime, part slapstick and can just about be traced back to the traditions of the commedia dell'arte". McColl, commenting later on 1980s trends in "physical theatre" based around schools such as those of Philippe Gaulier and Jacques Lecoq in Paris, said, "The difference for us is that we hitched ourselves more to vaudeville and variety. We like to see ourselves as much in that tradition as in the explosion from France."

Double act focus

From 1994 and Stop Calling Me Vernon, Foley and McColl focused on working as a double act. "We'd always had other people in our shows," Foley recalled. "This was the first time we said, 'I tell you what, let's just do two weeks' rehearsal, just the two of us, and see what we come up with.' And when we put it up in front of an audience, they laughed their socks off. That's when we found that we were a double-act." Stop Calling Me Vernon was about a fading vaudeville duo, practicing their old gags whilst waiting for their next big break.
Their major 1997 success Do You Come Here Often? was about two strangers stuck in a bathroom for 25 years. The show was inspired by the experiences of Beirut hostages Brian Keenan and John McCarthy.

''The Play What I Wrote'' and ''Ducktastic''

The Right Size achieved major UK and international success with The Play What I Wrote. Their final play together was 2005's Ducktastic, a satire on Siegfried and Roy, but with performing ducks instead of tigers.

Collaborators and influences

Foley and McColl were loyal collaborators with others, working consistently with behind-the-scenes partners over the years including director Jozef Houben, from 1991-2001, designer Alice Power, from 1991-2006 and songwriter Chris Larner, from 1992-2000. Through these collaborators, and others such as co-performer Micheline Vandepoel, The Right Size have links to physical theatre companies such as Complicite and Spymonkey.
The duo have regularly credited vaudeville legend Johnny Hutch as an inspiration.

Productions

Productions were generally devised, written and performed in by Foley and McColl.
DateProductionDirectorTheatreNotes
Que SeraJozef HoubenAlmeida TheatreAlso Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The BathJozef HoubenToured UK and internationally, including Europe, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Also Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Flight To FinlandJozef HoubenLondon International Mime FestivalToured in 1993 including UK, Europe, and South America.
MooseJozef HoubenLondon International Mime FestivalToured the UK and internationally.
Penny DreadfulBattersea Arts CentreToured the UK and internationally.
Baldy HopkinsHamish McCollCochrane TheatreToured the UK and internationally.
Stop Calling Me VernonJozef HoubenEdinburgh Festival FringeToured the UK.
Hold Me DownJozef HoubenPurcell RoomToured the UK and internationally.
Do You Come Here Often?Jozef HoubenLyric Hammersmith StudioAlso Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Vaudeville Theatre. Winner of the 1997 Total Theatre Award for Most Innovative overall production. Winner of the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.
Mr Puntila and his Man MattiKathryn HunterAlmeida TheatreA co-production between The Right Size and the Almeida Theatre, adapted by Lee Hall from the play by Bertolt Brecht. Also at the Traverse Theatre and a UK tour. McColl played Mr Puntila, Foley played Matti.
BewildernessJozef HoubenLyric HammersmithAlso toured.
The Play What I WroteKenneth BranaghWyndhams TheatreAlso Lyceum Theatre on Broadway.
DucktasticKenneth BranaghAlbery Theatre

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