Home and Away’s Jacqui Purvis is about to step into one of her biggest roles yet, when she takes to the stage for her first professional theatre show with Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. Written by John Patrick Shanley, the production sees her starring opposite her real-life boyfriend JK Kazzi. It’s raw, emotional and intimate, with just the two actors on stage for an hour and 15 minutes.
Jacqui and JK met on Home and Away, while Jacqui was playing beloved character Felicity Newman and JK was guest-starring as David ‘Dingo’ Lewis. Their friendship blossomed into something more, and they’ve been together ever since.
The decision to work together wasn’t a hard one, and while Jacqui tells Chattr it is a job, and you can separate it from the personal side, there’s an element of trust that shines through onto the stage. “You know the person so well that it’s just trust, you trust each other, and you can be so honest with each other, there’s no kind of grey area,” she explains.
“I’ve never worked with someone I’ve been in a relationship with, and so it is new for me, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far. It’s a whole other thing, and I think it’s going to make the play even more interesting, even deeper, even more alive and electric.”
She says that more people should try working with their significant other, because they’ve “loved” the experience. “There’s just that shorthand where you just get each other, you understand it. And you don’t need to say too much,” Jacqui adds.
How different is Jacqui’s new role from Home and Away?
Jacqui admits that her play is “completely different” from her experience working on Home and Away, because the audience’s attention will be focused solely on her and JK.
“I’m so used to that beautiful big ensemble at Home and Away and having so many voices, whereas here it’s literally just JK and I, and it’s so intimate,” Jacqui reveals.
“There’s no way out for us and it’s live, so it’s a massive challenge. But that’s why I wanted to do it, because it is so different from Home and Away.”
Theatre was how Jacqui fell in love with acting, and while she obviously loves working in film and TV, she says it’s almost like returning to her roots.
“It kind of feels almost like going home a little bit, back to when I was a little girl,” she says. “I’m sure I will love it and probably want to do it again [in the future].”
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is playing at The Old Fitz Theatre in Melbourne from January 13 to February 1. You can purchase tickets here.
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