Like all good comedy franchises, Scooby-Doo comes down to a few simple, but vital, ingredients, writes Andrew Youngson
When he won the role of Shaggy Roberts in the most recent live Scooby-Doo theatrical tour, Danny Stokes was delighted. He had been a fan of the cartoon, especially the original 1969 series, since he was a kid.
But fan status aside, the 27-year-old was a shoo-in for the role.
“My agent said: ‘You fit the bill.’ I mean, I’m six-foot tall and a bit gangley, and good at physical comedy,” said Danny.
And, as if made to be, he had even perfected Shaggy’s voice – the one which Casey Kasem, who sadly died last month, made famous almost 50 years ago.
“I’ve been doing impressions for years. At school, in media studies, I would spend a lot of time in the studio, and I actually remember the first time I did the Shaggy voice,” he explained.
“I was doing Kermit’s voice, and once you put it up there,” he said, doing a great impersonation of the Muppet’s frontman, “and then break it, then you get Shaggy.”
And he was absolutely right: somehow he transitioned straight from Kermit’s humble tones to Shaggy’s unmistakable yodel, with a string of “zoinks” and “Gee, Scoobs” for good measure.
Like so many people, I grew up with the Scooby gang, so there’s always a slight feeling of trepidation when you hear of someone new taking on the role. But hearing Danny’s impersonation I was sold.
“But that’s part of the joy of playing a character that’s so well known and loved,” Danny said of the pressure of coming up against fans of the cartoon.
“And it’s also why you have to be true to them and the world they live in.”
In the current live tour, which heads for Eden Court in Inverness and Aberdeen’s HM Theatre next week, it’s back to basics for the gang. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby head off to Egypt, where their friend Otto is having trouble with some menacing mummies and a fearsome pharaoh who can turn people to stone.
So far, so Scooby-Doo. But plot predictability is just what people love about the show so much. As long as they get a supernatural mystery, some classic slapstick and time with their favourite meddling youths, you can’t lose. And the response from audiences certainly backs that theory up.
“We’ve had a fantastic reaction. It’s been quite overwhelming, actually,” said Danny.
Kids and adults alike have marvelled at seeing the “real” Mysteries Inc up close at meet-and-greets, he said. As expected, it’s Scooby and Shaggy they want to meet the most.
But why are the not-so-daring duo so popular, I asked? The key, he said, is the fact that audiences have loved comedy partnerships through the ages. From Morecambe and Wise to Ant and Dec, we love a bromance. But it’s also to do with the relate-ability of one gangly dope and his scaredy-cat pooch.
“In any of the situations the gang go into, they are so brave, but Shaggy is the guy that’s thinking about escaping with his mate, Scooby. His immediate response is to run away and eat. And that makes him so relatable to the audience,” Danny said of their enduring popularity through the ages.
“At the end of the day, Fred is the leader, Daphne is his foil and Velma is the clever one. But Scooby and Shaggy are the clowns, and it’s impossible to hate anyone that makes you laugh. They are always the characters that you like the most.”
So having spent some time in Shaggy’s bell-bottom flares, I wondered if Danny had any top tips for how to solve a
mystery. Sure, Shaggy tends to stumble upon any clues as opposed to consciously unveiling them. But still, you’ve got to give him some credit for his part in the detective work – inadvertent though it may be.
“My top tip would be to keep your eyes open, and even though you might be scared, it’s always best to face your fears. Even though Shaggy and Scooby are scared, they always face it through to the end,” Danny said.
How would the actor himself react in a real-life supernatural encounter?
“Probably exactly the same as Shaggy,” he said with a bark of laughter.
“Even though I would want to run, I would want to find out what I was running from and why.”
Scooby-Doo! The Mystery of the Pyramid, will be at Eden Court, Inverness, next Tuesday and Wednesday, August 5 and 6. Tickets are available from www.eden-court.co.uk or by calling 01463 234234.
It will then be performed at HM Theatre, Aberdeen, from Thursday, August 7, to Saturday, August 10. Tickets are available from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com or by calling 01224 641122.