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True: Lee’s scrumptious! Vicky Edwards talks to Lee Mead

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Starring in one of the most famous musicals of all time, Lee Mead tells Vicky Edwards why he’s so happy to be in the driving seat…

Pictures: Alastair Muir

At the wheel of the most fantasmagorical car in history, Lee Mead freely admits that when the offer to play Caractacus Potts in the stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was made, he didn’t have to think twice. It is debatable, however, who was more excited: Lee, or five-year-old daughter Betsy.

“I took her to see the show in Southampton and watching her get so involved was really special. She knows all the songs and sings them all the time,” grinned Lee, who is clearly both a proud and hands-on dad.
Having grown up watching the film version, Lee was already familiar with the Chitty story and score, but he also has another link to our fine four-fendered friend; a connection that dates back to the early days of his career.

“When I was just starting out, the show was opening in the West End and I went to an open audition to be Michael Ball’s second cover. Now, I can move really well, but I’m not a trained dancer and you needed to be part of the dance ensemble to be second cover for the role”.
Game over. Footwork not quite up to scratch, Lee lost the gig.

“It makes it all the more special playing the role now,” he told me, eyes twinkling with both amusement and delight.
Talking of things being special, I asked Lee what he thinks makes Chitty such a well-loved show and why audiences of all ages are still so enchanted by Ian Fleming’s story of a magical car and a single dad.
“I think what makes it one of the most iconic shows in the world is that it has such a heart,” he answered, thoughtfully, adding:
“The relationship between Potts and the children, Grandpa and Truly are really important, but you have to hit those beats or it becomes just a show about a flying car; you need those truths. The scenes going into songs are quite tiny so you have to really work to get those transitions right and to mark those moments.
“It’s also a great story. Even as an adult you are taken on that journey; you can’t help but allow yourself to do that. It’s a very clever show with brilliant characters and brilliant songs.”
Ah yes, the songs. Wonderful they are indeed, and thanks to an ace 12-piece orchestra the impact of the music in this particular production is nothing short of spellbinding.
“It’s unusual for a touring production to have such a big orchestra and they are incredible,” agreed Lee, who shot to fame when he won the BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do, and with it the title role in the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Leading West End roles in Wicked and Legally Blonde followed, along with the release of several solo albums, and also being cast in TV’s Casualty as Ben ‘Lofty’ Chiltern, for which he earned a Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards 2015.

Picture Alastair Muir

Not bad going for a lad whose first job was singing on a booze cruise ferry where the clientele was often so well lubricated that Lee sang from a cage in case any of them, worse for drink, took exception to his dulcet tones.
“But actually I loved it and looking back I realise that not being able to afford to go to drama school in London was no bad thing. A lot of young actors now aren’t prepared to go on tour; they just want to walk into the West End, but that’s not where you learn your craft.”
From schlepping around the country on low-budget tours to playing gigs on car ferries and doing cabaret with seasoned old-timers like Ken Dodd, Lee soaked up experience and learnt as much as he could.
“Apart from being great fun I think you have a far greater appreciation of success when it comes than if you had just walked into the West End,” he nodded, explaining that the ratio of actors out of work at any time far and away exceeds those with jobs.
“I do talks in colleges and I always advise kids to go and learn on the touring circuit.”
Starring in a major musical, being a devoted dad, talking to college kids – nobody can accuse Lee of being a slacker.
Laughing, he said: “I’ve also released a new album called Some Enchanted Evening. I wanted to do an album of songs from the 40s and 50s film era, giving them a modern twist.”
A huge hit with fans, the album smashed into the top 20 in the Independent Charts. Typically modest, Lee is quick to credit his band, but is nevertheless thrilled.

“The response has been brilliant and I’ll be touring the album in October when I finish on Chitty.”
Actors are often slightly rigid about their pre-show routines, so while I put my coat on I asked Lee if he had any such rituals.
“I like the five minutes before the show to be silent and focussed; to have that still moment before you go out on stage and it is like an express train,” he says, unnecessarily apologetically.
Wanting a bit of peace and quiet before a musical marathon hardly counts as diva behaviour, I countered.
“And I’m a bit OCD about my desk area,” he joked, in mock hopefulness of sounding like a highly strung artiste.
Sorry, fella. You’re just too much of a sweetheart to qualify as a foot-stamping prima donna. And, after an hour in his company, and later watching him in rehearsal, I can confirm that this triple threat performer and gentlest of gentlemen is also absolutely perfect as Potts.
Vicky Edwards

For more information, visit www.chittythemusical.co.uk
Facebook: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Musical
Twitter: @ChittyMusical / #chittymusical

Review: Travels With My Aunt – new musical opens Chichester’s 2016 season

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Travels With My Aunt
Minerva Theatre, Chichester

Photo:Tristram Kenton

FestivalTheatre'sTravelswithMyAuntPhotobyTristramKenton
When retired bank manager Henry Pulling attends his mother’s funeral the idea of globetrotting couldn’t be further from his mind. But finding himself embroiled with his extraordinary Aunt Augusta, of whom prior to his mother’s send-off he knew nothing, the squarest bear that ever there was suddenly finds himself on an extraordinary international schlep.
Following where auntie leads, in quest of the mysterious Mr Visconti, Henry is soon hanging out with hookers, getting comprehensively searched by customs officials and smoking dope aboard the Orient Express with a hippy chick several years his junior. Travel certainly broadens his mind, but for a man better used to the tranquillity of the potting shed it’s all a bit too much of an eye opener.
Christopher Luscombe directs this new musical, based on Graham Greene’s novel, with pep and panache. The late 1960s setting is beautifully realised in Colin Falconer’s effective set and costume designs, aided and abetted by Nicholas Skilbeck’s orchestrations and choreography by Ewan Jones.
Patricia Hodge is on sparkling form as Aunt Augusta, a game and feisty aging beauty with the heart of an adventurer and an insatiable lust for life. If she is occasionally a tad stretched in the musical numbers, Ms Hodge is nevertheless impressively nifty in the dance stakes.
Steven Pacey as Henry is adorable. From nervous hiccupper who would do nothing more reckless than prune his prize dahlias with slightly blunt secateurs, his gradual blossoming is a joy to witness.
Haley Flaherty is in sweet voice as Tooley, the flowers-in-her-hair youngster who brings out Henry’s protective instinct and with it a tenderness he finds both unfamiliar and giddy-making.
Hugh Maynard as Wordsworth is infectiously ebullient (if somewhat clichéd) as Augusta’s toy boy, while Jack Chissick, Sebastien Torkia and Jonathan Dryden Taylor each bring their own gifts to this enchantingly bonkers family party, ably supported by a terrific ensemble.
The Minerva is the perfect space for summer froth and Travels With My Aunt is as elegant and effervescent as the champers being served in the Theatre’s newly renovated restaurant.
Until 4 June at the Minerva Theatre. www.cft.org.uk Box office: 01243 781312

Top of the Potts: Jason Manford Talks to Vicky Edwards

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Currently starring as Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jason Manford talks to Vicky Edwards about musicals, being a dad and why ibuprofen is his new best friend…

Photo: Alastair Muir

Photo: Alastair Muir

There’s more to Jason Manford than being funny. Warm, articulate and astute, he also happens to have been born into a family of talented singers. Trilling for longer than he’s been cracking gags, the 8 Out of 10 Cats star has notched up some impressive credits, not least playing Pirelli in Sweeney Todd with Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, and Leo Bloom in The Producers with Phill Jupitus, with whom he also stars in a brand new touring version of the classic musical story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

 

 

 

“My family are all folk singers and we have been singing together for a very long time,” Jason explained. “I was always interested in musicals; I was always in productions at school, then at university I directed shows like Bugsy Malone. I wrote a musical, too.”

Offered the role of Caractacus Potts, Jason says that while he didn’t want to over-think the characterisation, he nevertheless gave careful consideration to what he could bring to the role.

“I re-watched the film and what I saw was someone who was not dissimilar to me: a dad who would do anything for his kids. He keeps trying and failing and he’s reached a point in life where he thinks that something just has to go right for him. He really is that heartbroken, lonely, lovely man that Truly Scrumptious sings about.

“The setting is 1919 and my idea of him was that he was in the Navy but that he had to leave when his wife died to look after his kids. I like his journey. He’s optimistic, although he has his darker moments, and he’s a man who doesn’t like confrontation. But then suddenly the kids are taken by the Childcatcher, Grandpa is kidnapped and the car is stolen – everything that he knows and loves about his life is gone. He has to man up,” said Jason, who while mindful of driving himself bonkers by fleshing out a complex character history, knew that he needed to give Caractacus a back-story. (“You need that weight otherwise it’s just a musical about a flying car.”)

Although Jason is perhaps better known as a comedian than he is for his musical theatre talents, in terms of being the source of all things comedic, Chitty gives him a bit of a breather.

“What’s nice for me is that no one is counting on me to be funny. If I’m funny it’s a bonus, and Caractacus does have some funny moments, but you’ve got the spies and the Baron for laughs. I just have to play the heart and soul of the piece to keep it interesting and I love that.”

As for Chitty’s enduring qualities, Jason cites the film rather than the original book as being responsible for inspiring such huge affection across the generations.

“The biggest thing for me isn’t the Ian Fleming story, but the Roald Dahl film adaptation. The original book is actually quite linear; quite similar to his writing for James Bond, and there was no Childcatcher or Truly Scrumptious. But the film is much more magical and for many the Childcatcher was probably the first time you were scared by something on the telly. Nostalgia and magic is what I think does it for people.”

It is a highly physical show for Jason and he confessed that the number Me Ol’ Bamboo, in particular, is a bit of a killer. Part manic Morris dance and part frenzied tap routine, it is certainly breath-taking to watch and, one suspects, leaves even the fittest dancers out of breath.

“I’ve lost a stone and a half – it’s unbelievable!” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. Joking that he has thought about releasing an exercise DVD based on Me Ol’ Bamboo, he added: “It takes a lot of work but it’s so spectacular and to get it right is just brilliant. It’s the one moment of the show when I take the applause and let the audience clap until they stop.”

Does such a frenetic routine result in a few aches and pains? A heartfelt groan said it all.

“My poor knees and lower back! Ibuprofen is getting me through and I have to go for a swim between the matinée and evening shows because if I sit down I seize up,” he sighed.

And when he staggers off the stage and back to his digs he’s got fellow cast member Phill Jupitus [who plays Baron Bomburst and Lord Scrumptious] to look out for him and, it transpires, to rustle up some top-notch grub.

“We’ve been pals a while and we enjoy each other’s company. He’s also a great chef and cooks some brilliant meals. We look after each other. You need that when you’re away from home.”

Talking about being away from home, with a partner, and five children, Jason’s got plenty to miss.

“The thing about this show is that it’s all about family and the kids in the show [three pairs of Jeremy and Jemimas tour with Chitty] are roughly the same height as my two oldest girls. At the end when I’ve rescued them and they run over to me for a big hug there’s that moment every night when my kids flicker into my head.”

And it’s home and family that is part of the reason that Jason is taking a well-earned break from Chitty between 4 May and 18 September, when Lee Mead will be playing the part of Caractacus Potts.

“Having young children you can’t be away too much, but as well as the children I’ve also got to write my own tour for 2017 and then I’m writing a sit com and also a musical. It’s lovely to know that I can do all that and then come back to Chitty.”

Touring the country, working on several writing projects and keeping his successful comedy career on the boil, not to mention family life – it is certainly an impressive juggling act. How does he find the energy and stamina to sing and dance his heart out at every performance of Chitty? Shrugging, he referred me back to his friend ibuprofen, although just being in such a stupendous show seems to be the real spur. Even if it does mean that his joints creak like an old banger in need of the oil can.

“A lot of effort goes in but it’s a great show so it’s really worth it,” he told me as we said goodbye.

And so it is. Prompting standing ovations wherever they go, the audience reaction is unified: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we love you!”

For more information, visit www.chittythemusical.co.uk

Facebook: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Musical       

Twitter: @ChittyMusical / #chittymusical

Vicky Edwards

Not just a pretty ‘chu-chi, woo-chi, ooo-chi, coo-chi’ face

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Kicking up her heels in Vulgaria rather than kicking people out of The Rovers, Michelle Collins tells Vicky Edwards how she loves playing alongside the most famous flying car in history…

Photo: Alastair Muir

Michelle in Chitty Chitty Bang Pic: Alastair Muir

Michelle Collins should be in a musical about an express train, not a flying car. Currently on tour with a brand new production of the family favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in which she plays Baroness Bomburst, her passion for the show and life in general is so animated that it’s hard to keep up.

“The Baroness is such an iconic role, but initially I wasn’t sure,” admitted Michelle, as we chatted in her dressing room. “But it is a really great fun part and I see myself more of a character actress now, so it was a chance to reinvent myself a bit.”

Any concerns she had about the show “going down the panto route” were swept away when Michelle discovered who the production’s creative team and other cast members were. A co-production between Music & Lyrics Limited and West Yorkshire Playhouse, the show had already been a smash-hit in Yorkshire. With Phill Jupitus, Martin Kemp and Jason Manford (and Lee Mead in Jason’s place for a section of the tour) also signed up, Michelle was instantly reassured and set about throwing herself into the role. Or rather roles. Plural.

“In the first half I play Mrs Phillips, secretary to Lord Scrumptious,” explained Michelle. “She’s quite passive-aggressive and is secretly in love with him, I think. The Baroness, in the second half, is quite clever. I’m not going to tell you who I based her on, that would be unfair, but it’s someone in the public eye,” she teased, adding: “To me the Baroness and the Baron are George and Mildred [of 70s TV sit com fame], but she’s always got the upper hand. He’s just a child who abuses his power and wants to be mothered.”

Agreeing that Chitty bears all the hallmarks of a traditional musical, for Michelle there’s a particular ingredient that makes it extra special.

“It’s the wonderful songs,” she sighed. “Some musicals don’t have memorable songs, but in Chitty every single one is unforgettable.”

But song and dance is not something she has huge amounts of experience in.

“I am definitely not a West End Wendy type,” she laughed. “I did a few tap classes as a kid but I gave it up because I didn’t like it that the lessons took place above funeral directors in the Holloway Road.”

Even though her CV includes a couple of musical credits (Daddy Cool and The Take That Story), for Michelle, neither entailed the epic, high-octane production numbers that Chitty demands.

“I have had to work really hard and I’ve found joints in my body that I never knew I had,” she said, with a playful grin. “But I’m 53 years old and I’m prancing around the stage in my fishnets and heels, so life could be a lot worse.”

When it comes to having sufficient stamina for a show like Chitty, an experience earlier this year made her realise that she’s tougher than she thought: the TV show Bear Grylls: Mission Survive.

“It was seriously hard-core,” she said of her time in the South African Bush. “It was beautiful, but weather-wise it was extreme and we lived off soldier’s rations. For me to even be in it was a challenge, but I definitely found out that I am more courageous than I thought I was.”

Best known on TV as conniving Cindy Beale in EastEnders and feisty landlady Stella Price in Coronation Street, Michelle also has a clutch of impressive film and theatre roles to her name. Not bad for a girl who at 17 was turned down by every single drama school in London.

“I went to quite an academic grammar school. My mum was a single parent and we didn’t have much money, so stage school was out of the question. I started at the Cockpit Youth Theatre when I was 15. That’s when I realised that I really wanted to act.”

Joining the pop group Mari Wilson and the Wilsations at 18, Michelle hasn’t looked back. Of being rejected by drama schools she shrugged. Having achieved success under her own steam it’s not something that troubles her and, typically, she uses the experience as a silver lining to encourage others.

“I always tell young people that positives can come out of failure and not to let it put you off.”

That determination and focus is still much in evidence.

“With two shows a day I have to conserve my energy, but I’m trying to use the time when I’m not on stage constructively,” she said. “I’ve just produced a short film which I’ve written and I’m acting in, and I’ve written a kids’ book that I hope will come out later this year.”

There’s also her ‘Women in Media’ networking group that she created and runs with comedian Brenda Gilhooly. “We set it up as a forum where women can share ideas, inspiration and expertise. We meet monthly and have breakfast, listen to a guest speaker and chew the fat,” she told me.

A real no-nonsense grafter, given her schedule there’s not much time for relaxation, but when she does snatch some free time her needs are pretty low maintenance.

Michelle reflects that touring does bring home how much she misses her daughter, now away at university, her mum, her boyfriend and little pooch, Humphrey.

“Walking my dog in the park with my boyfriend, seeing my mum and catching up with my daughter – simple pleasures are what I love most,” she said.

“I thrive on being busy and being busy makes you appreciate the simple moments more.”

Putting the finishing touches to her make-up ahead of curtain up, we returned to chatting about the enduring success of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

“It is a show that has heart, honesty and truth,” she declared, giving a smile as wide as Chitty’s wingspan. “I’m so excited by how popular it is – we have packed houses at every performance!”

The success is well deserved. The entire cast and crew work their socks off.

As for the Baroness, she’s marvelously minxy. Michelle, on the other hand, with her infectious enthusiasm, husky laugh and determination to work hard but enjoy the ride, is a delightful tonic.

For more information, visit www.chittythemusical.co.uk
Facebook: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang The Musical
Twitter: @ChittyMusical / #chittymusical

Vicky Edwards

Spandau Baddie: Martin Kemp Meets Vicky Edwards

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Martin Kemp tells Vicky Edwards why his musical theatre debut is going with a bang-bang…

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Photo credit: Alastair Muir

From gangster Reggie Kray to evil control freak Steve Owen in EastEnders, Martin Kemp is extremely good at being bad. Currently on tour in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang playing the Childcatcher, arguably one of the most iconic villains of all time, Martin is drawing on his previous roles for inspiration, but admits that there’s unchartered territory to explore when it comes to the character that regularly tops the polls of movie monsters.
“The Childcatcher is an exaggerated version of everything I have ever done before, but it comes from a completely different angle,” explained Martin. “He’s a step away from reality; all the characters are really, especially in the second half when we go to Vulgaria.
“In the first half I play a character called the Junk Man, but in the second half that kind of Alice in Wonderland thing happens and the Junk Man becomes the Childcatcher. Robert Helpmann did an amazing job [in the film], but my physicality is not the same as his; I don’t have his ballet background, so instead I try to bring a bit more horror to the role.”
Judging from the booing that fills the theatre before he has even set foot on the stage, he’s clearly doing that very effectively.
“Kids are scared of the name: Childcatcher. When the Baron says “Call for the Childcatcher!” I can feel the tension in the theatre and then I hear the boos,” he laughed, adding, “But that’s part of the whole experience. If you haven’t laughed, cried and been scared then you haven’t seen a good show. You need to be taken to all those places.”
And with cheers at the curtain call almost taking the roof off the theatre, it seems that it’s a journey that audiences of all ages are delighted to undertake. A co-production between Music & Lyrics Limited and West Yorkshire Playhouse, this brand spanking new reimagining of the much-loved Sherman Brothers musical is winning critical acclaim as well as standing ovations.
“Ten years ago I saw the show in London and the main thing I remembered about it afterwards was the car,” said Martin. “But now it’s very much about the story. It amazes me, but every night I walk out of stage door and people are there saying how much they loved the whole show. From old people who saw the movie on their first date to kids meeting Chitty for the very first time, the demographic is extraordinary. Yes, it’s changed from the book, and then again from the film and again from the original stage musical, but it really works. We’re sending people home with big smiles on their faces.”
As for his fellow cast members, mention them and it is Martin with a big smile on his face. “It’s a great cast,” he enthused. “I’ve worked with Michelle [Collins] before and it’s lovely to work with her again, but they are all brilliant performers.” And so they are. Funny men Jason Manford as Caractacus Potts and Phill Jupitus as Lord Scrumptious and Baron Bomburst are joined by Martin and Michelle, as well as Andy Hockley of Phantom of the Opera fame as Grandpa Potts, and West End leading lady Amy Griffiths as Truly Scrumptious. Add to that a world class company of singers and dancers and you have a show that is dazzling, star-studded and that absolutely lives up to the ‘fantasmagorical’ praise.
But while the story of Chitty might have been knocking around for a good while, musical theatre is a new challenge for Martin.
“One reason I am here is that I have never done a musical before and I thought this might be a nice way to dip my toe in. I love trying new things and I love working with new people.”
That happy-go-lucky, have-a-go attitude wasn’t always there, however. In fact, as a child he confesses that he struggled with crippling shyness.
“I’ve been doing this a while now but at the age of eight I was incredibly shy, so my mum sent me to Anna Scher’s drama workshops,” said Martin, who knows first-hand what an advantage drama classes can be to children.
“What drama clubs give you is a small amount of this magic dust called charisma. I always say that I owe everything to Anna Scher because she formed my personality as a kid.”
Pointing out that whether you become an actor or join a band or you just use that acquired confidence to get through interviews when you’re 16, Martin is certain that drama clubs are a fantastic way of developing both character and life skills.
As for children watching live theatre, absorbing stories close up rather than on a screen, Martin loves the way they get totally involved.
“Adults watch, but kids believe and become part of the world they see unfolding; they just dive in,” he nodded.
“For Chitty we recently did what is called a ‘Relaxed Performance’ for children with disabilities and conditions like Autism. The show was adapted around the audience’s needs and it was a wonderful thing to be part of.”
A member of one of the most popular bands of all time, star of movies, TV and now a musical, Martin certainly can’t complain of always doing the same old same old.
“I have always changed it up a bit and I like never knowing what’s around the corner,” he laughed, although actually this time he does know what is coming next.
“I have just finished a year on tour with Spandau which was wonderful, but it’s this great big machine that needs five artic trucks and a 100-strong crew. When you play huge arenas the size of Wembley you know that to people at the back you’re just a speck of dust in the distance and that you’ll never get to meet those people. So in May I am doing the sort of antidote to not meeting people with a show that’s going to tour called An Audience with Martin Kemp. I’ll be travelling around England chatting about my life and career and taking questions from the audience. Yeah, it’s going to be different and fun,” he grinned.
With such a busy professional life, relaxation, he says, comes in the form of painting.“That’s my down time. Sometimes it shuts me off from the world and I lose myself completely.” Asked what he paints and the smile that stole my sixteen-year-old heart lights up his face again. “I paint rock ‘n’ roll,” he says with a chuckle.
Super-talented, funny, warm and with rock ‘n’ roll artistic flair to boot, however brilliantly nasty he is as the Childcatcher, in real life Martin Kemp is a total sweetie.
Vicky Edwards

 

A gentleman and a scholar: Vicky Edwards Meets Stephen Boxer

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About to play the great author C.S. Lewis, Stephen Boxer takes a break from rehearsals to talk to Vicky Edwards about touring, making an ass of himself and his own connection with Narnia’s creator
Having played everything from soap opera to Shakespeare, as well as appearing in movies such as The Iron Lady, Stephen Boxer is packing his suitcase and hitting the road with a new national tour of Shadowlands. Arguably one of the best plays ever written, Stephen plays Narnia creator C.S. Lewis and, he reckons, the story’s central themes of grief, belief and love will resonate with audiences.
“It’s a beautifully structured play and it’s very poignant, so we can Stephen Boxerall relate to it. But it is also very entertaining; very witty with some real belly laughs,” he said.
Having cleaned up on the awards circuit (the subsequent film version also collected gongs) William Nicholson’s play charts the developing relationship between Lewis, an Oxford don and author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, and feisty American poet Joy Davidman. Finding his peaceful life with his brother Warnie disrupted by the outspoken Davidman, whose uninhibited behaviour is at complete odds with the atmosphere and rigid sensibilities of the male-dominated university, Lewis and Joy show each other new ways of viewing the world. But when Joy is diagnosed with cancer Lewis’s long-held Christian faith becomes perilously fragile.
But, Stephen pointed out, Lewis’s struggle with his faith resulted in the beautiful book A Grief Observed, an extraordinary collection of the author’s reflections about bereavement.
“It is a kind of bible for both religious and non-religious people,” said Stephen. “It rises above religion and belief and talks about how we deal with loss and how a theory of life is tested by reality.”
As for the relationship between Lewis and Davidman, Stephen explained that while there were some fundamental differences between their characters and life experiences, there was also a definite meeting of minds.
“Their intellectual acuity was an absolute meeting place for them both – they could both spar in the same intellectual boxing ring and they enjoyed that; they enjoyed the cut and thrust of intellectual debate. That’s how their relationship started,” said Stephen, adding:
“He was a classically repressed quite conservative thinking Englishman who lived a classic ivory tower life. Part of his emotional repression, I think, was that he was sort of cushioned by the Oxford life you could live as a don. She was an ex-communist Jewish American who told it how it was and shot from the hip. Yes, they were very different, but mentally they were perfectly matched.”
As for his own connection to C.S. Lewis, as a direct result of being an ex Oxford choir scholar and school boy (“I wasn’t an undergraduate but it was my academic home for eight years from 1960 – 1968”) he is in the position of knowing exactly where he was the night that the World lost two great men.
“I was at Magdalen college school, the school that was related to C.S. Lewis’s college. It was the evening of the twenty-second of November 1963 and I was walking back from chapel, in my gown and mortar board, having sung a service. An undergraduate stopped me, which in itself was quite unusual. He told me that President Kennedy had just been killed. It was the same night that less than a mile away C.S. Lewis died, so not only do I know where I was when President Kennedy was shot, but I also know where I was when C.S. Lewis died because I was right on his doorstep.”
Admitting that the insight into Oxford life has proved useful in preparing for the role, what appealed most to Stephen about the play?
“Firstly it’s a whacking great part – I’m never off the stage. In rehearsal I’m finding that a bit daunting,” he laughed.
“At the moment I’m at that stage of running before I can walk and falling over a lot, metaphorically, but that’s a necessary part of the process. Making an ass of yourself and feeling like a fool in rehearsals is a prerequisite.
“Another reason I wanted to do it was that I’ve just done a year of television. I’ve done some lovely stuff which I really enjoyed, but there’s no real rehearsal culture in television and I was dying to get back into the rehearsal room and that organic way of creating on the shop floor.”
Thoughtfully, he added: “And getting to know people, too. You develop very warm relationships in theatre and after a year I missed that.”
With the tour of Shadowlands he is certainly going to have plenty of time to bond with his fellow cast members. Not that life on the road bothers Stephen one jot.
“It’s a great way to catch up with friends, but touring is also a great way to see the country. I visit the galleries and museums and do the walks and whatever else there is to do or see. It’s part of the fun and I’ve seen the world that way. I love working and travelling at the same time.”
Playing opposite him is Amanda Ryan (The Forsyte Saga, Shameless) as Joy. “She was made to play the part,” said Stephen, who doesn’t look too far into the future when it comes to his own career.
“I don’t really plan and the things that come along always surprise me. I wasn’t expecting to play Titus Andronicus at the RSC for instance. It was a play I didn’t know but I loved doing it; it was intriguing, absorbing, and demanding. I think I’d like to play Lear when I’m about seventy,” he mused, before laughing and saying: “Not that long to go then!”
But for now this charming gentleman and scholar is delighting in Shadowlands. Go to see it and you will too.
Official website: www.shadowlandstour.com
Twitter: @shadowlandstour
Facebook: shadowlandsthetour

 

Jolly good show, chaps! Vicky Edwards meets actor Graham Seed

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Vicky Edwards meets actor Graham Seed to talk about Rattigan, romance and how wearing a uniform might give his wife ideas…
With the tractors and traumas of Ambridge well and truly behind him (he played Nigel Pargetter in the radio soap The Archers for an incredible 27 years), award-winning actor and broadcaster Graham Seed continues to work extensively. Just starting out on a national tour, Graham plays Squadron Leader Swanson in Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path, directed by Justin Audibert.
“It’s going very well and we have a terrificGraham Seed as Squadron Leader Swanson and Daniel Fraser as Teddy Graham in the 2016 National tour of Flare Path credit Jack Ladenburg cast,” beamed Graham, a self-confessed Rattigan fan.
“As an actor I am really enjoying it because Rattigan writes such good characters; he just didn’t write bad parts. One of his best plays is The Deep Blue Sea and this has early elements of that. It’s rather delightful and I like the play enormously.”
Based on Rattigan’s own experiences as a tail gunner during World War II, the play is rooted in wartime Britain, where the life-and-death existence of the RAF bomber crews, and their wives and sweethearts who were on tenterhooks awaiting their return, created a permanent state of high anxiety. The story tells of former actress Patricia, the wife of RAF pilot Teddy. When Patricia’s ex‐lover and Hollywood idol Peter arrives out of the blue her emotions are thrown into turmoil and the survival of her marriage to Teddy becomes uncertain. As the conflict rages in the skies above, on terra firma feelings simmer, threatening to become every bit as explosive.
A romance with shades of Brief Encounter then? Graham nodded. “She has to decide what she’s going to do, but it does have humour, too. It’s a very evocative and powerful play.
“My character is quite funny and rather charming. He’s a frightfully good chap; full of that stiff upper lip phlegm.”
But in pitching his performance Graham has had to take care not to stray into parody. “If you did it wrong you’d be into Black Adder or Monty Python territory, which you don’t want at all.”
But it’s not just the good of the play that Graham is mindful about; he clearly has great respect for the real life pilots who carried out such dangerous missions.
“These boys were incredibly brave and they understated the danger always. The play is set against the backdrop of planes taking off and not coming back and at one point my character says: ‘we do owe these boys something.’ You can see why Churchill loved it. The Great War was so ghastly that it became romantic, but in the Second World War far more civilians were bombed.”
Mixing history with an intriguing story gives it broad appeal and the cast are delighted that Flare Path is attracting audiences of all ages.
“It’s definitely a play that is suitable for all the family and I do hope that lots of young people will come to see it,” said Graham, who admitted that these days he isn’t feeling as sprightly as he once was.
“I am suddenly feeling my age,” he confided. For years you’re the youngest in the company and now I’m suddenly the oldest – I’m about twenty years older than everyone else!”
But there’s something about this particular production that has had a rejuvenating effect on Graham. Botox? A bit of a nip-and-tuck? As it transpires nothing so drastic.
“I know it sounds slightly immature for a sixty-five-year-old man to say it, but it’s quite nice to put on an air force uniform. I look pretty chipper,” he teased, agreeing that any fella in a military uniform looks instantly dapper, even if they look like a bag of spanners. Not that Graham does, I hastily reassured him. Laughing off the unintended insult he said:
“It’s like evening dress – if you’re a woman and you suddenly look at your old man in evening dress you say ‘goodness he polishes up well!’ When my wife sees me in my RAF uniform I hope she thinks that there’s life in the old dog yet!”
Certainly on the work front he continues to have offers lined up and, although he is best remembered for The Archers, his CV is crammed with credible theatre, film and TV credits. “That’s because I’m so old,” he twinkled. “I’ve ducked and dived; I’m what they call a jobbing actor.”
As for life on tour, Graham doesn’t mind living out of a suitcase in the least.
“It’s rather romantic and like being with a family. For me, as an older member of the company, there’s a responsibility to make sure that everyone’s happy. But it’s a lovely way to see friends in other parts of the country and to visit wonderful theatres.”
With all the schlepping about he does for work, how does Graham relax?
“I find it very hard to relax,” he confessed. “I do What the Papers Say every other Sunday, so don’t get many Sunday’s off. You always worry about your next job and even at sixty-five I’m always worried that I’ll be found out. But I’m actually pretty content. Getting older makes you less ambitious; there are more important things, like your health. So now I am absolutely thrilled to play good supporting roles and to really enjoy them.”
Anxious that he doesn’t come across as “worthy” (he doesn’t), Graham believes that there is a duty to tour good plays around the country, especially to unsubsidised theatres.
Speaking of which, it was time for him to head off to transform himself into a fine young man in uniform for the evening performance.
“I’m revving up for chocks away,” he grinned, before adding: “It’s not a bad life.”
Indeed. And he’s a jolly good egg. A jolly good egg in a jolly good show. Go and see for yourself.
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Big Mack: Michael Ball leads the cast of Chichester’s big summer musical

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THEATRE REVIEW

Mack and Mabel
Chichester Festival Theatre
Until 5 September (and then on tour)

Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Book by Michael Stewart (revised by Francine Pascal)

www.cft.org.uk
Box Office: 01243 781312

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

From the moment that the blistering overture kicks in you sense that something special is in store. And so it is. In addition to a belting orchestra, there’s a clever set and technical wizardry, glorious frocks and a phenomenally talented cast, led by Michael Ball and Rebecca La Chance in the title roles.

But although billed as a musical comedy, the plot isn’t an endless stream of lighthearted froth by any means. Nor is it a conventional musical theatre romance. The true story of Mack Sennett, the legendary silent movie director famed for his Keystone Cops, and Mabel Normand, a hot dog seller spotted by Sennett and transformed into the darling of the silent screen, in many ways the tale is more reminiscent of Albert Square than Hollywood. Just with more songs.

Told retrospectively, Michael Ball col.Anna-JaneCasey(Lottie)andCompany.PhotoManuelHarlan.317nvinces absolutely as the ruthlessly driven Sennett whose sole aim in life is to make ‘em laugh. Broke and alone in his studio before being turned out, he recalls the past; the lies he told, the cast and crew he bullied and the love he  treated far too casually. And then there’s the crushing blow that he was wrong about the Talkies which, in spite of his prophecy to the contrary, did actually catch on, diminishing public appetite for his silent pie-in-the-face two-reelers.

Resigned to his rudeness and lack of romance, Mabel continues to love the difficult but charismatic Mack. Reaching a point, however, when the occasional moment of tenderness is no longer enough, and with Mack unwilling – or unable – to make any greater commitment to her, she allows her head to be turned by a rival producer. Having taken drugs before to cope with Mack’s punishing schedule of movie making, she is soon a regular drug taker, slugging down hard liquor in between shoving cocaine up her nose. By the time Mack finally realises that she needs help as much as he needs her it’s all far too late.

Rebecca La Chance is terrific. Vocally enchanting, she pitches Mabel’s initial passion, zest and energy perfectly. As times change, and her fading hope and enthusiasm becomes apparent, it pierces the heart.Fluid, visually stunning and audibly fabulous, all credit to director Jonathan Church and his creative team, whose collective expertise is harnessed to great effect. Choreographer Stephen Mere, at the top of his game, must surely be one of the world’s best. Inventive, stylish and almost poetic in their gracefulness, his routines are simply dazzling. nce(Mabel),MichaelBall(Mack)andcompany.PhotoManuelHarlan

But ultimately it is Michael Ball’s show. Giving Mack real substance, and following on from his triumphant performance at Chichester a couple of years ago as Sweeney Todd, he cements his status as a supremely talented singer who can really act. Balancing the aggressive bully who is consumed by his work with the man who is also capable of flashes of sweetness, loyalty and at some level self-awareness, Ball manages the emotional and personality gear changes with complete aplomb. It is a remarkable performance and not until the curtain call is there so much of a glimpse of the slightly camp luvvie who willingly sends himself up.

Another Chichester musical with all the hallmarks of success, I Never Promised You a Happy Ending may well be one of the big numbers,   but you’re sure as Hell guaranteed  joyous entertainment. If you can get a ticket, grab one.