Writer and Director Glenn Chandler is the originator of the BAFTA winning television series Taggart, which is now the longest running television detective series in the world. He has also written 6 books, 7 plays, 1 musical, numerous radio plays, 1 film and last year made his directorial debut of his adaptation of John Rae’s The Custard Boys.
In addition to Taggart, his work in television has included programmes for the BBC, Scottish Television, Granada, Yorkshire Television and includes true crime drama about the notorious ‘Brides in the Bath’ murderer George Smith and the acid bath murderer John George Haigh.
Last week I caught up with Glenn to discuss his new play, The Lamplighters, which opens at the Tabard Theatre later this week.
How are rehearsals going for The Lamplighters?
Extremely well. We have now blocked the whole play so it is now just a matter of refining details. We’ve got a fabulous cast, I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with.
It is a murder thriller. It is set in the kitchen of an isolated farm house in the middle of the Cumbrian Hills. It is the tenth anniversary of a massive, unsolved murder case. Ten years on the three former detectives who never succeeded in solving the case (they locked up the wrong man who was eventually freed by the court of appeal), meet and make a kind of a pilgrimage to the scene of the crime which is a remote hilltop where a mother and her two children were shot dead ten years before. They hope that at one anniversary the murderer will return to the scene of the crime – as sometimes killers do. But, on the tenth anniversary, just as darkness falls, there is a knock on the door and the arrival of an unexpected guest. This is the night that justice is done... It’s quite a creepy thriller. It’s very intense as it takes place over one night in a lonely farm house.
Following Taggart what has made you want to return to your roots in murder mystery?
Since Taggart I have been involved in comedy and satire which was a great relief! Before that I had never done anything on stage which was connected with murder and crime so I thought it was about time I returned to my roots. The Lamplighters is the result of that.
Over the last few years you have done various other shows in Fringe theatres. What do you like about Fringe theatres?
One can take all sorts of risks. One of the reasons I went back to Fringe theatre five years ago – I started in Fringe before I went into television – is that I felt I could develop my own work to produce something original, get my hands dirty, get involved in every aspect including casting, production etc. which is not possible in television. Working in Fringe is great, I love the freedom to be able to take risks. The actors come together and you have no idea how the production going to turn out and there are no management consultants and focus groups telling you not to do this and not to do that. Some of the things I have worked on in Fringe over the past five years would never have got onto television in a month of Sundays!
Last year you turned to directing with The Custard Boys. Is this something you always wanted to do?
Yes, amongst other things. The year before that I wrote a musical with a friend of mine who is a composer. It was a terrific learning curve and a great success. Before that I never thought I would have written a musical. Afterwards I thought about how many directors I had watched at work and decided it was about time I had a go myself. When I directed The Custard Boys last year I had a cast of seven young lads fresh out of drama school who were all as keen as mustard. We worked well together and helped each other and I acquired a taste for directing.
So you enjoy directing?
I thoroughly enjoy directing, it gives me a buzz to see how I am shaping the production. However, the whole process is very much a collaborative effort – the last thing I do as a director is order actors around the stage!
What’s next for you?
Well I’m certainly not going to act (laughs)! I’m taking two shows to the Edinburgh Festival, one of which I am doing at the Brighton Fringe as well: Serial Killers. It’s a unique play about Ian Brady (the Moors Murderer), Ian Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper) and Dennis Nilsen (Muswell Hill Necrophiliac) all of whom appear on stage at the same time in their respective prison cells. I possess and have access to quite a lot of letters that serial killers wrote to their friends. I have adapted their correspondence to give quite a revealing insight into the minds of murderers.
Finally... why should people come and see The Lamplighters?
Come and see the show if you want something different. At the moment the Fringe is full of topical, social, political comment as well as lots of musicals. This is a creepy murder mystery which is not something done at the Fringe very often. I can guarantee a chilling evening and the solution is not revealed until five minutes before the end. A good night out!
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
The Lamplighters runs at the Tabard Theatre from Thursday 21st March (with previews from 19th March) until Saturday 13th April 2013.
Please visit www.tabardtheatre.co.uk for further information and to book tickets.
Follow Glenn on Twitter: @GlennChandler
Keep up to date with the latest theatre news, reviews & interviews on Twitter: @West_End_Frame
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