Interview: Elizabeth Berrington

Elizabeth Berrington is currently starring as Marie in Tom Basden’s play Holes which has transferred to the Arcola Tent. 

Elizabeth’s stage credits include The Low Road (Royal Court), Absent Friends (Harold Pinter), Abigail’s Party (Hampstead) and The Country Wife (Sheffield Crucible). Just a few of her countless screen credits include Babylon, New Tricks, Doctor Who, Waterloo Road, The Alan Partridge Movie, In Bruges, Nanny McPhee, Vera Drake and Quills.

A plane crashes in the middle of nowhere and only four passengers survive: three work colleagues and a young girl too afraid to talk. Will they be rescued? Will they be forced to begin a new life? 

I saw Holes a few weeks ago and loved it. At first Basden’s piece appears to be a light comedy before transforming into a tremendous play about humanity. Elizabeth tells me that’s what first attracted her to the production, “It’s so cruel and so dark. Like you say, the thrill about it is that as it gets darker and darker, the comedy doesn’t really lighten up – the comedy remains. That’s the challenge of Tom’s writing; he doesn’t really let you off the hook. I think that can sometimes make an audience feel quite uncomfortable, but I am certainly enjoying it!”

Interview: Ray Shell

Ray Shell is currently starring as Marvin in the world premiere of Perseverance Drive which runs at the Bush Theatre until Saturday 16th August 2014.

Shell famously created the role of Rusty in Starlight Express. His other West End credits include Jesus Christ Superstar, Miss Saigon, Children of Eden, Gone with the Wind, The Lion King and The Bodyguard. 

As well as working on screen and starring in plays at some of London’s most prestigious theatres, Ray has starred in cabarets and ventured into writing, producing and directing. He is the creative director of Giant Olive Theatre Company.

In the heat of the Caribbean sun and to the familiar sound of gospel hymns, Robin Soans’ play follows the Gillard family as they prepare for the funeral of their mother Grace. Tensions ignite as opera-loving, chardonnay-quaffing Josh returns after 8 years of excommunication. Widowed Eli wants to sell the family home on Perseverance Drive, but Grace’s will reveals a different plan.

London, 5 years later. The table is set with Tiger Malt, lashings of Madeira cake and chocolate digestives (milk, not dark). Secrets are exposed at this last family gathering but Eli knows time is running out: Can the Gillard family reconcile their faith in God with their faith in one another?

When I recently spoke to Ray he told me he is delighted to finally be working at the Bush. “I used to live down the street from the Bush” he explained. “I always passed it and wondered what went on in there! It’s great to be finally working within the place, it is very respected and world renowned – it’s a great place to be a part of.”

Interview: Tanya Moodie, starring in Intimate Apparel

Tanya Moodie is currently starring as Esther in Intimate Apparel which has transferred to the Park Theatre (Park200) following a run at the Theatre Royal Bath’s Ustinov Studio.

Directed by Laurence Boswell, Intimate Apparel is Lynn Nottage’s best known play and the recipient of several awards including the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and John Gassner Award.

The play is set in 1905 in New York City where Esther, a black seamstress, sews exquisite lingerie for clients who range from wealthy white patrons to prostitutes. She has saved enough to allow her to dream of one day opening a beauty salon for black women and, at 35 years old, longs for a husband and a future. She begins to receive beautiful letters from a lonesome Caribbean man who is working on the Panama Canal, it looks like life may be about to take a different course…

Tanya most recently received huge acclaim for her terrific performance as Rose in the West End production of Fences (Duchess) opposite Lenny Henry. Just a few of her other theatre credits include playing: Joan/Alice in The Chair Plays (Lyric Hammersmith), Ruth in Sixty-Six Books (Bush), Claire in Catch (Royal Court) and Linda in The Overwhelming (National) as well as Nora in A Doll's House and the title role in Medea (both West Yorkshire Playhouse). 

I recently spoke to Tanya about how she initially struggled to connect with her latest role, what makes Lynn’s writing so successful and whether she was able to digest the incredible reaction to her performance in Fences…

Intimate Apparel is an extraordinary play, I’ve never seen anything like it. What were your first impressions when you read the script?

When I first received the script to read for the part I thought, ‘I don’t understand this at all.’ I couldn’t get my head around Esther’s journey, I couldn’t get my head around why it was called Intimate Apparel and I couldn’t get my head around her choices – it felt like I had opened the box of a jigsaw puzzle but had to make the picture myself. As you said, I had also never seen anything like it before. So then I read it again [laughs], thinking about the objectives and trying to piece everything together. For some reason I couldn’t connect on a subjective level with this woman, she seemed very alien.