HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR TREADING THE BOARDS AT DARLINGTON HIPPODROME
A chilling tale of murder, mystery and greed
comes to Darlington with a stage adaptation of The Cat and The Canary starring
Hollywood superstar Britt Ekland. The star of stage and screen tells us about
her latest acting challenge.
Hi Britt. You’re starring
in thriller The Cat and the Canary. What’s the play about?
It’s a story about a big, deserted mansion on the Bodmin Moor. The owner
died 20 years earlier and he has instructed his solicitors to assemble all the
possible heirs to go through the will. There’s an assortment of people from all
over the world that come into this spooky house, and loads of surprises ensue
from the start.
It is an interesting story with many twists and turns. It’s very much in
the tradition of Agatha Christie and the type of thriller British audiences
love. I think our audiences will get a big surprise and that’s all I’m going to
say.
What made you want to be
part of this production?
First, I’m always up for a challenge. I always have been. I have done
almost everything you can think of in my career. This is definitely not a role
I’m used to; this play is not a farce, for a start! It’s something a bit more
challenging for me.
Fantastic. So, who are
you playing?
I play the housekeeper. She has been in this house alone for 20 years
before this midnight meeting with all the assembled heirs and the solicitor.
She’s probably had quite a solitary life and had to find ways of surviving that
solitude, the cold and the war. She hasn’t had any physical company, but she
feels she has had spiritual company. She’s very stern. Her job is to guard this
house until the heir takes it over and that’s what she’s done for 20 years.
What makes this such a
challenge for you?
I haven’t been on stage since my last panto in 2013. And I was never a
rep actor – I was a movie star. I finished school when I was 17 and went to
drama school for two years, then toured with a variety show and did a film in
Rome. The next thing I know, I have a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and
I’m sent to London. That’s where I meet Peter Sellers and marry him. Although I
wanted to be on stage, being a movie star didn’t hold the prestige of being a good
stage actor – not in Sweden where I came from. I don’t have the background that
most actors my age have, which is my main challenge on this tour.
You’ve been working for
more than 60 years. How do you keep yourself fit enough to tour?
I’m very fortunate that I’ve always worked out. In March 2018, I did
Strictly Come Dancing in Sweden as the oldest participant ever. But I don’t
take anything for granted. You have to be alert and stay on top of everything.
A lot of this is your own mental attitude to life as well, not just what you
eat and how you move. You have to have a very mobile mental attitude.
That sounds like a
fantastic philosophy.
As you get older and what you look like matters less, you’ve got to
challenge yourself to stay relevant and continue working. I could just sit down
with a cup of tea and biscuits and watch television… but I don’t do that!
The Cat and The Canary runs at Darlington
Hippodrome from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 September.
For more information or to book call 01325
405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
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