While I cook, I generally have something loud on the Sonos. Well, unless Mirinda is playing guitar, of course. More often than not, I’ll play something I can sing along to, in order to annoy the neighbours, if nothing else. Tonight I played Sweeney Todd.
Sweeney Todd is one of my favourite musicals and I sing it with great gusto and menace. The last production I saw had Michael Ball playing Sweeney and, while his singing was obviously excellent, he was not dark enough; he didn’t feel menacing at all; basically, I didn’t believe him.
Then, of course, there’s the film version with Johnny Depp who had the menace but not the voice.
I have the 2005 Broadway revival recording starring Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone and I really wish I could have seen it.
Anyway, while I was singing along tonight, I thought about the principle roles I never had when I was an actor. Sweeney is obviously one of them. Not that I think I could have handled the singing as well as Cerveris, but I would have delighted in the throat slitting gorefest and the pie song.
Another role I should have played was Henry in The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard. When we produced it for our touring theatre company, I was busy in two other lead roles and couldn’t do it but, being a rep company, I was on lights and sound. I didn’t think the guy we had playing Henry was good enough, so every performance I’d sit and cringe.
The thing with Henry is that I agreed with almost everything he said and believed in. In particular his love of language and pedantry. A few years ago we saw a revival production at the Donmar Warehouse back in 2000, with Stephen Dillane and Jennifer Ehles. Obviously, it was very, very good (they both won awards) but it didn’t stop me wanting to play Henry. Actually, sometimes I think I AM Henry.
Then there’s Butley by Simon Gray. The first time I ever saw Alan Bates was in the film version of Butley. This made me get the script and read it. I fell in love with it. I really, really wanted to play Butley. I loved the word play, particularly the nursery English and the banter. I always felt it was a part I was born to play.
We saw Dominic West in the eponymous role back in 2011. I thought he was okay but not a patch on Bates. And I reckon I could have done better. Well, in my day. Not that I ever had the opportunity. I think Butley would have had limited appeal in Australia at the time I was acting.
I do tend to reminisce when I’m cooking.
Speaking of the good old times, Freya has started sitting on my shoulders again. Like she did when she was a puppy though not when I’m doing the washing up. Now she finds the support afforded by the back of a dining chair perfect.
This is how we spent my Reading Hour today.
