Film star Greta Scacchi comes to Mold stage

Mar 21 2008 by Michael Green, Flintshire Chronicle

She has graced the screen in classic British films like White Mischief and Heat & Dust and has romanced Harrison Ford in Presumed Innocent and Tim Robbins in The Player.

But now Greta Scacchi is heading for the Mold stage to star in Edward Hall’s acclaimed production of Terence Rattigan’s 1952 drama The Deep Blue Sea which can be seen at Clwyd Theatr Cymru next week.

There is no doubt the actress is better known for her big screen work which might make it seem like a surprise choice to decide to headline a UK touring production but, as the lady herself explained, it’s all a question of perception.

“I have done A Dolls House, Miss Julie and some Shakespeare in Australia but I have always found it harder to win my place in the theatre in this country.”

She did, however, find an instant connection with The Deep Blue Sea in which she plays Hester Collyer, a judge’s wife in the middle of a scandalous affair with an ex-Battle of Britain pilot who finds himself out of his depth in such a passionate relationship.

‘When we were in Guildford, some of the tougher London critics came to see it and loved it, even though some of them have been very critical of me in the past. So now I feel this is something I can confidently boast about being in.

“It is very much set in 1952 and deals with the incredible shame of being divorced or causing a divorce. There is one character, a doctor, who is struck off for being a homosexual even though his crime is never actually stated because homosexuality was a crime at that time.

“Although a lot of Rattigan’s work was considered archaic, I have been stopped by men and women alike, telling me they feel the play is about them. I know what they mean because with every line, my character says what I want to say. I feel like I couldn’t have put it better myself.”

Scacchi describes Rattigan as one of her favourite writers, along with Coward, Ibsen, Chekhov and Pinter, and she remembers seeing a landmark production of The Deep Blue Sea, directed by Karel Reisz and starring Penelope Wilton about 15 years ago.

“So memorable was her performance that when I started preparing for the role, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. But then I began to feel this play was about me.”

She has formed a strong attachment to the production, thanks to the work of Hall – ‘a fantastic director’ - and the bond she has formed with the rest of the company. It’s significant that it prompts Scacchi to compare it to the experience she had right at the start of her film career with the Merchant Ivory production Heat and Dust.

“That was such a massive adventure at the age of 22, being thrust into a group of people of all ages and from all backgrounds, all of us together in India where we bonded so strongly at the time that there was a terrible feeling of loss when it was all over.”

The big screen is where we will see her next when she plays one of the supporting roles in a new film version of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited with a cast that also includes Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon and Ben Whishaw.

“At first, I felt it was foolish to attempt it considering how successful the TV production was because it seems like yesterday. I remember regarding Jeremy Irons and Diana Quick as being half a generation ahead of me – but now I’m playing someone who is the age of the parents of their characters!”

The Deep Blue Sea is at the Anthony Hopkins Theatre at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold from Monday-Saturday, March 24-29. Ring the box office on 0845 330 3565 or visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk.