‘We used to watch whenever it was on’
JEFFREY DAVIES meets Preeya Kalidas, who plays Margo in the new theatre production of The Good Life, to talk about her impressive acting career and watching the sitcom as a child
REMEMBER the Goods? Tom and Barbara, suburban eco-warriors. And their next door neighbours Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, desperately trying to maintain the Surbiton status quo? Well the ’70s TV comedy hit is back, and on stage for the first time.
Written by Jeremy Sams and presented by Fiery Angel, this new stage adaptation of muchloved British television comedy The Good Life is set to open in Bath this evening (Thursday, October 7). The acclaimed cast includes Rufus Hound as Tom Good, Preeya Kalidas as Margo Leadbetter, Dominic Rowan as Jerry Leadbetter and Sally Tatum as Barbara Good. The cast also features Nigel Betts and Tessa Churchard, who play multiple roles.
The comedy is based on the classic TV series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, which entertained millions in the 1970s. This world premiere production - which is also directed by Jeremy Sams - will be the first time that the iconic characters of the Goods and Leadbetters will be seen on stage.
The play celebrates a time when, whatever our differences, we still managed to get on with our neighbours.
The beloved BBC comedy ran on British television from 1975 to 1978 starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.
So what attracted Preeya Kalidas, who plays Margo Leadbetter, to the stage version of the much-loved classic comedy?
“Well, The Good Life is an iconic piece of British television. I was born when it first came out in the ’70s. Then when it was revived in the ’80s, my Mum was obsessed with it. We used to watch whenever it was on. It was just one of those programmes that brought us together as a family. We sat down, we laughed and we just really enjoyed the show,” London-born Preeya told me during a break in rehearsals.
“When I was approached by Jeremy Sams - of whom I am a massive fan because he’s incredible and has done some incredible work - I thought this stage version of the comedy would be very interesting. I read the script and I really loved it. The four characters in it are really representative of now, even though the comedy was set in the ’70s, which it still is in this stage play. And actually Barbara and Tom were, at that time, quite progressive in that they became suburban eco-warriors. At the time that would have been like ‘what?!’, whereas now it’s such a big thing for people to have allotments and to grow their own vegetables. This play is such a wonderful piece. Tom and Barbara and Jerry and Margo are very different neighbours, and yet they get on so well with each other,” Preeya enthused.
“As I said, I watched The Good Life with my Mum in the ’80s but haven’t watched it since
I got the part. I didn’t want to be influenced by the character as played by Penelope Keith. In this play we are not doing impressions of those actors playing those characters, we are recreating it for the stage. Of course we’ve got certain things that if you were an avid watcher of the television show you would recognise, but for a new generation who do not know The Good Life it will be a fresh piece of theatre. It’s exciting to be able to recreate these characters while keeping the essence of them for the stage.”
Does taking on an iconic role in a much-loved television comedy show put extra pressure on an actor?
“We can’t really think about that, because the fact is we are all very different from those actors who played those parts back then. However, at the same time, this is 2021 and we’re reliving that world, but also seeing a different take on those characters. All of them visually have something that people can recognise - and that’s the beauty of it. I don’t like to think of it as pressure playing a role that someone else has already played. As any actor in any new piece of theatre will say, there is always pressure but that comes from wanting to do a really good job. I think I’d be more nervous if they were reviving it for television. Because we are doing it for theatre and bringing that world to life on stage, which has never been done before, that is more exciting, “Preeya replied. Was it an easy show to transfer to the stage? “This journey of The Good Life on stage has been going on for a while. Jeremy Sams has been re-writing and re-drafting it for a few years now. There’s always a bit of a process with any piece of new theatre that hasn’t been done before. But that process and bringing that world to life is very exciting.” How easy was it for Preeya
Margo is so brilliant...i am still discovering her to be honest. She’s not one-dimensional; she’s got a bossiness about her. She’s not like Barbara Good - Margo is princess-like and has got a heart. She’s one of these women who doesn’t have a filter and she doesn’t mean to be mean, she just says what she thinks.
Preeya Kalidas on her character, Margo Leadbetter
to become the super-snobbish Margo Leadbetter from Surbiton Surrey?
“When you get such a great script and a great character, that really helps. Margo is so brilliant and in terms of the way she is represented on the page it made it easier for me. I am still discovering her to be honest. She’s not one-dimensional; she’s got a bossiness about her. She’s not like Barbara Good - Margo is princess-like and has got a heart. She’s one of these women who doesn’t have a filter and she doesn’t mean to be mean, she just says what she thinks and I think that’s a really good character trait, because you know where you stand with her,” Preeya answered with a smile.
This comedy is going to lift everyone’s spirits after the doom and gloom of the pandemic, I commented.
“It’s been such a difficult time for everyone around the world. I think now theatre is literally coming back to life. All we performers and the audience need is to get into a room and be part of something that is actually uplifting and funny. All we really need now is the good life!”
Preeya, who has worked extensively across stage and screen in a hugely versatile career, made history as the first British Asian female to play the lead in a musical when she originated the role of Priya in the West End production of Bombay
Dreams. A very proud moment I remarked.
“Do you know what, it is still one of the most special and proudest moments of my career - it was also my break into theatre. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to play a lead in a mainstream West End show,” Preeya answered immediately, the very thought of it still clearly at the forefront of her life as an actor.
“As a little girl it was something that I’d always strived to do. I never ever saw anybody that looked like me on stage. Now I want to be somebody who can inspire the next generation, someone who can come and see a show and see someone who looks like them on stage,” Preeya said thoughtfully.
“To be honest, Bombay Dreams was a dream. I was working with the most legendary team including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, who wrote the Bond song Diamonds Are Forever. To have such an incredible, amazing and inspiring team was just mindblowing. To be at the forefront of that was a ‘Bombay dream’ itself.”
Preeya’s CV of film, TV and theatre credits is impressive. She starred in the award-winning feature films Four Lions and Bend it Like Beckham, and played the role of Amira Shah in more than 130 episodes of Eastenders. Elsewhere on screen, Preeya played the title role in Bafta-nominated Bollywood Carmen, starred in Channel 4’s Bafta awardwinning Britz and played Carrie in Mistresses. She also appeared as Dr Maya Dutta in Jed Mercurio’s Bodies, and played the roles of Afshan in Banglatown Banquet and Assma in England Expects. On stage, Preeya was nominated for an Olivier Award when she originated the role of Pinky in Bend it Like Beckham the Musical. She also starred in the West End in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, School of Rock and in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Jeremy Sams is a multi award-winning director, writer, translator, orchestrator, musical director, film composer and lyricist. His directing credits include the National Theatre’s West End and Broadway revival of Noises Off, the West End musical Spend, Spend, Spend, and the international tour of The Sound of Music and Oklahoma at Chichester Festival Theatre.
The Good Life is playing the Theatre Royal Bath from October 7 to 16. Tickets can be booked on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal. org.uk