‘I was expecting to decline but fell in love with this play’
Ruth Jones is taking to the stage for the first time in more than a decade to play the title role in a brand new play. As it tours to Cardiff, we ask the Stella and Gavin & Stacey star some questions about The Nightingales and performing in her home city
What drew you to The Nightingales?
I hadn’t planned to do any theatre again to be honest, but [writer] William Gaminara got in touch with me asking if I’d read his play.
I knew William from years ago when we used to do English language teaching tapes for publishers like Oxford University Press but I hadn’t seen him for years.
Anyway, he sent me The Nightingales and I read it and I’ll be honest, I was expecting to politely decline simply because of my decision not to do stage work anymore. But I absolutely fell in love with it. There’s no way I could’ve turned down the opportunity to be a part of it. I’m not just saying it – it really is a wonderful play.
What can you tease about the plot?
I don’t want to say too much because it really will spoil it for audiences… but my goodness, it’s such a compelling story.
It’s set in a village hall in Yorkshire where a group of Acapella singers come to rehearse every week.
On the surface everyone seems very “together” and “normal” but as the play progresses, we learn that’s not the case.
The play looks at the way we choose to present ourselves to other people, what we decide to reveal to those we meet.
How would you sum up Maggie as a character?
Maggie, my character, is a single mum, warm and kind, and a bit under confident.
She is new to the village and every week she walks past the village hall where she hears the Acapella group rehearsing.
She gets up the courage to go inside and meet them and gradually over the weeks, they become friends. And when something catastrophic happens in her life, she turns to the group for support.
But does she get it?
In what ways can you relate to her and what are the big differences? Well, she’s Welsh – we certainly share that. And she enjoys singing. In terms of how different we are, hmm, well – she bakes, which I don’t!
Haha, I’m not giving much away, am I? But at the risk of repeating myself, come and see the play and you can decide for yourself how different or similar we are.
What challenges does the play present to you as an actress?
The main challenge for me acting-wise is that this is a huge departure from TV work, which is what I’m used to.
The last time I was on stage was in 2006 when I did Educating Rita at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff, with Steve Speirs – aka Big Alan for any Stella fans out there.
And I have the usual acting “demons” of remembering my lines! The play also demands high emotion at certain points and so I’m going to enjoy the challenge of recreating that every evening.
How does it feel to be bringing The Nightingales to Cardiff?
Well, it’s my home town so I’m thrilled to be going to The Diff, of course, and I should think this is the theatre where my family and a lot of friends will come to watch the show.
Another bonus is that I’ll get to sleep in my own bed at night.
I’ve been to see shows at the New Theatre loads of times but I’ve never performed there so I’m chuffed to bits.
Is there a particular pleasure for you in bringing a new work to the stage?
It’s an honour to be part of this new play.
I don’t think this has happened before for me, although the first job I did – The Marriage of Figaro in 1989 – was a new adaptation by Dominic Cooke.
But all the stage work I’ve done in the past has been previously performed so this is really exciting – a world premiere!
It’s a fantastic experience being the first to create this character from William’s script and bring her to life.
As a writer yourself, what do you feel makes William’s script unique? I absolutely love this play. The story is gripping and the plot is so intriguing and every time I read it more layers are revealed.
William has a wonderful ear for naturalistic dialogue, but more than that he has tuned in with such insight to human nature and the ways we behave in groups and also how we relate to each other and what we choose to reveal about ourselves.
And on top of all of this, his writing is really funny. It’s interesting because we were all saying how we wouldn’t describe the play as a comedy but a drama with comedy in it.
William’s writing has a wicked sense of humour, as does he.
Is this your first time working with director Christopher Luscombe
and how is the collaboration?
Yes, this is the first time I’ve worked with Chris and I am really enjoying it.
He has great vision and creativity and is also very calm and incredibly astute.
I love his energy and attention to detail but also his openness to other people’s ideas.
It makes everyone feel included and gives us all a sense of ownership of the play.
You’ve done so much varied work on stage and screen. Do you enjoy confounding people’s expectations?
I think I always enjoy playing someone different from who I am in real life and for the most part I’ve had this experience.
I really enjoyed playing Flora in Little Dorrit, for example, because she was a Victorian aristocrat who wore clothes I wouldn’t be seen dead in!
Similarly with Nessa in Gavin & Stacey; she’s nothing like me in real life but I love that I can be quite rude when I’m pretending to be her.
It still comes in quite handy to be able to adopt the Nessa voice and say: “Oh love, back off.”
I guess there is a pleasure in confounding expectations but then that’s part of the joy of acting.
What have been your favourite acting jobs to date?
I’ve pretty much enjoyed everything I’ve done to be honest. I tend to throw myself into whatever I’m doing at the time so at the moment The Nightingales is my favourite job!
Obviously Stella was hugely enjoyable because it was something I was involved in creating and it ran for six series so we all got to know each other and it was a big part of our lives.
And of course Gavin & Stacey was very special for many reasons.
What’s the one thing you couldn’t be on tour without?
Books and podcasts. And nice bath oil for a good long soak at the end of a long day.
As well as the play you’ve got the film Nativity Rocks coming out in November. Who do you play in that?
I play a character called Farmer Beattie – and I got to drive a 1960s tractor, which was really exciting, though quite slow haha.
And I also got to get in touch with my inner rock chick – so shades of Nessa creep in at the end, I think. It was great fun because the script was improvised so we never really knew what was coming next – actually there wasn’t an actual script, come to think of it.
The kids in the cast were amazing as were the grown-ups and I can’t wait to see it.
Your debut novel this year Never Greener was a bestseller. Do you have other books in the pipeline?
Yes, I signed a two-book deal with Transworld, my publishers, and I’m well into book two now.
I wrote a lot of it over the summer and sort of fell in love with it.
It’s a different experience writing the second book, though I must say it’s gone on the back burner whilst working on The Nightingales as I’m not too good at multi tasking and I always like to give 100% to what I’m doing if I can.
The Nightingales is at the New Theatre in Cardiff from November 19 to 24. Call 029 2087 8889 or visit www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk