Titans together in new drama
THERE are so many fine actors who have called the Little Theatre and the SDC their home over the past 80 years.
One of the benefits of having such a successful club, with its wealth of facilities, is that alongside pulling in packed houses it also attracts the best of talents.
Letter Of Resignation, which opens on February 23, has five very experienced SDC regulars treading the boards.
Two of its principal characters, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and his private secretary Oliver Widdowes, are performed by actors any SDC regular will instantly recognise as players at the very top of our premier league of thespian talents: John Sharp and Mike Stowell, who have known each other since childhood.
Individually, John and Mike have graced the SDC stage in countless productions over the years.
It came as quite a surprise, however, to find out that before this one, these two titans of local theatre have only ever been involved in five shows together – over a span of more than 50 years!
John and Mike first met briefly at school – the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys – although they were only passing acquaintances.
The famous place of education has now aptly transformed into LIPA, the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, one of the UK’s best academies of theatrical skills.
Mike’s direct contemporaries from his days at Liverpool Institute included a couple of very minor Liverpool celebrities you may have heard of in passing – namely Paul McCartney, who had a big hand in LIPA, and George Harrison.
John, the slight senior of the pair in age, joined the Masque Players when he left school. Mike was also a member.
It was there they were first brought together in a production when John, at the age of 18, directed Mike as Octavius in Shakespeare’s epic tale of Roman skulduggery, Julius Caesar.
Their paths crossed again years later in Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid and they joined up once more for a second slice of Moliere – Tartuffe.
Both are relishing their current roles.
Letter Of Resignation is an intensely rich, engaging and multi-layered political drama.
Our production is set to be one of the finest of its type, thanks in no small part to John and Mike’s exceptional understanding of their characters, directed by another SDC great, Robin Hirsch, ably assisted by Adrienne Ledson.
For his interpretation of the ’60s prime minister, John can draw on more than just TV, film and written biographies of the great man.
When he was the tender age of 15, he was invited, by a friend, to a meeting where Macmillan was guest speaker.
As it finished, Macmillan approached the two young men and shook John firmly by the hand.
I doubt very much that, at the time, it ever occurred to John that one day he would become Macmillan, taking us through one of the most challenging periods of his political career.
Letter Of Resignation runs from February 24 to March 3.
For tickets, productions and show times, ring our box office – 01704 530521 / 530460, check out littletheatresouthport.co.uk or follow us on Facebook /SouthportLittleTheatre.