I was wrong about opera ‘snobs’, says Allam
Actor changed his mind after visiting Glyndebourne for role as its founder
ROGER ALLAM admitted he thought Glyndebourne was just “snobs on the lawn” before he took on the stage role of its founder John Christie.
Allam plays t h e o p e ra- o b s e s s e d millionaire who built a theatre for his singer wife Audrey Mildmay in the garden of his Sussex home.
He said he visited the festival twice before taking the part in David Hare’s play The Moderate Soprano at the Duke of York’s Theatre, adding: “My reaction to it was a bit like that article in the paper, you know, ‘snobs on the lawn’. You think, ‘ Well this is very expensive and very exclusive and how am I ever going to come here again?”
Christie inherited the house after the First World War and launched the festival in 1934, inspired after visiting opera festivals in Germ a ny o n h i s h o n e y- moon. It still thrives today, and is as well known for the formally attired audiences picnicking in the grounds as for the performances held there. Allam, a regular on TV in shows including Endeavour, said the festival had helped transform how opera is watched and performed in the country and added: “They also do tours, which hardly anyone does any more.”
Nancy Carroll, who plays Audrey, said the cast were given “a beautiful tour” of Glyndebourne, now run by the third generation of the founder’s family. She added: “It was wonderful to be in their home. Even now directors and performers are invited to stay, it’s still the centre of how Glyndebourne works.”