Sue Holderness, probably best known as Marlene in Only Fools and Horses, is playing Pamela Willey in Ray Cooney's Out of Order
coming to Southend's Palace Theatre on 10th July!
We chatted to her just before the tour kicked off where she tells us she can't wait to come back to Southend again!
coming to Southend's Palace Theatre on 10th July!
We chatted to her just before the tour kicked off where she tells us she can't wait to come back to Southend again!
Hi Sue! We’ve actually briefly met before - at the end of Southend Pier.
Oh! When we were doing the Only Fools and Horses thing?
That’s right.
I love Southend Pier, it’s the most amazing place isn’t it? I think it’s so wonderful that they’ve spent so much money on it. I think it’s good, I really do. I do a lot of cruising for P&O and I felt rather as though I was on a cruise ship. You just didn’t move. If you could put a little rocking motion into the floor, you could believe you were on a P&O ship.
You could be on to something there.
No, I loved it, it was really nice.
We also saw you at the Palace Theatre, Southend with John Challis (who played Boycie in Fools and Horses) in Relatively Speaking
It’ll be a great joy to return to Southend. You’re lucky to live there. I love being by the sea. It’s so nice. You can see why people retire to the seaside can’t you, it’s so nice.
And you’ve got enthusiastic audiences in Southend, haven’t you? I hope they’re going to want to come and see a farce. I feel very excited and rather flattered that Ray’s (Ray Cooney) asked me to be part of this. It’s rather a special production, the fact that they’re celebrating that he’s been in the business for over 70 years. When you think about it, it’s really rather extraordinary isn’t it?
I first met Ray in, I think it was, 1971 or 1972 and he hasn’t changed really. He’s got exactly the same amount of energy, the same amount of enthusiasm and of course, he understands farce better than anybody in the world now. Brian Rix before him was the King of the Farce with the Whitehall Farces and so to have Ray directing it, it sort of gives you a sense of security. If you are getting the timing wrong or you’re missing a trick, he’s sure as hell going to know because he’s directed so many of his own productions and of course this one and he’ll know, he’ll be able to help us. What he suggests is to just play it, just play it truthfully and let his writing do the work. And if we do that the audiences should be in stitches. Let’s hope!
Have you been directed by Ray before?
I have and I saw the original production of this and do very clearly remember absolutely aching, you know that thing when your sides ache, I remember it so clearly. It was just hysterical and of course the play is so well crafted that it starts with light gentle laughter and by the time you get to the middle of Act 2 the audience is just hysterical. It just builds and builds and builds. Each new disaster that befalls poor George is just guaranteed to have the audience rolling in the aisles. It’s gorgeous stuff to play. It’s a great privilege really to go round and play at all these beautiful theatres. We are in gorgeous theatres everywhere and know that you’re going to make people laugh - really, what more could you ask.
Oh! When we were doing the Only Fools and Horses thing?
That’s right.
I love Southend Pier, it’s the most amazing place isn’t it? I think it’s so wonderful that they’ve spent so much money on it. I think it’s good, I really do. I do a lot of cruising for P&O and I felt rather as though I was on a cruise ship. You just didn’t move. If you could put a little rocking motion into the floor, you could believe you were on a P&O ship.
You could be on to something there.
No, I loved it, it was really nice.
We also saw you at the Palace Theatre, Southend with John Challis (who played Boycie in Fools and Horses) in Relatively Speaking
It’ll be a great joy to return to Southend. You’re lucky to live there. I love being by the sea. It’s so nice. You can see why people retire to the seaside can’t you, it’s so nice.
And you’ve got enthusiastic audiences in Southend, haven’t you? I hope they’re going to want to come and see a farce. I feel very excited and rather flattered that Ray’s (Ray Cooney) asked me to be part of this. It’s rather a special production, the fact that they’re celebrating that he’s been in the business for over 70 years. When you think about it, it’s really rather extraordinary isn’t it?
I first met Ray in, I think it was, 1971 or 1972 and he hasn’t changed really. He’s got exactly the same amount of energy, the same amount of enthusiasm and of course, he understands farce better than anybody in the world now. Brian Rix before him was the King of the Farce with the Whitehall Farces and so to have Ray directing it, it sort of gives you a sense of security. If you are getting the timing wrong or you’re missing a trick, he’s sure as hell going to know because he’s directed so many of his own productions and of course this one and he’ll know, he’ll be able to help us. What he suggests is to just play it, just play it truthfully and let his writing do the work. And if we do that the audiences should be in stitches. Let’s hope!
Have you been directed by Ray before?
I have and I saw the original production of this and do very clearly remember absolutely aching, you know that thing when your sides ache, I remember it so clearly. It was just hysterical and of course the play is so well crafted that it starts with light gentle laughter and by the time you get to the middle of Act 2 the audience is just hysterical. It just builds and builds and builds. Each new disaster that befalls poor George is just guaranteed to have the audience rolling in the aisles. It’s gorgeous stuff to play. It’s a great privilege really to go round and play at all these beautiful theatres. We are in gorgeous theatres everywhere and know that you’re going to make people laugh - really, what more could you ask.
Sue with Jeffrey Harmer who plays Richard Willey
You’re no stranger to touring are you? Do you like being out on the road?
I like being out on the road if it’s a play that I love. The last play that I did was Mrs Warren in Mrs Warren’s Profession which is a very far cry from Out of Order, although there are some laughs in it, but it’s really a rather emotional piece about a mother and daughter relationship that breaks up and before that I’d done four tours of Calendar Girls. I loved being in Calendar Girls. Calendar Girls was a show that really touched the nations heart didn’t it because it’s such an emotional story and before that I did the Vagina Monologues for four years. That was fun too and amazing how many radio interviews I did with male disc jockeys who absolutely couldn’t say the word ‘vagina’!
[laughing] Really?!
[Does impression of radio host] “So Sue, you’re in a production of *mumbles* Monologues.”
And I’d say, “No, no, it’s not about the Queen, it’s not the REGina Monologues, it’s the VAGina Monologues.” They simply couldn’t say it, it was terrible, I had to train them [laughs]. People are a bit better now - that was a long time ago.
How funny! So back to Out of Order - did you know any of the cast before?
No. I knew of all of them - but no. Oh, I know David Warwick (who plays the Body in the play) but he’s the only one. We all met up for photographs a couple of months ago but I think we’re going to have a very good time. They’re all awfully good. It’s lovely when you’ve been reading a play and you sit round and you hear it being brought to life by everybody. It’s going to be very funny!
So Ray’s adapted the play this time around hasn’t he?
Oh yes, it’s going to be very up to date. The Prime Minister is Mrs May and because of the extraordinary world of politics at the moment, I think it’ll make it even funnier and I also, don’t you think that there’s an air of anxiety and despair and gloom around at the moment with Donald Trump and Brexit and what’s going to happen to money and what’s going to happen to our negotiations with the EU. Everybody’s a bit fearful - so to have the chance to just go and have a laugh, I think people will grasp it, I hope. Often in times of stress and trouble in the country you do often find that what everybody wants is a laugh.
Yeah, and I think that’s what us Brits are quite good at is getting a laugh out of a tragic situation, which is kind of what this is about.
And this is going to do just that. As it is based right in Westminster I think that a lot of it will be particularly poignant and relevant.
We’re really looking forward to seeing you.
I’m greatly looking forward to coming to your beautiful town. Are you a town or are you a City?
We’re a town.
What you need to do is build a cathedral - could you knock one up?
We’ll do that when we get back! [laughs] Just for you Sue!
I shall look forward to coming and I shall pop down to the end of your pier!
Interview: Kim Tobin