KATE WEBSTER: DIRECTOR OF 'MR CUSHING AND MR LEE: THE GENTLEMEN OF HORROR' INTERVIEW

Troy Howarth, the author of The Haunted World of Mario Bava, (Here) due in 2014 from Midnight Marquee Press (http://www.midmar.com/), follows up his interview with James Goss by chatting a bit with Kate Webster, the director of Mr. Cushing and Mr. Lee: The Gentlemen of Horror. This fictionalized account of the friendship between Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee offers a revealing view of their "behind the scenes" frienship...

 

What got you interested in directing?

It was mainly being directed as an actor, at school and in amateur theatre, and seeing how much the director did to shape the final production and support the actors in giving their best performance.

 

How long have you been directing?

Since 1994 (which makes me feel ancient!), when I directed my first student production of Jacobean drama "The Revenger's Tragedy". Since then, I've directed outdoor productions, a season with Manchester Youth Theatre, site-specific plays and several shows at both the Edinburgh Fringe and Camden Fringe.

 

Oh, 1994 isn't that long ago!  Do you have any favorite directors, either in film or theatre?

Vicky Featherstone's "Black Watch" for National Theatre of Scotland is one of the strongest pieces of theatre I've ever seen and I can't wait to see what she does as Artistic Director of the Royal Court. I'm a big fan of both Simon McBurney and Theatre de Complicite, and Declan Donellan and Cheek by Jowl; I don't think it's a coincidence that they're both directors who've worked with one company over a long period of time. I've also seen some fantastic work by Rufus Norris and Katie Mitchell, who tend to be directors with big ideas.

And now we come to Gentlemen of Horror, which deals with the relationship between Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.  How did you become involved in this project?

The writer James Goss and I have known each other a long time and worked together before. He sent me this script and asked if I'd be interested in doing it, and I jumped at the chance.

 

Based on that, I would assume that you were already a fan of Lee and Cushing?

I was a fan of the films I'd seen, but I think I've become much more aware of the range of both their careers and quite the volume of films they made together since working on this project. They're both screen icons and it's been fascinating to look behind the curtain a bit.

 

What are your thoughts on Lee and Cushing as actors?  Do you prefer one over the other?

I think they're quite different, and that's one of the reasons they complement each other so well. I couldn't pick a favourite, but I think Lee has great presence and a real air of brooding menace when it's required, while Cushing brings such delicacy and precision to his roles.

That's a good distinction between the two; I'd also argue that both have tended to be underrated for far too long.  Did you do much research ahead of time, or was it all more or less there on the page as far as you were concerned?

The vast majority of it's on the page and in the encyclopedic research James has done, but we've done some more research on specific things during the rehearsal process.

 

How have you worked with your actors?  Are you encouraging them to look at the films that Lee and Cushing did together, or are you encouraging them to focus on the script itself, divorced of outside influences?

The actors are both big horror fans who'd already seen a lot of Cushing and Lee's work, but we've also looked at some of the films and biographies to flesh out certain moments and help it make sense in their minds. There aren't always definitive answer to every question. For example - no spoilers - there's a moment in the play when Cushing talks about apologising to his dying wife Helen for "not having been the perfect husband". We may never know precisely what he was sorry for, but there are little hints and indications that Matthew can use to play that scene.

 

I think the films inform every page of the script and the actors are drawing on that, but for both of them it has to be a performance, not an impression. No-one can replicate Cushing and Lee and we're not attempting that. That's also important because the script is about their relationship off screen and the things you don't see in their films.

It really is a wonderful idea; I'm sure the fans of these actors would all love to see it.  Are you pleased with how the production has been going?

Very pleased! We were delighted to find a venue with such a strong cinema connection, and it's great that they're screening "Dracula, A.D. 1972" after the play. The actors, Matthew Woodcock and Simon Kane, have been an absolute pleasure to work with; they "got" the characters from the very first read and have been doing brilliant work in rehearsals. I can't wait to see them on stage.

I have a perverse affection for Dracula AD 1972, which doesn't seem to be shared by a lot of other Hammer Horror buffs.  Sounds like a perfect capper to me!  What do you have planned after this?

We'll have at least one more performance of "The Gentlemen of Horror" early in 2014 (details to be announced in the next few weeks) and I'm hoping to be part of the VAULT Festival 2014 with a non-horror project called "We Are Not Alone". I've done two projects this year with new writing company The Pensive Federation and would love to work with them again. - we'll see what happens.

 

Kate, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, and I wish you all every success with the production!

 

YOU CAN BOOK TICKETS TO SEE 'MR CUSHING AND MR LEE: THE GENTLEMEN OF HORROR: HERE 

'THE GENTLEMEN OF HORROR' : MR CUSHING AND MR LEE : PLAYRIGHT JAMES GOSS INTERVIEW

"The Gentlemen of Horror" takes you backstage on Cushing and Lee’s relationship, into the dressing rooms of the films they made together.  When they first worked together in "The Curse of Frankenstein" and "Dracula", Peter Cushing was one of the most famous actors in Britain, while Christopher Lee was unknown. For the next quarter of a century, these two killed each other again and again and became firm friends. As Christopher Lee became internationally famous, Peter Cushing gradually retired into a life of quiet obscurity. And yet neither quite lost their taste for blood...

Writer James Goss is a former producer of the BBC Cult website and has written a number of books, including several in the “Torchwood” and “Being Human” series. He has also written for radio, a series of audiobooks (including “Dead Air”, read by David Tennant, which was voted Audiobook of the Year 2010), as well as adapting Douglas Adams’ “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” for the stage.
 

Actors Simon Kane and Matthew Woodcock can be heard together as Sir Maxwell House and Roy Steel in popular podcast “The Monster Hunters” (for Wireless Theatre). Simon has appeared on Radio 4′s “John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme” and “Before they were famous”, performed with Shunt and written for Mitchell & Webb. Matthew’s recent work includes “The Saint Valentine’s Day Murder” for Newgate Productions and “The Legend of Springheel’d Jack” and “Sherlock Holmes Strikes Back” with Wireless Theatre Company.

Director Kate Webster has produced and directed plays at the Edinburgh and Camden Fringes (including “The Universal” and “Helen and the space rocket” at the Etcetera Theatre), as well as work with Midsommer Actors Company, London Bubble and The Pensive Federation.

James Goss is the writer of 'Gentlemen of Horror' PCASUK Troy Howarth caught up with him...

Can you tell us a little about your background, how you got into writing, etc?

I had a proper career (running the BBC's Doctor Who and Cult websites) and then, one day found that a play I'd adapted at school (based on Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) had done rather well in LA. We'd thought it was just another high school doing it, but it had had a proper run in LA and won three awards, and I did suddenly feel as though my teenage self was having more fun than me. Now I write books and radio plays and sit at home all day with the cat. I still write lots of Doctor Who stuff (including the Doctor's "official" biography "His Lives And Times" which is just out), but am also having great fun doing other things. And this is just something I really fancied doing.

What was your first exposure to Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and their films? 

That's a really hard one to answer. I remember Peter Cushing being wonderful in the Dalek films, and I remember him getting a rose on Jim'll Fix It - mostly because my Mum found it so sad. Shamefully, I don't think I knew what a Christopher Lee was until I was grown up.

Do you have a preference for one actor over the other, and do you have any particular favorite roles and films of theirs?

It's impossible to answer this one as I know I'll get it wrong. I fell in love with Hammer when they brought out that wonderful black pick'n'mix cube of DVDs, and have found the blu-rays a similarly eclectic delight (especially the fun of finding random discs, like The Skull from a weird Australian reseller or Vampire Circus in a bargain bin in Berlin).

Actually, I really like The Skull - not only do you get the two of them playing snooker like old friends, you also get Peter Cushing being amazing in that nightmare trial sequence. And Christopher Lee being very handsome and charming. You can so see why he's a sex symbol when you watch The Skull. Not so much in The Mummy.

I think Peter Cushing was a brilliant actor - he's really amazing in 1984 and whenever Hammer let him off the leash. He's horrible, really horrible in Twins Of Evil. And hopefully I'm getting it right when I say that Christopher Lee is marvellous in the Dennis Wheatley films. I wish they'd made loads of them. And you can tell how wonderful he is as Dracula from the films in which they use someone else. The Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires is... is a thing.

 

He certainly was the best screen Dracula, in my opinion.  What gave you the idea for this play? 

I think watching The Satanic Rites Of Dracula and talking about the making of it with the author Guy Adams. He leant me his copy of Cushing reading his autobiographies (I'm so glad the books themselves came back into print), and he comes across as so utterly charming and diffident, almost as enthusiastic about painting headscarves as he is about acting. By contrast, I did find Christopher Lee's autobiography more of a slog. There are some magnificently scathing bits, though. But Cushing's' are more delightful.

I found them both fascinating reads... But they're very different people in temperament, so that shows through. How long did it take you to write it? 

Not long at all. A radio producer friend said "oh, this would make a nice play, why don't you write it?" and I slacked off proper work and did it instead. And then kept coming back to it over the last few months.

Did it prove to be a difficult project to "sell" and get backing for it?

Not really. It all fell together surprisingly easily. My friend Kate Webster directs a lot of theatre. She approached The Woolwich Grand about doing it sometime next year, and they came back and said "Actually, can you do it in a few weeks time?". So it's a sudden, enthusiastic rush.

That's great!  Can you tell us about the actors cast for the play?  Were they encouraged to study Lee and Cushing on film or were they left to their own devices?

Matthew and Simon are very enthusiastic, and old friends who've worked together a lot. Luckily, they love the Hammer films, and are using this as an excuse to rewatch their favourites. They're still working on what they'll do. One caveat, though - if you're coming along, please don't expect two people who look and sound identical to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. I don't think anyone can, or should!

I agree. When Scorsese made The Aviator, he said that the idea was to capture the essence of the real people, not to turn it into a waxworks exhibit; I think that's the best approach.  When it comes to doing subjects of a biographical nature, it's easy to fall into cliché formula. Was it your plan to avoid this by using these two real people as a springboard for a fantasy, as it were?

I don't really know what the cliche of an autobiographical play is. You'll be relieved to hear it's certainly not Cushing on his deathbed with Lee come to see him to chat over old times. Nor is it a series of painstaking recreations of their best scenes... It's two friends in a series of dressing rooms in between scenes on films that they're working on. Nattering, gossiping, occasionally needling each other, but mostly just being the best of friends. 

That really does sound excellent.  What are your plans after this play has had its run?

We've already had an offer for a date in January. I think it'd be nice to do it some more. But that said, please do come to Woolwich if you can. There's nothing sadder than being sat in a restored cinema laughing at your own jokes. 

We will do our best to spread the word and help fill the seats!

WOOLWICH GRAND THEATRE BOX OFFICE:

 http://www.thewoolwichgrandtheatre.com/

http://www.thewoolwichgrandtheatre.com/Whats_on_.html http://www.wegottickets.com/location/10449

james goss imdb:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1504445/ 

THE GENTLEMEN OF HORROR: CUSHING AND LEE PLAY OPENS NOVEMBER

Heads up for UK Followers.. this looks interesting. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. Link to box office below... thanks to Kate Webster

"The Gentlemen of Horror" takes you backstage on Cushing and Lee’s relationship, into the dressing rooms of the films they made together.

When they first worked together in "The Curse of Frankenstein" and "Dracula", Peter Cushing was one of the most famous actors in Britain, while Christopher Lee was unknown.

For the next quarter of a century, these two killed each other again and again and became firm friends. As Christopher Lee became internationally famous, Peter Cushing gradually retired into the quiet life. And yet neither quite lost their taste for blood...

'The Gentlemen of Horror' is written by James Goss (author of three Torchwood novels and a Radio 4 play, a Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air that won Best Audiobook 2010 and co-author of “The Doctor – His Lives and Times”, “A History of the Universe in 100 Objects” and “The Dalek Handbook”), and stars Simon Kane and Matthew Woodcock, who can be heard together as Sir Maxwell House and Roy Steel in popular podcast "The Monster Hunters".

7.30pm, 27/28/29 November
Woolwich Grand Theatre, 38 Wellington St, London, SE18 6XY
www.thewoolwichgrandtheatre.com