"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:
