WHO'S AFRAID OF RACHEL ROBERTS? Begins at Edinburgh Fringe Tonight

From shy minister's daughter to Oscar-nominated, booze-soaked, shockingly foul mouthed Hollywood star... Come and meet Rachel Roberts at the Roxy at 3pm each day at this year's Edinburgh Fringe...

Welsh BAFTA winning actress brings one-woman show to Edinburgh

Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? - Assembly Roxy, today, 1-26 August

"Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts is an unashamed, sensitive look at the life of Rachel Roberts; drunken, foul-mouthed and full of spark. Helen Griffin's portrayal of the fading Hollywood starlet is breathtaking and beautiful. A truly enjoyable, emotional and evocative piece of honest theatre". - Jo Brand, Actress & Comedienne.

The Torch Theatre Company, from Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, brings Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? to the Edinburgh Fringe this year.

Following a sell-out tour last year the fascinating story of the outrageous Welsh actress Rachel Roberts and wife of Rex Harrisonwill once again be performed by playwright and Welsh BAFTA-winning actress Helen Griffin, at the Assembly Roxy from 1-26 August.

Directed by Peter Doran and co-written with actor/playwright Dave Ainsworth, Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? is the Torch Theatre Company's first visit to the Festival.

Helen Griffin, who plays Rachel Roberts in this powerful one-woman show, was nominated for the Best Actress award at the inaugural Welsh Theatre Critics Awards this year for her performance in this role and is returning to Edinburgh following her previous visit alongside Jo Brand in Mental in 2003.

'Rachel Roberts was one of the Welsh Greats, who had a fascinating and shocking life...' explains Griffin who also co-wrote the play.

'You don't have to know who she was to enjoy the show - the themes in her life and in our play - an obsession with celebrity, an addiction to alcohol, an inability to let go of a lost love - are eternal and perhaps more relevant than ever today.'

But how did a shy Welsh minister's daughter become a booze-soaked, foul-mouthed, fading Hollywood star?

Rachel Roberts studied acting at RADA and went on to win two Evening Standard Best Actress Awards, three BAFTAs and to be Oscar-nominatedtwice. She made her name in the black and white 'kitchen-sink', ground-breaking British films, This Sporting Life and Saturday Night and SundayMorning in which she oozed domestic sexuality as a bored and repressed housewife locked in a passionate affair with a wayward rogue played by Albert Finney.

Marriage in 1962 to the love of her life, actor Rex Harrison, gave Rachel Roberts the opportunity to live the Hollywood dream - basking in the lifestyle of glitzy parties, jet setting and social climbing.

However, a seriously insecure and emotionally troubled woman, Rachel's behavior whilst in public became increasingly alarming as she became more reliant on drugs and more unstable whilst drinking. A volatile thrill-seeker known for her shows of anti-social behaviour, an appearance on the Russell Harty TV chat show was so drunkenly chaotic that it ended in Rachel being dragged off stage - and the tapes destroyed!

'Rachel is a mass of fantastic contradictions, which makes her a rich and entertaining character to play...' continues Helen. 'You could call her one of the original 'ladettes' - her wild, foul-mouthed, attention-grabbing behaviour in public was very shocking - and she meant to shock. She could be incredibly crude and obscene - especially for her time. Part of me cringes on her behalf, and part of me says - 'go on Rachel, ata girl!'

'And then sometimes you just want to shake her. She had a great career of her own but once she married superstar Rex Harrison, she gave it all up in order to be 'The Perfect Housewife' which failed miserably and led to her public outbursts becoming even more wild and provocative...'

Despite these outbursts however, Rachel Roberts was still able to function as a serious actress. With a deep sense of discipline ingrained from her hard upbringing, she went on to win Tony nominations for two of her Broadway performances.

Helen continues - 'In many ways, Rachel was her own worst enemy and I think this is pretty clear in the show, but her biggest redeeming feature is her sense of humour. Even in her darkest, bleakest moments, she could make you laugh and I admire her so much for that. I hope we've really found that aspect of her in the show - out of depravity, shame, self-loathing, Rachel can still wring a belly-laugh! The show promises to be a wild and bumpy ride...'

As a Playwright, Helen Griffin's distinguished career includes Mental which was co-written with Jo Brand and the award-winning film, Little White Lies for which she was also awarded Best Actress by BAFTA Cymru. Her long list of TV credits includes Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Criminal Justice, Satellite Cityand Twin Town. She has just finished filming series 3 of Getting On with Jo Brand.

Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts? is a Torch Theatre Company production which plays at the Assembly Roxy at 3pm daily from 2 to 26 August. Tickets can be bought on 0131 623 3030 or online at assemblyfestival.com.

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