Interview: Tom Chambers & Charlotte Richie on PRIVATE LIVES

BWW:UK caught up with stars of Private Lives, Tom Chambers and Charlotte Richie at the start of their UK tour.

Were you a fan of Noel Coward's work before Private Lives came along?

Tom: I actually saw the show with Alan Rickman in it back in 2002. I went to see it three times because it was so good! That said, I'm not completely au fait with Coward's work outside of Private Lives. I'm not 100% in my comfort zone but I shouldn't be! You always hope that with the material you get, you will feel passionate about the writing and therefore want to invest your time and energy into it. This show does that, it's amazing.

Private Lives debuted on stage in 1930, do you feel the writing is as relevant now as it was back then?

Tom: When I first read the script, I couldn't believe it. I've been married to my wife Claire for seven years now but I think for anyone who has been in a long-term relationship, the dialogue just makes sense. It is so real and as if it was written yesterday.

How has director Tom Attenborough created a fresh yet relevant take on the play?

Charlotte: We started the rehearsals off-book, which is risky because sometimes you learn the lines in the way you want to say them. Then when you get new direction, it's hard to shift. We spent the first couple of days speaking a lot about the play and going through the text, then got it on its feet really quickly and tried to make the conversations as real as possible. The biggest thing is that these characters are not caricatures; they are real but absurd people! Amanda and Elyot are awful, self-centred, live for the moment people whereas Victor and Sybil are these equally awful, moralistic, restrained people. The dialogue is very witty but the themes remain true about how you are supposed to live your life, what the nature of love is etc.

Tom: Tom Attenborough wanted the show to be very truthful so it's a different sort of take in this respect. Being early on in the show run, we are still finding the moments where the comedy stakes need to be higher etc. I've not done a play for 11 years and both myself and Charlotte (Sybil) have done 90% TV so it is a bit of a change. When you are performing in a musical, you have a radio mic so you can be as quiet as you like and people will still hear you but when you are doing a stage play, it's a very different experience as you need to project your voice. Laura Rodgers (Amanda) is outstanding and she has done so much theatre work; I am learning so much from her. It feels like I am on a real journey of discovery.

Tom, a string of phenomenal actors have played Elyot, including the aforementioned Alan Rickman, Tim Burton and even Coward himself. What do you think you bring to the role?

Tom: Because of the amazing actors who have played Elyot before, at first it scared me to death! However, as long as you are fully immersed in the text, it does a lot of the talking for you. The way in which our production is different is its slant. My job is essentially to do what the director wants and Tom's (Attenborough) ideal version is a very meaningful one. As a small company, we react off one another and see where the moment takes us. Elyot is so reactionary and says what he thinks, there and then. He is not calculating, it just comes out and therefore can be very cruel. For me, it is injecting that intent where it's needed but doing so in a charming way!

Have you watched any of the screen adaptations to assist with preparation for your characters, Elyot and Sybil?

Tom: No, I avoided them before, although more recently I've have a look at bits to see if we are on the right track. But we try not to let it influence us too much.

Charlotte: I know the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, starring Russell Brand, is based on Private Lives but I've never seen it. I haven't seen any of the screen adaptations actually, which I am quite thankful for because I think it would cloud my view. Tom (Chambers) has done an amazing job to make Elyot his own, especially when you have seen someone so distinctive like Alan Rickman in the role. I think it is near impossible to shake that impression.

There have been many revivals of the play over the years, in the West End and on Broadway but it hasn't toured for a long time. How do you think audiences countrywide will receive the play and what would you like them to take away?

Tom: The audiences so far have been really amazing. It's such a fast, witty play but when you practise it over and over again in the rehearsal room, you don't have an audience so you never quite know how it's going to go. However, they seem to be loving it and when they go quiet, they have been leaning forward in their seats - I'm told - with their eyes engaged. I'd like audiences to go away thinking how wacky and diverse humans can be! Emotionally, we are all in the same boat deep down and no matter what life throws at us, it's all part of our tapestry.

Charlotte: The show makes you look at your own relationships and makes you question who you are supposed to be with. Amanda and Elyot hate each other at times but are connected in a way that they can't shake each other off. The most important thing is that as an audience member, I would feel entertained having watching the show.

Charlotte, you are currently having a very successful career on screen, notably in Call The Midwife. How does your TV work compare to the stage?

Charlotte: It's really odd and so different. Filming is so fast paced and you never get to look back on it but it's there forever. Whereas in theatre, you are doing the same thing every night yet need to make it as fresh and exciting as the first time you did it. We haven't even done a week of performances yet but I still don't quite know where I'm at in my head; what I prefer, whether it's easy or difficult or how it will feel in weeks to come. You need the same skills in theatre and TV but use them differently. Here, I need the stamina to keep going for two and a half hours and keeping an audience entertained but when you are filming, you need the stamina to last a fourteen-hour day.

Tom, will there an opportunity to put your dancing shoes back on for this show?

Tom: Luckily this show is set in the era I love so there are swing, lindy hop and charleston influences. We don't want to be too stylised because we are not meant to be dancers but we do have fun onstage doing our little jig together!

Charlotte, what has been your biggest challenge from the start of rehearsals til now?

Charlotte: I'm worried if I say anything, people will watch it and think, "Oh, I can see why she struggled with that!" Walking without falling over would be good! Walking in my little skirt is quite difficult but I quite like that because I think Sybil would have a little trot rather than a proper stride. A big bit was just getting my head around the speed of the dialogue and the thought process behind it. It is almost unbelievable that people could speak so eloquently and wittily without having to pause for thought.

What is your favourite moment in the show?

Tom: I like the shock factor of the line "I'd like to cut off your head with the meat axe" as it comes out of nowhere and is so violent.

Charlotte: There's a bit where Laura as Amanda says, "That was exceedingly rude, I think you'd better go away somewhere," and she flaps her hand in my face. It's so hard to keep a straight face in that moment!

Private Lives tours the UK until March 2016.

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