Interview: Tom Conti, theatre actor

Published on Friday 18 December 2009 17:08

DUBBED "the thinking woman's crumpet" after his appearance in Frederick Raphael's 1976 film The Glittering Prizes, veteran heart-throb Tom Conti jokes that he's now "the thinking woman's mouldy old bap".

Now 68, the actor, who was one of the stars of the Bafta-winning, Oscar-nominated film Shirley Valentine, and voted the theatre-going public's favourite West End actor of the previous 25 years in 2002, is as charming as ever as he chats about his role narrating The Snowman, at the Usher Hall tonight.

"Good god, no!" he laughs when asked if he's organised for Christmas. "I'm a man, of course I'm not prepared!"

"Oh, it was just the usual thing," he says of his involvement in the RSNO's Christmas concert. "The phone rang, they asked me to do it, and I said yes. It was quite a simple decision to make really.

"I like working with orchestras and I'd never worked with the RSNO before, having grown up with them. Obviously it was a different RSNO back then, but it was nevertheless an offer I couldn't refuse."

Raymond Briggs' captivating tale of a magical snowman who comes to life in the middle of the night has become a festive favourite since its publication in the late Seventies, and it's a story Conti knows well.

"I've read the books, seen the movie, all that," he says. "Of course the original – the Briggs book I mean – has no words whatsoever, it's just told in pictures. But nevertheless it's astounding.

"At the RSNO concert they're showing the film, I think – the 26-minute animated movie by Dianne Jackson – with me narrating the story and the orchestra playing the music, songs like Walking in the Air and what have you."

The concert gives Conti, the son of an Italian, who was brought up in Paisley, a great excuse to return to a city that's always been very close to his heart.

It was in Edinburgh, nearly 50 years ago, that he was one of a troupe of young Scottish actors introducing the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company to playgoers in the Reps' historic inaugural production.

"Oh my god! It was 1962," he recalls (actually, it was 1965]. "It was the (Carlo Goldini] play The Servant O' Twa Maisters. Tom Fleming was the artistic director, and the company included Brian Cox, myself, Eileen McCallum, Una McLean and the late, great Russell Hunter."

Despite his success on stage and screen, as a boy growing up in Paisley, the young Conti had designs on a different future. "I never aspired to become an actor," he says. "I wanted to be a musician and went to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. But instead of becoming a music student I became a drama student - it was one of these weird turns in life."

As he readies himself to return to Scotland, Conti recalls the play that launched his career – revealing he was reluctant to take on the role at first.

The actor, who these days likes to divide his time between stage, film and television, explains, "It was a play called The Black and White Minstrels by Cecil Taylor.

"Michael Rodman, who then ran the Traverse, called me and asked if he could send me the play. It was fabulous and I said I'd love to do it. But he could only pay 14 a week.

"Now, this was in 1972, and although 14 a week wasn't as ludicrous as it is now, it still was not enough to live on in Edinburgh. So I told him it was impossible for me to do and he said, 'Nigel Hawthorne said exactly the same thing when I offered him a play, I talked him into it, he did it, and he hasn't stopped working since'. And that's exactly what happened to me."

As well as his own happy memories of Auld Reekie, Conti, who hasn't been here since 2005, says one of the reasons why he agreed to do The Snowman is because his wife loves coming the city.

"Indeed," he pipes up. "She does family research at the whatchamacallit? You know, that place at the end of the Bridges, place where you look up your family ancestors, all that stuff."

As for next year, Conti says his diary is already looking pretty full. "There's a tour of a play by Eric Chappell (BAFTA award-winning comedy writer of shows such as Rising Damp], that's gloriously funny. I don't know whether we come to Edinburgh, but I'm really looking forward to it nonetheless.

"That will take me up to the summer, and then I might write another book," adds the actor, who five years ago published his literary debut, The Doctor, a rather racy novel about a pilot in a flying doctor service in Africa.

"It's a very, very dark love story, and that's all I'm prepared to say," he laughs. "It's quite horrible, actually."

RSNO Christmas Concert: The Snowman, Usher Hall, Lothian Road, tonight, 7.30pm, 12-32, 0131-228 1155

SNOWBOUND : Tom Conti narrates the classic children's tale

Rosemary's baby looks set for a healthy theatrical future

Liam Rudden

New Squire in town

WHEN Rosemary Squire first met husband Howard Panter she was working in the box office of a London theatre. That was in 1992.

Today, the couple, known in showbiz circles as Mr & Mrs West End, find themselves at the helm of the UK's largest theatre empire.

Last month, staff at one of their latest acquisitions, the Edinburgh Playhouse changed their e-mail addresses to those of The Ambassadors Theatre Group (ATG).

Co-founded by the couple the same year they met, ATG is now worth 150 million and owns 39 venues. Not bad considering the company's humble beginnings when its portfolio boasted just one theatre.

"Originally we owned London's Duke of York theatre and managed the Woking Theatre. In December 1995 we bought Woking, bought our second London theatre and brought in a new big share-holder," says Squire, during her maiden visit to the Playhouse as its new executive director.

"Suddenly the foundations were in place. That was the beginning. Certainly, even then, we wanted to have a company with the regions, London and productions all integrated,"

ATG is also now one of the country's foremost theatrical producers which, she reveals, will mean more choice at the Greenside Place venue.

"With its capacity and location in the heart of Edinburgh, The Playhouse is a fantastic flagship venue," she says.

"Our production team is certainly excited about the opportunity of touring new shows to The Playhouse, although I should hasten to add that we will not be producing all the shows that we bring here. That's not our plan, but we will probably bring more than we do now.

"I think it is very important for Ambassadors Theatre Group to have a presence in the Scottish Capital. Edinburgh is a great theatre-going city and to be part of that is a great opportunity.

"We have worked very hard at our venues to develop our audiences. If you look at how we market our venues in Glasgow (The King's and Theatre Royal], and the relationship we have with our customers, our Friends Programme already has around 80,000 members and is something we are very keen to develop here. It gives discounts and priority booking, which customers seem to value."

Looking back to those early days, she admits, "It's weird. On one hand it feels like it was centuries ago, yet 17 years have gone by really fast."