By BRUCE DENNILL
Mark Richardson plays Alfie Doolittle in the new Pieter Toerien production of My Fair Lady at the Artscape Opera House and then Montecasino.
– Physically…
I have always been fairly meticulous at remaining in shape for stage so I stick to my routine at home – three or four times a week with cardio and core exercises – although as you get older the discipline gets more difficult. I used to run a lot but a gammy knee put paid to that, so it’s static machines now.
– Mentally…
Positive thinking has been my greatest ally over the last six and a half years since I went into recovery from alcoholism. That’s not to say I wasn’t a positive person before with regards to my career, but since being sober, tasks have become that much easier and pleasurable to overcome.
– …and emotionally?
I have always been an instinctive performer and been lucky enough to have had great mentors along the way. They came in many guises – directors, producers and fellow actors. Probably the best way to describe it is to inhabit the character and trust your director.
What is the single most influential performance you’ve ever seen – the one that made you feel: “This is what I want to do with my life!”?
It’s a very long time ago now but I was privileged to see Richard Haines playing Salieri in Amadeus at the Alhambra Theatre in Johannesburg when I was about 21. Even though I had already begun my journey into this career, it truly cemented my desire to continue.
What is your favourite aspect of the industry – be it specific people, parts of the production process, particular locations or something else?
The rehearsal process is for the most part the most intriguing as you discover the ins and outs of the production and its vision. Watching the interpretation of the other roles and the way in which the director moulds them is fascinating. However, an actor is a showman to be blunt, and the response of an audience every night is surely the reason we continue to perform show after show.
What is an aspect of the industry that you feel could be improved (even if that’s only an idealistic wish)?
Actors are generally very poor at financial reasoning. It is a case of famine or feast, so in the long run they tend to have a sad economic outlook as they approach the autumn of their careers. It would be ideal if they were aided in looking after their finances from an early age, but I do think this is a responsibility we should have embraced as individuals. We’re just not very good at it…
What has been your scariest on-set moment so far (anything from forgetting words or cues to accidents or other unforeseen events)?
When I was in a musical many years ago I was busy anointing the feet of my fellow actor (and lead). Those feet then proceeded to traipse off stage leaving a cast and particularly myself confused and embarrassed. The actor had a meltdown and needless to say the performance was cancelled. Not an experience that I enjoyed or thankfully ever came close to repeating.
Tell us about your role in My Fair Lady, and what makes your character interesting to play?
Alfie Doolittle is one of the gem roles in musical theatre. Not only that, it’s the role that began my love affair with the profession. As a schoolboy, I lost a bet and had to audition for the school play. I landed the role of Alfie and, having not set foot on a stage before, discovered the joy of entertaining people. Alfie is a loveable rogue that the audience relate to in the best possible way, particularly the manner in which he thumbs his nose at the upper class and enjoys his situation…warts and all! I love him to bits.
