Laid to rest: Robert Daws and Dawn Steele, as Ray and Una, have to come to terms with a turbulent past
David Harrower's raw, controversial, award-winning play Blackbird continues the Rose's impressive slate of launch projects as the Kingston theatre premieres this
production ahead of its
nationwide tour.
Focusing on the delicate subject of paedophilia and the devastating impact it can have, Harrower's work is a hard-hitting examination of people's struggles to escape their turbulent pasts.
Director David Grindley has assembled an impressive cast of TV favourites, with Robert Daws and Dawn Steele in the lead roles of Ray and Una.
Daws, probably best-known for his
appearances in The Royal and Roger Roger, admits the subject
matter makes for a challenging night out.
He says: "It is a challenge. It is a very tortuous text and a tortuous story.
"It is very disjointed,
with a lot of unfinished sentences - David really has thrown a lot into the mix.
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"For an actor, it is a bit of a rodeo - you can get thrown off at any time."
Despite admitting the subject matter may not be to everyone's tastes, the leads are eager to point out that the play has a morally ambiguous tone.
And Steele, well-loved for her role as Lexie in Monarch of the Glen, insists much is left to the audience's imagination.
She says: "The content is very controversial, even more so now than when it was written.
"But it is an amazing story and you are never really sure where you stand.
"I think the audience will leave still not knowing
and that is the way we are playing it."
Indeed, with little spelt out for the audience in black or white, Daws agrees they will have to work in order to piece the puzzle together.
He adds: "It is a bit of a detective story - both of them are finding out the reality of what happened 15 years ago.
"You slowly begin to realise there is a bond between them although nothing could ever happen."
One thing that both actors are very quick to agree on is the demands of
what is basically a two-cast performance.
With both leads on stage for almost the entire 90-minute production, a new range of problems have to be overcome.
Daws admits: "They say you use different muscles when on stage for so long and I'm finding out where those muscles are now - it's exhausting!"
Steele concurs: "When I was asked to do it, I wasn't scared of the subject, just scared of the material as there is so much of it.
"As an actor you think, can I do this? But that is the great thing about theatre - it keeps you on your toes.
"It's a great way to scare yourself!"
Blackbird, Rose Theatre, 24-26 High St, Kingston, March 27-April 5, £7-£27, Call 0871 230 1552 or visit rosetheatrekingston.org
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