DMT Editorial 2017_04_JUN_JUL_Proof15

HALF A SIXPENCE
THE JOY OF THE THEATRE!
Ian Bartholomew has added his talent to a wide variety of stage and screen projects over his
40-year career. He is now playing Chitterlow in the irresistible musical Half A Sixpence
I’ve been in three shows at
the Noël Coward Theatre in
three years, so I think they
should rename it the Ian
Bartholomew Theatre!
I was in Shakespeare in Love
in 2014, Mrs Henderson
Presents last year and I’m
now doing Sixpence. I think
that’s a first, so I now have a
plaque on the door kindly
donated by the front of
house staff. The crew keep
asking me what I’m doing
next because it’s bound to
land there.
I think the Half A Sixpence
story endures because
it’s about innocence.
It’s somebody learning that
it doesn’t matter how much
money you have – it’s the
relationships with the people
around you that make you
happy. Emma Williams
[Helen Walsingham] and
I also worked together on
Mrs Henderson Presents
but on Sixpence we have no
interaction – I just see her
from across the stage. It’s
always nice to work with
people you know because
you have a language and a
shorthand that you can tap
straight into.
This is my first time working
with Cameron Mackintosh –
although funnily enough I
auditioned for Cats when I
first started out. I didn’t get
that job but I’m not bitter!
Sixpence is Cameron’s baby
because he co-created the
show and has kept a close
eye on it. He wants the show
and everyone in it to be as
good as they possibly can be
so it’s a very tight unit. The
show is beautifully put
together and everyone
walks out of the theatre with
a big smile on their face.
I turned down a part
in Mamma Mia!
I was approached at a very
early stage of production
but it didn’t really appeal.
Later I went to see the
show and thought ‘Bugger!
I should have been in this!’
But I think it’s more exciting
going into a new musical
with material that hasn’t
been road-tested – like with
Mrs Henderson Presents,
which I loved. It’s scarier –
but it’s the scariness that
makes it exciting.
I’m most proud of my
performance in The
Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Into the Woods and Tommy
also stand out in my memory.
I worked with my wife
[director Loveday Ingram]
on The Merchant of Venice
for the RSC, playing Shylock,
and it was a steep learning
curve. At first I was
intimidated by its history and
people were saying ‘You
can’t do that play.’ Then on
the second day of rehearsals
the Twin Towers came down
and I realised that this is why
the play is still done. It’s all
about racial and religious
intolerance so it’s more
relevant than ever now.
Half A Sixpence is at the Noël Coward Theatre until 2 September. For information and to book tickets call 0844 482 5140* or
visit delfontmackintosh.co.uk HalfASixpence @halfasixpence
*Calls to Delfont Mackintosh Theatres 0844 numbers cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s
access charge . Interview: Bev Hislop. Photography: Michael Le Poer Trench