Stars of stage and screen Rula Lenska and Hayley Mills will be heading to Norwich Theatre Royal in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. We spoke to them about the show, the daunting prospect of Dame Judi Dench’s shoes and stories for and about the older generation.
What attracted you to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel?
Rula – I can’t imagine anybody saying no to it. It’s on everybody’s list of favourite books and films, and it’s particularly appealing for us as a bunch of older actors. The characters have such wonderful storylines and it’s a beautifully-adapted script by Deborah Moggach, who wrote the original book. It’s full of hope, everybody’s journey is different and it’s a feel-good, beautiful piece of theatre.
Hayley – Because I absolutely loved the script and there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt about wanting to do it. I love the play, the writing, the part and I’m mad about the director Lucy Bailey. It’s a wonderful play and Deborah Moggach is a great writer. Like most people, I was familiar with the title and the story. I had seen the film and there’s something about the story that just gets you. It’s very truthful and it deals with lots of different issues – such as getting older, being on your own – whilst being tremendously hopeful. It’s a reminder that where there’s life there’s hope.
Rula you are playing Madge can you relate to her in any way?
Rula – There’s always something of oneself in one’s characters. I’m an optimist by nature, as Madge is, and I’m a romantic. I’ve had a couple of husbands and she’s had three. She’s a person who never gives in or gives up, which is very much me as well. I think once you start giving in then it’s the beginning of the end. We’re at a time in our lives where this is a golden opportunity for the cast. My role isn’t particularly huge but it’s just a joy to be part of an ensemble piece that has all its sadnesses but is also, as I say, full of hope. With the world the way it is at the moment, hope is such an important thing to hang on to.
Dame Judi Dench played Evelyn in the film version. Is it daunting in her footsteps?
Hayley – If I dwelled upon it then yes, but I don’t. I briefly thought about watching the film again but I decided ‘No, I can’t do that’. She is such a wonderful actress and I couldn’t begin to play it the way she does. That’s what is so fascinating about this business I’m lucky to be in: Everyone brings their own experiences and understanding to a role. But Judi is a consummate actress. I could watch her all day, even reading the telephone directory.
Why do you think this story resonates with people so much?
Hayley – I think we see ourselves in it. If we’re lucky we’re all going to get old. Then there’s seeing all these characters from different backgrounds, with their own losses and regrets, come to India and start again. It’s a reminder that starting a new life is always possible. I don’t necessarily mean finding another love or another marriage, it’s more about finding a new lease of life, new interests, a new joie de vivre. We can all get into a rut without realising it until we’re jolted out of it, like these people who are forced to go to India for a variety of different reasons – either because they can’t afford to stay in England, they don’t want to go into a care home or their families can’t take them in because they don’t have room. They’re uprooted into this completely different culture. In the beginning it’s a shock but it turns out to be the making of them. It’s such an inspiring story and it’s exactly the right time to tell it now because it’s about the indomitable human spirit.
Do you feel enough stories are being told about the older generation?
Rula – No and in my opinion there are never enough. Time goes so fast as you start getting older and there are fewer good parts, particularly for older women – which is another reason why it is a joy to be offered something like this. The whole cast are just magnificent and delightful to be with. Hayley Mills is exactly the same as she was 40 years ago and the Indian contingent are just superb. They’re so helpful, so knowledgeable and so beautiful. They’re incredible.
Hayley – No, there aren’t. People think ‘Old people are boring’ or ‘I’m not interested in their stories because all the people they talk about are going to be dead’. But I’m in my 70s and I don’t feel as if I am that age, and I realise that’s how other old people feel too. We don’t feel old at all. [Laughs] We just look it and that’s why we all avoid the mirror
What do you hope audiences take away from seeing the show?
Hayley – I hope they’ll feel infused with optimism and hope about the future as well as the belief that life really is what you make it. There are so many things dragging us down in the world today. We’re going through dire straits but then when you look back over history you see what people went through in the First and Second World Wars, the Depression, what have you. The world has gone through some very tough times but I believe in the goodness of the human race. I believe in our incredible ingenuity. We just all have to play our part and do what we can.
Rula – I hope they’ll be uplifted, enchanted, sometimes maybe a bit tearful but generally leaving the theatre with a good feeling in their hearts and their souls.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is at Norwich Theatre Royal from 25 – 29 Oct.