Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane is coming to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. John Byrne talks to one of its stars, Finty Williams.
Actors quite often try to discourage their children from following them on to the stage. Even if you’re successful, it can still be quite a precarious occupation. But even more often it’s a calling, an itch that must be scratched. Just something you’ve got to do.
Finty Williams undoubtedly fits into the latter categories. Given her background, it was probably the most natural thing in the world to embrace the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd.
Thing is, both of her parents - Judi Dench and Michael Williams - took that path. Superb thespian stock, of course, but not everyone follows a similar career curve to their parents. Finty’s certainly established herself, both on stage and screen.
She's credited with many fabulous theatre performances and has appeared in some great TV shows and films such as Gosford Park, The Importance of Being Earnest, Cranford, Doc Martin and The A List. But it’s fair to say that the stage is where she’s happiest. Her lengthy CV certainly implies as much.
Her work in theatre includes Pack of Lies; Twelfth Night at the National Theatre; Macbeth and Bedlam at Shakespeare’s Globe; Bedroom Farce; and The Night of the Iguana. And that's just for starters.
She’s currently appearing in the touring production of the critically acclaimed West End adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which plays at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from March 28 to April 1.
Gaiman is known for his graphic novels, including The Sandman series (now a major Netflix series). His novels for adults and children including Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book; and multiple film and television projects including Good Omens and Anansi Boys.
In The Ocean at the End of the Lane, a man returns his childhood home to finds himself standing beside the pond of the farmhouse where he used to play. He's transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie claimed it wasn't a pond, but an ocean - a place where everything is possible.
Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them.
Finity Williams playing one of the key roles of the production, Old Mrs Hempstock. Before performing in the pleasant English coastal town of Plymouth, she joins me on the blower for a chat about the show's upcoming trip to Dublin.
John Byrne: Hi Finty. You'll be coming to Dublin soon enough . . .
Finty Williams: We certainly are and we’re very excited!
Have you been here before, or have you performed in Dublin, are familiar with with the place?
I've never performed there but I have family there. My mum's cousins all live there and I haven't been there since my son was tiny actually, so I'm really excited about coming back and hopefully I'll get to see them.
There's a chapel in Sandymount that has a stained glass window that was dedicated to my great grandmother, Bessie Oak – as in the tree.
So you might have a few plus ones as well . . .
I hope so - and if not I'd say it would just be so lovely just to get to see them.
What about Neil Gaiman? Would you be a fan of or familiar with his work - or is this all new to you?
When the opportunity arose it was quite new to me I've seen Coraline - which I loved. It's not a genre that I personally have been familiar with before. But then when the opportunity of doing this came up I was intrigued and it's an amazing show.
It's an amazing show in the fact that I've now seen it probably well over 100 times and every single night - and I'm not just saying this because I'm talking to you - every single night I see something different or I hear something different or something makes sense to me suddenly.
So it's a bit of an experience then?
Yeah it really is. And I think we have quite a lot of particularly young adults coming back to see it sort of two or three times in a week. We had some girls in Woking who I think came three times in five days.
Would you care to consider any reason why they might be doing that?
I think because it's not your average play. It’s not a play, it's not a movement piece, it's not a dance thing. It's not a puppet show by any means but it's a sort of amalgamation of all of those things.
And there is so much to look at and the music is so extraordinary - the puppets are amazing and it's not a straightforward story. I think it could mean something to you if you're 16 and I think it could mean something to you if you're 75.
And of course, Neil Gaiman would very much be in the public consciousness. Even if you haven't read any of books. That's down to TV series and films and what have you - he's very much out there . . .
Absolutely. Absolutely. But the joy of this is that - unlike television or film when you can use special effects or you can use CGI - this all happens in front of you. I'm really lucky in the fact that I get to watch quite a lot of the big set movement pieces. And honestly John I get as excited about watching them as I did back in October when we were first rehearsing.
That's pretty extraordinary!
Yeah! I think that's part of the thing. I mean obviously you've been in movies and TV and what have you but you can't beat being on stage and performing in front of a lot of bodies. it's my favorite thing to do, because also if you get it wrong you get to do it like the next night.
Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane plays at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from March 28 to April 1. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
