THE image of a flight of steps on which figures pass in an endless cycle of repetition, is the inspiration for Impossible Steps, a play about the meaning of life and relationships, which comes to The Harlow Playhouse this week.
Based on MC Escher’s famous print Ascending and Descending, Impossible Steps examines the relationship between men and two women under contrasting circumstances.
Actress and film star Hildegard Neil, wife of Brian Blessed and mother of Rosalind Blessed, stars in and co-directs the show alongside writer Stephen Hunt.
Hildegard tells me Stephen’s knack for dialogue drew her to the play, which premiered as a two-hander, Not-An-I, at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington, last year.
Originally from Cape Town, Hildegard came to England to study drama. She was at RADA with Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt and played opposite Charlton Heston in his 1972 film Antony & Cleopatra and with Roger Moore in The Man Who Haunted Himself. Recent TV work includes Hotel Babylon and Doctors. With the Royal Shakespeare Company, she appeared in Hamlet, The Lion In Winter and Comedy of Errors.
“I think Steve was looking for an actress who did some adventurous stuff – though most of mine is quite a long time ago when I was young and in my prime – but it’s the same to me as far as work is concerned. I’ve always looked for what I think is good writing, and in my old age I like a challenge.
“Steve has a gift for dialogue. It’s vivid and easy to speak, but you have to work towards the heart of what he’s doing.”
A trained counsellor, who spent ten years working within the NHS, Stephen says his ear for dialogue comes from his work.
He says: “Counsellors are qualified listeners, though it’s not based on my experiences or real people.”
Stephen, who lives in Bishop’s Stortford, is very proud of his ongoing collaboration with Hildegard.
She has been instrumental in the development of Impossible Steps, which began life as a radio play three years ago. Previously, Stephen directed a “radical” version of The Merchant of Venice and No Sex Please, We’re British, both at the Harlow Playhouse.
Hildegard and Rosalind welcome the opportunity to work together. Rosalind previously played Sylvia Plath in Letters Home directed by her mother.
Rosalind adds: “The bond between the female characters in the play is very close, almost like mother and child.
“I have a strong bond with my mother, she’s truly inspirational. I try not to get too moved.”
Impossible Steps at the Harlow Playhouse, Friday, October 23 to Saturday, October 24, 7.30pm (£12/£9 concs). Tickets: 01279 431945 or www.playhouseharlow.com
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