‘Inspector Dalgliesh’ star is as keen on directing as detecting

A NEW stage adaptation of a murder mystery that was made into three classic films starring the likes of Bob Hope, Edward Fox and Honor Blackman has just opened at the Theatre Royal Windsor.

The Cat and the Canary by John Willard dates from 1922 and was first adapted for the silver screen in 1927 — on that occasion as a silent movie.

But with the play’s centenary just two years away, it is embarking on a nationwide theatre tour directed by Adam Dalgliesh star Roy Marsden.

This saw it open at the Theatre Royal Windsor on Wednesday — where it is running until next Saturday (January 25).

A spokesman for the show said: “Twenty years after the death of Mr West, his descendants gather at a remote mansion to learn who will inherit his vast wealth and the hidden family jewels. When the heir is revealed, the heritage hunters turn into prey and a chain of macabre events is set in motion — walls crack open, shadows loom and dark secrets are revealed. Will the heirs dare to face the haunting presence toying with them?”

The Cat and the Canary is director Roy Marsden’s fifth production for the Classic Thriller Theatre Company.

His previous directorial credits include the West End premieres of A Daughter’s a Daughter by Agatha Christie and Volcano by Noël Coward.

As an actor he is well known to TV audiences as Inspector Dalgliesh in ITV’s long-running series of PD James adaptations.

Now 78, he is as busy with theatre work as ever. But when did he first discover his love for acting?

“I grew up in the East End of London and was around eight years old when I realised at that age you could easily travel on the underground and nobody asked for tickets.

“I also found I could sneak into the gallery of the Victoria Palace Theatre. I watched the Crazy Gang, Flanagan and Allen and the rest of them every night. I was hooked.

“When my parents realised where I was going and what my interest was, they sorted out a drama school for me.”

How easy was it switching from being an actor to a director?

“I have never switched as such,” he laughs. “I have always directed from about the age of 15. I probably direct two or three plays a year and I would not have minded if my career had just been as a director.” As a director, does he enjoy working with the actors to develop their characters and backstory?

“Oh yes. Some characters in a play are mapped out in detail, where with others you have got to ask in your mind how did they get to this point and where are they going.

“I remember when I played the detective Adam Dalgliesh, I saw him as a very singular character and it was my idea, rather than something from the PD James books, that he took up sculling as a hobby to help show that.

“Though we did also make him a member of the Leander Club and some viewers question whether the club would have allowed a man like him in!”

Is there a dream play Roy would love to either appear in or direct?

“Rather than one play, it is a genre — I have always wanted to explore comedies more. As I have said, my influence growing up was the Crazy Gang, but somehow my career has taken me to the other end of the scale with thrillers.”

• Tickets for The Cat and the Canary start at £19.50. For more information and to book, call 01753 853888 or visit www.theatreroyal
windsor.co.uk