Interviews

Enter stage left… An Ugly Sister (Cinderella, King’s Lynn)

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9 December 2011

How unpleasant can you make her?

I think playing a generalised state of unpleasantness is unhelpful. The sisters really are the only “villains” of the piece, and when they play the situation of making Cinderella tear up her invitation, they can really go for it. I think they are loveable, too.

Do you model her on someone – in fiction or in real-life?
I loved them dearly, but I model Floribunda’s character on my mother and also on my Aunt Doris. Both for their eccentricities, and in my aunt’s case, ideas above her station.

How grotesque can your dress and make-up be?
The costumes have to be fun and not overly grotesque, and the makeup is glamour gone wrong and not a clown’s mask, as often happens in error. Well, that’s my opinion anyway.

How do you manage the interplay with your other sister in particular and with Cinderella?
The interplay between the sisters is based on the common ground they share – of wanting a man and their love-hate relationship, always trying to outdo the other. They “dump” on Cinderella what is daily dumped on them in terms of rejection and so on.

Do adults or children enjoy the Ugly Sisters more?
I think children can have as much fun in watching us play the sisters as can adults, but as life happens to you as an adult, they can become more poignant in their nastiness and disappointment when you play them!

Have you played the part before? If so, how have you changed it, and why?
I have played Sister before and am always cast as the more dominant and nasty of the two! I don’t have a problem with not being liked – I find it so much more fun! Although some actors prefer to be loved. They are missing out, because the sisters are both “bad” and funny, and loveable for all their faults. They are human.