One thing they
always tell you in acting college these days is never to work with
children or animals. To some extent I can see the logic. Animals have
no theatrical training, miss their cues and poo on the stage. It’s
like working with Alan Alder.
But get it right and an animal can be
as rich and moving in performance as the finest Dulwich Amateur
Dramatics society can offer.
I remember doing a Jungle Book for
which, as a publicity idea, we had a real live tiger in the cast. I
leapt at the opportunity. But not in the same way the tiger leapt at
the first three rows, savaging and tearing asunder the flesh of the
audience in a pre-show review.
I can certainly say that a critique will
always be more negative when many of the reviewers have their
obituary in the same paper on the same day. But I pressed on with the
show despite the screaming and ambulances, as we professionals are
bid to do.
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