Rob Drummond’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar opens at Perth Theatre on 24 March and runs until 2 April before touring to Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling from 7 to 10 April and Eden Court, Inverness from 15 to 17 April.
The cast includes the veteran Scottish stage actor David Rankine, who takes on the title role of Henry Sugar. Rosalind Sydney, in the role of surgeon and author Dr Jane Cartwright, marks her return to the stage after a series of roles in high profile television programmes. Also joining the cast is Johndeep More, star of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Any Dream Will Do, who will be playing the role of Imhrat Khan. Eve Buglass makes her professional debut in the production performing the role of social media-obsessed Mary and Dave Fishley, known to global audiences from films such as The Fifth Element and If Only… takes on the role of Henry’s friend and accountant, Michael. Myles Sembi will be the production’s understudy.
More details and ticket information can be found here
Your adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar will premiere at Perth Theatre, what can you tell us about the show?
Well, it’s a Roald Dahl magic show. That’s the best way to describe it. I grew up being obsessed with both Roald Dahl stories and magic so it’s a natural fit for me. The story follows a man, Henry Sugar, who discovers a book in a library that outlines the secret to gaining magical powers. But those powers come with a great price.
It’s not one of Dahl’s children’s books but rather a short story for young adults so it’s an ideal family show with something for everyone (age guidance is 11+). It’s quite dark in places and darkly humorous of course and we’ve added a new character to reflect a contemporary example of the kind of trouble that comes your way when you get your hands on a lot of power and influence.
What was it about this Roald Dahl story that made you want to adapt it for the stage?
To be perfectly honest, I’d never heard of it. But when director Ben Harrison and producer Helen Milne asked me to read it I knew instantly that there could be a really interesting and, most importantly, entertaining adaptation in there.
It’s a story within a story really, with Henry finding a book and the book coming to life, so I thought it would be wonderfully theatrical to take that a step further and add another layer of reality. So, in our version we see a contemporary girl, Mary Piker, who spends a lot of her time online, reading about Henry Sugar, who then reads about a mystic called Imhrat Khan, who can see without using his eyes.
We have three different time periods, three different stories, three different sets of characters talking across the void to each other, all linked in a chain of literature, all of them desperate for magic powers. Add live magic to the mix and I knew the adaptation would work well.
How difficult was it to adapt this collection of short stories into one stage production?
Incredibly easy, as we’re actually only adapting one of the stories in the collection, the title piece, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar!
Tell us about some of the cast and what you think they’ll bring to the production?
We’ve got a brilliant cast together for this. It’s a real ensemble piece with every character really integral to making the show work, both in a storytelling and a practical way, with the magic involved.
David W Rankine brings charisma and mischief to the title character, Henry Sugar, Rosalind Sydney is gleefully mad in her portrayal of surgeon and author Dr Jane Cartwright, Johndeep More brings gravitas as Imhrat Khan, the Man Who Could See Without His Eyes, Eve Buglass is perfect as young self-obsessed social media addict Mary, the warm and likeable Dave Fishley appears as the heart and conscience of the piece, Henry’s friend and accountant, Michael, and we also have a brilliant understudy, Myles Sembi who has a lot of work to do covering multiple roles.
I’m sure the others won’t mind me saying I’m particularly excited for Eve, who is making her professional debut in this production. We saw so many wonderfully talented actresses for Mary and we had many options in the way we went with it, but there was something so natural and real about what Eve brought to the table and it’s always nice to be able to cast someone brand new if they are good enough. And she most certainly is.
Do you have a favourite part of the show?
The ending, if, I mean, WHEN, we pull it off, should be quite spectacular. The story is partially about doing impossible things and I’m really excited for the audience to experience something impossible in the theatre.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar?
I’d say you won’t regret it. It’s a Roald Dahl magic show suitable for families and children 11+ You’ll be talking about the story and how the tricks were done for years to come.
Rob Drummond’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar opens at Perth Theatre on 24 March
