Sarah Earnshaw reprises her role as Betty in the 2020 UK Tour of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em which opened at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley on 26 February.
Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em will also play Theatre Royal Windsor (24 – 28 March), The Beck Theatre Hayes (31 March – 4 April), Stoke Regent Theatre (14 – 18 April), Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (28 April – 2 May), The Gordon Craig Theatre Stevenage (5 – 9 May), Swansea Grand Theatre (9 – 13 June), Leeds Grand Theatre (23 – 27 June) and Kings Theatre Portsmouth (30 June – 4 July).
Tour details and tickets can be found here.
You’re reprising the role of Betty in the UK tour of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, what can you tell us about it?
It’s 2 hours of laugh out loud fun, but has a real heart to it too. It’s a great comedy play, and a reimagining of the original sitcom without being just a series of the original episodes on stage. There was such a fantastic audience response the last time we were out on tour, so I’m thrilled to be doing it again.
How does it feel to be coming back to such an iconic role?
I’m really chuffed to have been asked to play Betty again, it’s great to play a role that people already know and love but that comes with a pressure too- she is calm and strong but has to have the right balance of fun and love for Frank too.
The original characters are so well known, how do you make the role your own?
We agreed very early on not to try and do impressions of the original actors. They were so fantastic but in order for this to work we wanted to create our own versions. I try and focus on who she is – the audience have to believe in her relationship with Frank and to understand why she would stay with him despite the disasters that happen around her! It’s about her supporting him, and her kindness towards him, she encourages him every step of the way and has a lot of heart. It’s the same process as creating any other character in any other play – trying to make her as believable as possible by using the text as the starting point and building on that.
Why do you think this much-loved sitcom works so well on stage?
It has so many elements that work on stage – physical comedy, a great script, stunts, choreography, misunderstandings, nostalgia and a love story too! It works for all ages and is a great night at the theatre.
What’s been your favourite moment of the tour so far?
We’re only in our opening venue, but re-uniting most of our original cast has been wonderful, it always worked as an ensemble piece and still does. We have some great new additions to the cast too, and I love working with all of them. The memory that sticks with me from the previous tour though is the audience reaction. People really let go, enjoy themselves and laugh out loud.
What would you say to anyone thinking of coming to see Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em?
With so much going on in the world, it’s sometimes nice just to escape for a few hours, turn your phone off, be entertained and just laugh. If you enjoyed the sitcom or even if you’ve never heard of it, I think this production is a great night out for all ages.
Main Image: Sarah Earnshaw as Betty in Some Mothers Do Av Em credit Scott Rylander
