Recent Press
Richard relishes life on the stage Feb 5 2004
By Maheesha Kottegoda
Actor Richard Swerrun is playing the title role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which comes to The Hawth, in Crawley, this month. Maheesha Kottegoda spoke to him.
He had his first taste of stardom at the age of four on a crowded double-decker bus.
Richard Swerrun remembers it well. He was on his way home, excited from seeing The Sound of Music, and instead of humming to himself happily, he persuaded commuters on the top deck to join him in singing Julie Andrew's memorable numbers. "My mother used to say any excuse and I'd be up performing," says Richard. "It's the only thing I can do. I'm useless at anything else. Ask me to change a light bulb and I can't. I feel at home on the stage and I've been doing it for 25 years now."
Richard puts the kettle on to make a cuppa as we chat on the phone. He realises he has run out of teabags and faces a drink of warm water and milk. Still, ever the professional, it's back to the matter in hand and talking about his latest role.
The 42-year-old actor from Malvern, in Worcestershire, is returning to The Hawth, in Crawley, for a third time this month, taking the lead in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. "I think it's a lovely theatre," says Richard. "It's also my dog's favourite theatre because it's near the woods!"
Derek, the 12-year-old West Highland terrier, always accompanies Richard when he tours with the production.
Rarely homesick, the Joseph star, who owns a house in Malvern and a flat in Islington, takes pleasure in travel. "I love life on the road," he says. "It's nice because you get to meet different people, play different theatres and see different places - it is exciting.
"I've played Joseph for probably 2,500 performances over the years and I've just come out of the West End to do the first leg of the tour. It's a part I love doing."
A veteran thespian like Richard is bound to give a knockout performance and, since it is only the third date since the Andrew Lloyd Webber production opened in Cheltenham, the musical should deliver fresh performances all round.
"It's a wonderful mix of every style of music from rock and roll to Calypso," he says. "It's such a clever piece of writing. The audience don't expect it to be as funny as it is and the drama is phenomenal."
