Swindon Lives - Hannah Waterman - Abigail's Party Special

Ahead of her performance as Beverly Moss in Lindsay Posner’s acclaimed revival of Abigail’s Party. TGtS quizzed Hannah Waterman about her transformation from dowdy Walford housewife to Essex stage siren.

Were you nervous about taking on such an iconic role?

I found it really exciting actually; I was a little bit nervous at first, but who wouldn't be? Alison Steadman did just a fantastic job in the original, so she was always going to be a hard act to follow. I deliberately decided not to revisit her performance though. I haven't seen the BBC film in over twenty years and weirdly I think that really helped me find my feet! With a character like Beverly, the audience is always going to have certain expectations about how she should be played, but as an actress I wanted to make the role my own.

How would you describe Beverly?

Beverly is the hostess from Hell! She's a very dominant women, but at the same time she's incredibly lonely and unhappy in her marriage. She's aspirational and very controlling.

When you’re not on stage, how do you like to spend your spare time?

I'm a bit of a gym freak; I spend most of my free time working out. Being on tour and away from my son I've actually got a bit of time to myself so I've got plenty of time to read books - which is amazing! Being an actress I guess I should mention I love taking trips to the theatre in my spare time too.

Abigail’s Party is set in the 1970s, if you could visit any period in time, when would it be and why?

I'd love to go back to Georgian times and tear it up - could you imagine? I think it would be fabulous! Going for a traditional afternoon and exploring London's shops and museums would be my dream.

What or who inspired you to go into your line of work?

I hate to say it, but it was inevitable! My mum and dad were actors, so growing up I spent a lot of time hanging out in theatres and used to spend a lot of time on film and televisions sets too. My mum and dad certainly weren't pushy parents though, if anything they tried to discourage me from becoming an actress.

Over the years you've played some great characters, do you have a favourite?

Beverly is definitely up there as one of my favourites, she really is tremendous to play. It's so hard to pick, I've been fortunate to play some real great roles. Ruth in Calendar Girls and Emily in New Tricks were fun to play; Emily was totally different to any other character that I'd played before- she was a hard nose police women who knew what she wanted. It was amazing getting to act alongside my father too - funilly enough he played my dad in it. Helen, from Taste of Honey was also a fabulous role - like Beverly she was a bit of a sad lonely drunk!

What’s the best and worst part of being an actress?

Personally, the best part of being an actress is being on tour, it’s fantastic visiting places you wouldn't usually get to go. I always make the effort to explore the towns and cities I'm visiting. We were in Edinburgh a couple of weeks back and although I've been a couple of times before I finally got to take in the city properly. Visiting the Magic Roundabout is on my to do list!

The worst part of my job is the fact that I'm away from my son, partner and family.

Who’s the most famous person in your phonebook?

It depends on your definition of famous, it would be impossible to decide who was more famous than who! My dad Dennis Waterman’s in there - He's pretty famous I guess.

Apart from your home and car, what's the most expensive thing that you've ever bought?

I spent an obscene amount of money on a trip to France once. I ate at Maxim's in Paris and ended up spending the afternoon drinking copious amounts of alcohol and eating cheese. I certainly wouldn't splash the cash like that anymore but it was a nice treat at the time.

After the tour, do you have any exciting projects or performances in the pipeline?

At the moment I don't have any plans, I've been handed a couple of scripts but nothing's jumping out at me. It's a couple of months before I'm out of work, so I've still got plenty of time to make my mind up and explore my options.

Abigail's Party will run at the Wyvern Theatre from Tuesday 28th of May to Saturday June 1st 2013.

Book tickets today at wyverntheatre.org.uk or by calling the Ticket Office on 01793 524 481.