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Audience with a monster: the pain of staging the cruel life of Jimmy Savile Audience with a monster: the pain of staging the cruel life of Jimmy Savile
(about 11 hours later)
When Karin Ward was told by the journalist Jonathan Maitland that he planned to write a stage play about Jimmy Savile, her initial reaction was one of astonished horror.When Karin Ward was told by the journalist Jonathan Maitland that he planned to write a stage play about Jimmy Savile, her initial reaction was one of astonished horror.
“My kneejerk reaction was actually: ‘Good God, he’s lost his mind’,” she says now, laughing. “‘What is he thinking?’”“My kneejerk reaction was actually: ‘Good God, he’s lost his mind’,” she says now, laughing. “‘What is he thinking?’”
As a teenager, Ward had been molested by Savile while she was a pupil at Duncroft approved school for girls in Surrey. The entertainer, then at the height of his fame, was a regular visitor and would turn up in his Rolls-Royce, distributing sweets and cigarettes in return for sexual favours. He was, says Ward, “a nasty old man”.As a teenager, Ward had been molested by Savile while she was a pupil at Duncroft approved school for girls in Surrey. The entertainer, then at the height of his fame, was a regular visitor and would turn up in his Rolls-Royce, distributing sweets and cigarettes in return for sexual favours. He was, says Ward, “a nasty old man”.
In 2011, shortly after Savile’s death at the age of 84, Ward became one of the first of his victims to speak out. The revelation that the disgraced entertainer had abused hundreds in hospitals and schools throughout the 1970s and 1980s sparked a comprehensive Scotland Yard probe into alleged historical abuse.In 2011, shortly after Savile’s death at the age of 84, Ward became one of the first of his victims to speak out. The revelation that the disgraced entertainer had abused hundreds in hospitals and schools throughout the 1970s and 1980s sparked a comprehensive Scotland Yard probe into alleged historical abuse.
Savile is now thought to be Britain’s worst-ever paedophile.Savile is now thought to be Britain’s worst-ever paedophile.
Ward was not the only person with concerns that Maitland’s work, An Audience with Jimmy Savile, would be raking over profoundly traumatic memories.Ward was not the only person with concerns that Maitland’s work, An Audience with Jimmy Savile, would be raking over profoundly traumatic memories.
In fact, as soon as the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, announced in April that it would be staging the play and that it would star the actor and TV impressionist Alistair McGowan, there was an outcry.In fact, as soon as the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, announced in April that it would be staging the play and that it would star the actor and TV impressionist Alistair McGowan, there was an outcry.
Online comments denounced the project as “unbelievable” and “offensive”. Television phone-ins were devoted to the question of whether it was too soon. When it opened last week, An Audience with Jimmy Savile had already become the most controversial play of the year without anyone having actually seen a performance.Online comments denounced the project as “unbelievable” and “offensive”. Television phone-ins were devoted to the question of whether it was too soon. When it opened last week, An Audience with Jimmy Savile had already become the most controversial play of the year without anyone having actually seen a performance.
Related: An Audience With Jimmy Savile review – an obscene jester is brought to account
McGowan admits the strength of the reaction gave him second thoughts about taking on the role. “I did have sleepless nights thinking, ‘Are you tainted by association?’,” he says, speaking in the theatre cafe during a break from rehearsals.McGowan admits the strength of the reaction gave him second thoughts about taking on the role. “I did have sleepless nights thinking, ‘Are you tainted by association?’,” he says, speaking in the theatre cafe during a break from rehearsals.
“It was actually a conversation I had with a friend of mine which convinced me more than ever that what we were doing was a good thing, because she said: ‘We haven’t been able to put this man on trial. We’ve not been able to direct our feelings towards this person because he’s dead. You’re giving people a chance to hate him through you.’“It was actually a conversation I had with a friend of mine which convinced me more than ever that what we were doing was a good thing, because she said: ‘We haven’t been able to put this man on trial. We’ve not been able to direct our feelings towards this person because he’s dead. You’re giving people a chance to hate him through you.’
“And that’s quite interesting and sometimes quite daunting. She may be right, it may be cathartic.”“And that’s quite interesting and sometimes quite daunting. She may be right, it may be cathartic.”
Maitland spoke to several of Savile’s victims, including Ward, as part of his research and, if the play turns a profit, a share will be donated to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac). He also read about the subject extensively – books by and about Savile, the Stoke Mandeville report into his abuse at the hospital and police transcripts, some of which are used in the play.Maitland spoke to several of Savile’s victims, including Ward, as part of his research and, if the play turns a profit, a share will be donated to the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac). He also read about the subject extensively – books by and about Savile, the Stoke Mandeville report into his abuse at the hospital and police transcripts, some of which are used in the play.
The play consists of a dual narrative: one storyline concerns a This is Your Life-style retrospective, featuring Savile as its star guest; the other follows one of Savile’s victims as an adult confronting her memories of being raped as a 12-year-old. The scene in which the rape survivor, Lucy, tells police what happened to her is taken verbatim from an interview transcript given by a real-life victim.The play consists of a dual narrative: one storyline concerns a This is Your Life-style retrospective, featuring Savile as its star guest; the other follows one of Savile’s victims as an adult confronting her memories of being raped as a 12-year-old. The scene in which the rape survivor, Lucy, tells police what happened to her is taken verbatim from an interview transcript given by a real-life victim.
“I just totally don’t view this as entertainment,” Maitland says. “I view it as a dramatic form of journalism … I felt an incredible responsibility to the victims not to cheapen or sensationalise their experience.”“I just totally don’t view this as entertainment,” Maitland says. “I view it as a dramatic form of journalism … I felt an incredible responsibility to the victims not to cheapen or sensationalise their experience.”
Maitland’s first play, Dead Sheep, was also based on fact and told the story of the famous Geoffrey Howe speech that led to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. But that was a comedy. This, he insists, is very different in tone and tells the story of how Savile “groomed the nation” and how he got away with it for so long, his crimes shielded from view while he was feted by national institutions including the BBC, the NHS, the police and the royal family.Maitland’s first play, Dead Sheep, was also based on fact and told the story of the famous Geoffrey Howe speech that led to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher. But that was a comedy. This, he insists, is very different in tone and tells the story of how Savile “groomed the nation” and how he got away with it for so long, his crimes shielded from view while he was feted by national institutions including the BBC, the NHS, the police and the royal family.
Maitland says: “It’s one of the most important stories of the past 50 years and impacts on all these massively important issues: the way we listen to victims, the way we believe our children, our cravenness before celebrity, the nature of our institutions. Why are we uncomfortable with it? Because it’s taboo. But the fact it was taboo meant we didn’t talk about it for 50 years, so it’s really, really important we talk about it.” It was this, in the end, that won Karin – known as Kat – Ward around to the idea. For decades, she had been ashamed of what had happened to her and fearful of speaking out in case no one believed her. Then Savile died and robbed her of any kind of justice. Today she sees Maitland’s play as an opportunity for the public reckoning that was denied his victims.Maitland says: “It’s one of the most important stories of the past 50 years and impacts on all these massively important issues: the way we listen to victims, the way we believe our children, our cravenness before celebrity, the nature of our institutions. Why are we uncomfortable with it? Because it’s taboo. But the fact it was taboo meant we didn’t talk about it for 50 years, so it’s really, really important we talk about it.” It was this, in the end, that won Karin – known as Kat – Ward around to the idea. For decades, she had been ashamed of what had happened to her and fearful of speaking out in case no one believed her. Then Savile died and robbed her of any kind of justice. Today she sees Maitland’s play as an opportunity for the public reckoning that was denied his victims.
“People will watch it and they might get the courage and confidence to come forward and say, ‘Actually, this happened to me as well’,” she says. “I think that’s really, really important.”“People will watch it and they might get the courage and confidence to come forward and say, ‘Actually, this happened to me as well’,” she says. “I think that’s really, really important.”
Watching McGowan as Savile in rehearsal is a distinctly discomfiting experience. McGowan made his name as a TV impressionist, playing David Beckham and Tony Blair for laughs. But his portrayal of Savile is chilling.Watching McGowan as Savile in rehearsal is a distinctly discomfiting experience. McGowan made his name as a TV impressionist, playing David Beckham and Tony Blair for laughs. But his portrayal of Savile is chilling.
He walks on stage dressed in a shiny turquoise tracksuit, a yellow string vest, rose-tinted glasses and gold rings on his fingers, hair tucked under a straggly white-blond wig. McGowan embodies Savile’s physical mannerisms with uncanny accuracy. But it’s the voice that strikes you most keenly – the flattened vowels, the sibilant “s”, the “now then, now then” catchphrase.He walks on stage dressed in a shiny turquoise tracksuit, a yellow string vest, rose-tinted glasses and gold rings on his fingers, hair tucked under a straggly white-blond wig. McGowan embodies Savile’s physical mannerisms with uncanny accuracy. But it’s the voice that strikes you most keenly – the flattened vowels, the sibilant “s”, the “now then, now then” catchphrase.
“When you do an impression really well, you feel that person speaking through you and they dictate how you move. You suddenly start doing this thing” – he jiggles his fingers as if fiddling with an imaginary cigar. “It had always been a delight [in the past] to get that, to move like Gary Lineker or whoever and not even think about it. But the first time I did Savile at the read-through, I thought ‘whoah’. It was really weird.”“When you do an impression really well, you feel that person speaking through you and they dictate how you move. You suddenly start doing this thing” – he jiggles his fingers as if fiddling with an imaginary cigar. “It had always been a delight [in the past] to get that, to move like Gary Lineker or whoever and not even think about it. But the first time I did Savile at the read-through, I thought ‘whoah’. It was really weird.”
McGowan’s performance was so convincing in rehearsal that producers decided not to release any photographs of him in full costume, for fear of triggering memories among Savile’s victims.McGowan’s performance was so convincing in rehearsal that producers decided not to release any photographs of him in full costume, for fear of triggering memories among Savile’s victims.
A mild-mannered, solicitous man in real life, McGowan struggled at first to convey Savile’s darkness. In early rehearsals, he was required to be “rude and aggressive and I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t want the other actors to think I’m like that,’ so I was holding back. Then I realised the only thing they won’t like is if you’re holding back because they won’t have anything to respond to.”A mild-mannered, solicitous man in real life, McGowan struggled at first to convey Savile’s darkness. In early rehearsals, he was required to be “rude and aggressive and I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t want the other actors to think I’m like that,’ so I was holding back. Then I realised the only thing they won’t like is if you’re holding back because they won’t have anything to respond to.”
McGowan’s wife, Charlotte Page, takes on a number of supporting roles in the play, including that of a TV researcher who is verbally threatened by Savile after witnessing his abuse of a young girl in a backstage dressing room. Page says that her husband has immersed himself so fully in Savile’s mannerisms that he will occasionally adopt the voice at home without realising it.McGowan’s wife, Charlotte Page, takes on a number of supporting roles in the play, including that of a TV researcher who is verbally threatened by Savile after witnessing his abuse of a young girl in a backstage dressing room. Page says that her husband has immersed himself so fully in Savile’s mannerisms that he will occasionally adopt the voice at home without realising it.
“He slips into a ‘now then’ because he’s had to inhabit this sound all through the day,” says Page. “I have to say, ‘No, no, we’re not having that! We can have David Beckham any time, but not Jimmy Savile’.”“He slips into a ‘now then’ because he’s had to inhabit this sound all through the day,” says Page. “I have to say, ‘No, no, we’re not having that! We can have David Beckham any time, but not Jimmy Savile’.”
The intensive three-week rehearsal period has taken its toll on all the cast and crew. Brendan O’Hea, the director, admits he “can’t wait to escape this world. It’s a horrible world to be around, I think, because there’s no place of safety for the victim, in terms of politicians, police, the NHS, the BBC, none of whom did anything. The cult of celebrity makes everyone complicit.”The intensive three-week rehearsal period has taken its toll on all the cast and crew. Brendan O’Hea, the director, admits he “can’t wait to escape this world. It’s a horrible world to be around, I think, because there’s no place of safety for the victim, in terms of politicians, police, the NHS, the BBC, none of whom did anything. The cult of celebrity makes everyone complicit.”
Leah Whitaker, who plays Lucy, read the play “very cautiously” before accepting the role. She also asked her mother, a former social worker who used to run the child-abuse department at Rochdale social services, for advice. Since taking it on, she has found the process “unsettling”.Leah Whitaker, who plays Lucy, read the play “very cautiously” before accepting the role. She also asked her mother, a former social worker who used to run the child-abuse department at Rochdale social services, for advice. Since taking it on, she has found the process “unsettling”.
“It’s just made me feel quite small and shaky,” Whitaker says. “Lucy has this great barrier of self-reliance. There’s a hardness and a strength to her because she has to defend her position so much.“It’s just made me feel quite small and shaky,” Whitaker says. “Lucy has this great barrier of self-reliance. There’s a hardness and a strength to her because she has to defend her position so much.
“I became quite guarded [off-stage], I think, and ready for a fight.“I became quite guarded [off-stage], I think, and ready for a fight.
“I don’t profess to speak for all of Savile’s victims, but the reason I did it was because of the question of responsibility. We don’t know if any of Savile’s victims confronted him, but the chance to do that, even in a piece of theatre, that’s the reason for doing it.”“I don’t profess to speak for all of Savile’s victims, but the reason I did it was because of the question of responsibility. We don’t know if any of Savile’s victims confronted him, but the chance to do that, even in a piece of theatre, that’s the reason for doing it.”
There was a special preview performance of An Audience with Jimmy Savile last Wednesday. The theatre was fully booked. In the crowd were several survivors of abuse as well as Liz Dux, a lawyer representing more than 178 of Jimmy Savile’s victims, and Kat Ward, who declared herself so nervous beforehand that she wanted “a Valium sandwich”.There was a special preview performance of An Audience with Jimmy Savile last Wednesday. The theatre was fully booked. In the crowd were several survivors of abuse as well as Liz Dux, a lawyer representing more than 178 of Jimmy Savile’s victims, and Kat Ward, who declared herself so nervous beforehand that she wanted “a Valium sandwich”.
When McGowan took to the stage as Savile, there was an audible intake of breath: his stage presence was mesmerically sinister from the moment he appeared. In the words of one critic, it was “enough to send ice down the nape of your neck”.When McGowan took to the stage as Savile, there was an audible intake of breath: his stage presence was mesmerically sinister from the moment he appeared. In the words of one critic, it was “enough to send ice down the nape of your neck”.
Afterwards, in the theatre bar, the atmosphere was subdued and thoughtful. Phillip Lafferty, a survivor of childhood abuse who has launched a petition calling for a custodial tariff for paedophiles (philspetition.uk), said the play was “extremely important and powerful. It showed how Savile abused the nation.”Afterwards, in the theatre bar, the atmosphere was subdued and thoughtful. Phillip Lafferty, a survivor of childhood abuse who has launched a petition calling for a custodial tariff for paedophiles (philspetition.uk), said the play was “extremely important and powerful. It showed how Savile abused the nation.”
And then I found Kat Ward, buying herself a stiff drink. What did she think?And then I found Kat Ward, buying herself a stiff drink. What did she think?
“I can’t fault the play,” she said. “Alistair McGowan was so convincing I had a panic attack. I got this whiff of cigar smoke and I was sat there thinking: ‘I can’t breathe, I’m going to die.’ My heart was thudding and then I thought: ‘No, I’m going to faint.’ Then I thought: ‘No, I’m going to be sick.’“I can’t fault the play,” she said. “Alistair McGowan was so convincing I had a panic attack. I got this whiff of cigar smoke and I was sat there thinking: ‘I can’t breathe, I’m going to die.’ My heart was thudding and then I thought: ‘No, I’m going to faint.’ Then I thought: ‘No, I’m going to be sick.’
“It was an impeccable performance. As for the play itself, I think it’s really important. It’s made me realise I’m still angry.”“It was an impeccable performance. As for the play itself, I think it’s really important. It’s made me realise I’m still angry.”
After so many years of not being listened to, here is a play that finally gives Savile’s victims a voice.After so many years of not being listened to, here is a play that finally gives Savile’s victims a voice.