Theatre Royal: Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Actress Hedydd Dylan, who plays Lady Chatterley in Theatre Royal Brighton’s upcoming show, talks about the production

Tell us about Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
It’s primarily a love story set during the aftermath of the First World War against a backdrop of social unrest. Communities are trying to recover from the trauma of war. Working men are revolting against the wealthy, because the camaraderie that they enjoyed during the war is over and capitalism is dividing people again. It’s a theme that’s still relevant – the disparity of wealth in society and the tension that causes.

Lady Chatterley’s husband was injured in the war. He’s in a wheelchair and they can’t have a child together. She’s more of a carer to her husband than a wife. She’s struggling with depression, feeling numb to the world, but she finds a way back to herself through a love affair with a game keeper called Mellors. Phillip Breen, the director, has done a lovely job of projecting her emotional change through the changing of the seasons.

What attracted you to the role of Lady Chatterley?
As an actor you’re incredibly privileged if you’re able to play a character who hardly leaves the stage. You can build a character very gradually. It’s wonderful when an audience shares the journey with you and watch your character change throughout the play.

It’s also quite a strongly feminist point of view. We’ve been very careful not to objectify Lady Chatterley in this presentation. Not to make her sexy or pornographic in the typical sense. She’s just a human being with a right to physical pleasure. I love that. And I enjoy that the nudity in our production is very innocent.

It’s quite a strongly feminist point of view

Do you think the immediacy of theatre makes the depiction of sex on stage different to sex in literature or on screen?
Absolutely. Perhaps it’s because you’re never alone in a theatre and you worry about how people will judge your reaction. We do occasionally get some nervous giggles from the audience the first time the lovers undress in front of each other – which, incidentally, is not the first time they have sex. The characters are shy about their nudity and it’s nice that the audience are also slightly shy.

D. H. Lawrence hoped that tenderness could build a better world after the war. Do you think that message still applies today?
A sense of masculinity is still encouraged in young boys. Phrases like ‘don’t be a wuss’ and ‘man up’ teach men that it is shameful to be emotional. Shameful to cry. I think it’s no coincidence that more men under the age of 25 commit suicide than die in car accidents. D.H. Lawrence recognised that men should be allowed to be soft and there’s still progress to be made.

This production marks the centenary of the Somme. Was that timing deliberate?
Certainly. It’s important to remember people who sacrificed their lives – on both sides – but it’s also important to remember those who survived but lived on with the consequences of the war. There’s more to remembering the War than just remembering the fighting.

Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 November
Eves 7.45pm, Thu & Sat matinees 2.30pm
www.atgtickets.com/brighton | 0844 871 7650 (bkg fees apply)