I’ve been away from home recently for one of my regular walk-on roles in The House of Lords, a favourite theatres of mine. With its liveried officials and strange customs, those cast as waiters have lines such as ‘More potatoes, M’lady’ and ‘Something from the sweet trolley, M’Lord’. The director needs people whose hair colour is predominantly white for the scenes in the Chamber and while some will have lines others are slumbering extras. It’s not all boring though. There are health and safety issues that wouldn’t be tolerated in the other theatres in which I appear and I’ve learned not to be run over by the many motorised wheelchairs. It’s a very traditional theatre in many ways, with the old guard reluctant to modernise. But the bar is congenial and the canteen’s not bad. Whatever happens, I do hope they don’t get rid of the marble wash hand basins and chaise longue in the Ladies.
rosiewallace 