Marking 50 years on stage with Top Hat in Chichester

SussexWorld

Clive Carter, who is playing Horace Hardwick in Top Hat, the big summer musical at Chichester Festival Theatre, celebrated his 50th year in the business as they started rehearsals.

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely this

00:07afternoon to speak to Clive Carter, who's part of the company for the big summer musical Top

00:13Hat at Chichester Festival Theatre. Now, Clive, you were just saying you realised something

00:18mega important at the start of rehearsals, that you are celebrating 50 years in the business.

00:2450 years in the business, yes. It's a long time.

00:27And looking so young as well.

00:30Oh, flatterer. Get you everywhere.

00:34But that's fabulous, isn't it? 50 years.

00:37Yeah, I know. I can't believe I'm still doing it. As I said before, I can't believe I've got

00:40away with it for so long.

00:42Well, tell me again that story about that first pay packet in your diary.

00:47Well, what it was, I foolishly, when I was very young, I kept a diary. It didn't last

00:52a very long episode. But the first, my very first wage packet, which I'll even happily

00:58tell you was £25. And it's £25. That was my wage packet. And I wrote in my diary, I fooled

01:05them. How long can I keep this going? 50 years later, I'm still fooling everybody. Although

01:11it's not for £25 now, I can tell you.

01:13I'm sorry. So 50 years of deception. So why is...

01:19It's going to be that way, but I will now. Yes, 50 years of deception.

01:23So why is Top Hat the big one? Why are you excited by Top Hat?

01:26Oh, God. Well, I was involved with this a long time ago, 13 years ago when it first

01:33started. Also because I remember as a child, seeing all these lovely old films, these marvellous

01:40films, Top Hat, Singing in the Rain, all of them. And they all evoke such happiness, particularly

01:45this one because of the tap. I personally love a tap routine. I mean, you show me somebody

01:51who doesn't love a tap routine.

01:52Who doesn't smile when watching.

01:54Oh, it is. It's so inspiring because you just look at it. And I mean, I'm lucky because

01:58I'm watching them all during rehearsal. So, and I'm not paying for it. You will be, but

02:03I'm not. And it's just amazing. It's worth paying for, by the way, because the tap routines

02:08are fantastic. Absolutely amazing. I just sit there with my mouth open and I have to remind

02:13myself when I'm on stage, stop being Clive. You're Horace. Stop it. Because I just, it's

02:18just watching all these lovely dancers, beautiful moves, beautiful. The tap routine is amazing.

02:24Amazing. Fantastic. And you are playing, well, he's described

02:28as hapless. You are Horace. Hapless, Horace?

02:32Well, I think that's a little harsh before Horace. He drives very hard. He, you know,

02:36he's a producer. There's not that many hapless producers. They don't last very well if they

02:41are. But, no, Horace Hardwick, his heart's in the right place. It may be a little hapless,

02:47but the heart is there.

02:49Fantastic. We're very much looking forward to you continuing to deceive us on stage in

02:54Top Hat this summer in Chichester. Clive, great to meet you.

02:58Congratulations on that 50th anniversary. That's fantastic.

03:02Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you.

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