Terence Rattigan’s wartime romance of WWII bomber crew comes to Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud this month. Sophie Farrah catches up with Flare Path star Olivia Hallinan during rehearsal
Born and raised in Twickenham, 30 year-old Olivia Hallinan began acting at her mother's Saturday drama school when she was just 11. She's been busy since then, to say the least, with appearances in more than 100 productions.
"I sometimes forget that I’ve been on set for so long!" she laughs. "I’ve basically been a working actress for 20 years now, which is mad! It was always a hobby and now it’s a career. I can’t imagine doing anything else!"
Career highlights have been plentiful, notably her starring roles in cult Channel 4 drama Sugar Rush and the hugely popular BBC period production of Lark Rise to Candleford. Olivia is now treading the boards in a brand new production of Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path, coming to Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre later this month.
Set in Britain, 1942, this evocative play focuses on the life-and-death existence of the World War II RAF bomber crews, and the wives and sweethearts who were left hopefully awaiting their return.
Its title, Flare Path, refers to the lines of flares that were lit at night to guide the bombers home.
"During rehearsals we had someone from the military come and show us what would have actually happened during a flight," explains Olivia. "It was petrifying, and we were just rehearsing. 50% of these people didn’t come home. I think that really hits you in the play. It is a wartime romance, but it’s also a real reminder of what people actually went through during the war, particularly the women."
Remarkably, the story is actually based on Rattigan’s own first-hand experiences as a tail gunner during World War II, something that Olivia says "completely comes across in the play’’.
Rattigan was in fact given special leave to attend the first night of the show when it opened in 1942, a performance that was also attended by then-Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. When asked about the play Churchill described it as ‘a masterpiece of understatement’, something that Olivia feels is very much a theme of the text.
"Rattigan said that the biggest flaw of the human character is the inability to express feelings. It's that very British thing, where you just say that everything’s fine. There's so much between the lines," she muses, "most of the time, you’re feeling the opposite of what you’re actually saying! You've got freedom to put your own take on it, which is great, but also quite scary. There's lots to say in the silences. It’s definitely a challenge, but a great challenge!"
Olivia rehearsing with fellow star Leon Ockenden
Olivia plays the role of former actress Patricia, caught in a love triangle with her husband RAF pilot Teddy (played by Alastair Whatley), and her ex‐lover and Hollywood idol Peter Kyle (played by Leon Ockenden, of Mr Selfridge and Waterloo Road fame). A dangerous mission over Germany puts Patricia at the centre of an intense emotional struggle.
"She's torn between her duty and following her heart," Olivia explains, "but the war really changes her mind-set. She goes through a real journey. Each time one of these men leaves the hotel my character says ‘come back, please come back’ - there's a very real chance that they won't."
"It’s not just a romance," she says, "there’s lots of layers. When you say ‘war play’ people often think doom and gloom, but it’s actually uplifting, and very funny in parts. It’s one of those plays that will make people cry one minute, and laugh the next!"
The tour hit Richmond Theatre earlier this year, for a week in September. "I grew up going to Richmond Theatre!" Olivia exclaims. "It’s going to be really strange performing there! There’s no feeling like performing to a live audience – the adrenaline. You don’t get that with filming. I am really looking forward to it!"
Flare Path is on at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford from November 23-28
