Critically acclaimed theatre company Told By An Idiot are reviving Frank Marcus’ 1960s cult classic, The Killing Of Sister George, at Staffordshire venue the New Vic Theatre...

Black comedy The Killing Of Sister George, written in 1964 by Frank Marcus, was quite radical in its day and became very successful. Playing in the West End and on Broadway, it was then filmed in 1968, with Beryl Reid in the title role. Reid had previously won a Tony Award for the Broadway production.
The Killing Of Sister George has been revived since, but “maybe not for a long time and certainly not ‘in the round’, which is why we were drawn to do it,” says Paul Hunter, who is directing a new version of the play at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Paul is the artistic director of theatre company Told By An Idiot, which is co-producing the show with the venue. 

The play tells the story of June Buckeridge, an actor who plays the part of district nurse Sister George in fictitious radio soap opera Applehurst. 
“She’s a very kindly nurse, who rides around the village looking after people and singing hymns,” explains Paul, “whereas in reality, June is a foul-mouthed and unpredictable loose cannon.” 
When low ratings, cutbacks and June’s bad behaviour see Sister George axed from the show, things take a decidedly dark turn. 
“One of the great things about the play is that all is not what it seems,” explains Paul. “Frank Marcus talked about how, for him, the play is about illusion and reality. We’re playing with the notion of what is and isn’t real all the time. The play is about human relationships that are complicated but recognisably very real.”
Hayley Carmichael, co-founder of Told By An Idiot, plays Sister George. “June does comment on people getting so absorbed in characters they watch on the television,” she says. “We are all susceptible to that confusion of what’s real.
“You don’t really know who is committing to who. It’s a real web of relationships, and full of grey areas. I think we live in a time when lots of people, because of social media, are trying to define themselves against the odds still. But in this play, there are no lines. I like the non-need to define yourself. If you can shake off any preconceptions, that’s great.”

Paul agrees, and adds: “What struck me strongly is that one of the themes of the play is that, maybe for some women at a certain point in their working life, they can become dispensable; almost disappear, in a sense. And sadly I think that still seems to be present in lots of jobs, certainly in the media and on television. It’s still strangely bizarre that we don’t see women of a certain age on these things, and that’s one of the things that makes the play remain quite relevant and timely.”
The lines between the worlds of Applehurst and June’s ‘real life’ are further blurred in the production by the use of foley - real-time sound effects created by the actors on stage. 
“The foley came very much from the world of radio and Applehurst,” says Paul. “But then, when we did some development on the show, I thought maybe it’s interesting if the foley exists more in the world of the actual story, and it becomes a device that allows us to echo this thing of reality and fantasy. June and Sister George, they are so entwined, that use of the sound in her house blurs the lines in a really strong, visual way.”

For fans of the Robert Aldridge-directed film, there will be some surprises in store. 
“The play is much more nuanced,” Paul explains. “I think if people know the film and don’t know the play, they’ll see something that’s less obvious, full of contradiction and much funnier. I’m sure the film will draw some people in, but what’s good about it is that it’s not just like watching the film; it’ll feel quite different.”  

The Killing of Sister George is at the New Vic from Friday 21 April to Saturday 13 May 

 Photo credit: Andrew Billington