CityLife

Hurricane set to whirl into town

TYPICAL of the man himself, stories of Alex Higgins' decline appear to be so exaggerated, there are currently two of him touring the country.

If you are willing to travel across the Pennines this spring, there is an opportunity to see the man who was arguably snooker's most naturallty gifted player in full flow.

As lined up for an exhibition tour with fellow green baize maverick Jimmy White is non other than two-times world champion Alex Higgins.

But if a trip across the moors to the York Barbican is a stretch too far, there is another 'Alex Higgins' about to enter the spotlight right here in Greater Manchester.

Played by fellow Belfast man Richard Dormer, Hurricane tells the story of the man who grew up two miles from Richard's front door and went on to conquer the world in such a style, that no one has matched it since.

In a career spanning over 35 years, Higgins (along with the emergence of colour TV) brought the minority sport of snooker into the mainstream, attracting millions of new viewers, but most importantly in terms of financial backing, sponsors.

Then, inevitably, as with his equally groundbreaking compatriot George Best, the lethal quartet of fame, money, woman and alcohol got the better of him at the peak of his powers.

I caught up with Richard to talk about the success of the show and what Mr Higgins himself made of it (you can also listen to clips of the interview below):

Did you ever get the chance to see Alex play in the flesh?
No, unfortunately I didn't. I remember watching him as a boy win the 1982 World Final though, when he was clutching his baby and crying. I was mesmerised by it all.

Did you find it hard to perfect his accent and mannerisms?
It was a bit yes, it was just a case of watching old footage and trying to copy it in rehearsals. In terms of his accent, luckily I'm pretty good at them anyway which is good as his is just the ultimate. There's a bit of Blackburn, a bit of Bolton, a bit of Belfast and a bit of Dublin in there. There is an awful lot mixed in, so it was just a case of trial and error.

The show is spread over a large portion of his life, how did you represent the ageing process?
Well it's very physical theatre so I can't give away too much, but I mean I just kind of act it and apparently it works! I don't know how, I don't know if I even want to question it, you know?

I understand you had a chance meeting with him in a Dublin train station when you were deciding what to do with the show?
Yes it was going to be a film, but it was meeting him and speaking with my wife (Rachel O'Riordan) that convinced me to do it as theatre show. He tried to take my coat off me on the train actually, but I wouldn't let him have it! But we met up again later and got on really well. He's been great actually.

I know he has seen the show and has been giving you bits of advice, was there anything he asked to be left out?
He's seen the show as it is and he didn't ask my wife (who directs it) and I to change a thing, which is great. He is very much behind us.

You have already performed the show at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield where some of his biggest wins and losses came, that must have been quite eerie?
Well yeah. There are a lot of ghosts there for him, so it was very, very emotional. There were guys there who the last time they were in a theatre was watching him. So it was very powerful.

Did you speak to some of the players from the time about how to play him, and their memories of Alex?
Yeah. A lot of them have been to see the show anyway, and I've spoken to them about it which was helpful. I've had really positive feedback actually, which was great. A lot of them have said they understand Alex better now, which is great coming from people who have known him for thirty years. Jimmy White came to see the opening night in London and he said it was spot on.

Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell in Eastenders) said it was such a good performance it made him wonder whether he should bother continuing acting.
Yeah, that was very nice, that was lovely of him to say that.

You are set to bring the show here soon, where Alex lived for quite a few years, it must be good to have that connection with the audience?
I think Manchester is where Alex became a man. He left Belfast at an early age and lived in Blackburn for a few years, but Manchester is where he chose to settle. There has been a lot interest from Manchester, so I'm looking forward to that one.

What is Alex's current state of health and well-being?
Well he's much better. He was obviously very ill there about three years ago. He's living in Belfast and he's much better, as each day goes by he's getting stronger and stronger.

Does he see a brighter future for himself than he did a couple of years ago then?
He does yes. I think he sees the play as a second chance for him you know. He's going on tour with Jimmy White around England as well at the same time as this play, so things are looking good for him.

In terms of yourself, I read you have another solo show in the pipeline.
Yes it called Protestants; it's a play about the history of Protestants written by Bob Welch, which should hopefully get underway in March. We're planning to open it in Belfast.

How does the show work?
It's basically the history of Protestantism throughout the world over the last 300 or 400 years.

It sounds quite expansive; did you have to put in a lot of work beforehand?
No, not really. As it's a one-man show there is quite a lot you can do in terms of the roles, voices and changes and so you can cut a lot of corners. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it.

In terms of Hurricane, once the run finishes at Belfast what happens next?
Well it's going to New York in the summer and after that I don't know. There is talk of it going back to the West End as well. But after that I'm going to put the stage show to bed and concentrate on something else.

Apart from Protestants, is there anything else in the pipeline?
Well there is the screenplay of Hurricane the film, so I'm going to be concentrating on that for the next year or so. I'll be starring in it with obviously a lot more characters and my wife will be directing again. I think we were right to do it on stage first as we had full control to get it right before making it in to a film.

Hurricane is on at The Lowry from Monday, February 23 to Saturday, February 28. Tickets are priced £14 - £16. Call the Box Office on 0870 060 1768 or click here to book online.