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Interviews
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Flying Without Skates Sheila Connor talks to Clare Buckfield who is to star in Peter Pan with "The Fonz" Clare Buckfield began her theatrical career almost by accident. As children she and her twin sister Julie were attending dancing classes purely for fun, but then they watched the popular children’s show Grange Hill and both decided that that’s what they would like to do. So very many children must have voiced exactly the same longings, but luck plays a big part in every life, theatrical life in particular, and the twins were overheard by the mother of the agent for the show who thought they ought to be seen. Their own mother was rather reluctant but they auditioned and Julie got the part, playing in the series for two years before Clare joined her. “I did a sort of Dallas style entry – the long lost sister,” she said, and they both continued there for a further two years. The next audition was for the well loved television series 2 point 4 children. This time it was Clare’s turn to be chosen and she spent the next eight years playing teenage Jenny Porter, daughter to Belinda Lang who she describes as ‘adorable’.
There have been many stage appearances since then with well known touring shows, the most recent being Moment of Weakness, Godspell and New Boy and she also appeared in the West End in Summer Holiday, but the most adventurous must be the exciting television reality show Dancing on Ice, where she achieved feats I would not have believed possible in the short time allowed for practise, and her bubbly happy personality came through whether she was on skates or on her bottom – something she admits happened frequently.
The bubbly personality was just as evident when she came in for her interview at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, where she will be appearing in the title role of the pantomime Peter Pan. She is very excited about playing Pan, especially as she will be actually flying right across the auditorium over the audience, but the biggest thrill is that Captain Hook will be the legendary Henry Winkler – The Fonz from the American TV series Happy Days.
“How cool is that?” asks Buckfield, and answers her own question: “The coolest thing ever! I got Brownie Points with all my friends and family. I’ve never been so popular! I’ve seen the DVD (of last year’s Peter Pan at Wimbledon with Winkler as Hook) and he seems such a lovely guy, really warm. I’m such a Happy Days fan and I’m really excited about it.”
Sadly Winkler is not coming over until rehearsals begin, so I was not able to ask him how an American came to be mixed up in pantomime, but he had sent a short DVD and is looking forward to playing Hook again. “It was the best time I’ve ever had in theatre in my career,” he said. “A cross between mayhem, burlesque theatre and a musical, and more fun than you should be allowed to have. Seventeen hundred people yelling at me and I get to talk back”.
Buckfield’s other co-star is Andy Collins (presenter of numerous TV shows such as Gardening SOS and The Paul O’Grady Show) as Smee – the best warm up man in the business (I can vouch for that, and he’s wonderful with children too) and a little worried about any flying because of his weight, although it didn’t stop him eating most of my sweets. He, and all the rest of the cast, are thrilled that not only will the sets be totally new, but all the costumes too, and hand made to boot. It seems that no expense will be spared with this production, and with the brilliant Ian Talbot directing it promises to be a show to savour.
She would really like to work again with her sister, something which doesn’t seem to happen often enough. It seems there is no rivalry between them, although one bone of contention is that for the fourth year running Julie has “lucked out” and will be in pantomime in their home town of Cambridge, so able to be at home every night. However Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will be family get-togethers.
She has flown before in her skating performance. “I absolutely loved it, although this will be different because of the weight of the skates, but I’m looking forward to it and the children love it. I’m only worried about the sword fighting because I’m naturally quite clumsy. "So many theatres are closing now and kids have got computers," she went on, "but to get them interested in theatre and to get them coming to see it I think is really important. It’s fairy tale, fantasy land, pure enjoyment.”
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