Interview with actress Liza Goddard

11:54am Thursday 17th July 2003

LIZA Goddard, who will star in The Edge of Darkness at Wycombe Swan next week, talks about money, cancer and living for the day FOR an actress who has been treading the boards for 35 years, it is a surprise to hear Liza Goddard slamming the industry that has treated her so well.

But it is not her colleagues or her work that drives her up the wall Ð it is the "ridiculous" cost the average audience-goer has to pay.

"The West End is far too costly," Liza tells me from her home in Norfolk.

"The other day, my friend took four people out to dinner and then on to a play in London and it cost her £500 which is outrageous. Commercial theatre is so expensive. I refuse to pay £37.50 for two actors and one set Ð it is crazy."

Despite the lure of the West End, 53-year-old Liza is proud to be part of the touring theatre scene, visiting provincial audiences in the UK. She can be seen in The Edge of Darkness by Brian Clemens at the Wycombe Swan next week and in Somerset Maugham's comedy The Constant Wife at the Theatre Royal Windsor later this summer.

The former Bergerac star plays Laura Cranwell in Clemens' psychological thriller. Set in Victorian times, the play centres on Laura and her husband (Tony Scannell who plays Ted Roach in The Bill) who find their long-lost daughter (Clare McGlinn, Coronation Street's Charlie Ramsden) and bring her home, only to find some rather alarming changes in their child.

"I love the sort of plays I am doing," she continues.

"We try to give the quality of the West End but it only costs £10. What's more, you can have dinner at home, the parking is free and you have a really good night for not much cost. Everywhere we go, the theatres are full Ð people are coming to see touring theatre in their droves."

Liza's appearances on stage are equal to the impact she has made on the small screen, first making her name in the hit series Take Three Girls. I ask her which medium she prefers working in.

"Television," she replies, without hesitation.

"It is much easier and better paid. Theatre is really hard work. It requires an enormous amount of dedication and concentration. You have to do eight shows a week and every single night has to be done as if it is the first.

"It keeps you incredibly fit though with all the running up and down stairs. It also requires a lot of energy to project your voice. You'll find most actors are fit."

With so much work lined up, is she considering taking a break?

"I am packing in the work but it is just the way it is at the moment. Besides, I have to earn the money. I'm not like Jane Asher who, I have just read, has £41 million from book sales. I don't have that sort of money so I take what work is offered."

This attitude to live for the day is something that Liza has adopted after surviving breast cancer seven years ago.

"It was a very frightening experience. You go along thinking you will live to 90 and then you realise you could go tomorrow. I used to live for the future and think, I will do this and that one day. Now I live for the day."

The Edge of Darkness is at Wycombe Swan from next Monday to Saturday July 26 at various times. Tickets cost from £11 to £18. Call the box office on 01494 512000.

The Constant Wife runs at the Theatre Royal Windsor from August 27 to September 6. Call the box office on 01753 853888.

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