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Who was Robert Falcon Scott?
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| Original cast members Jamie Lee (Amundsen) and Adrian Lukis (Scott) |
Explorer Robert Falcon Scott was both adored for his adventure-seeking spirit and despised for his gung-ho attitude, but what was he really like?
According to actor David Burt, who plays Scott in The Last South: Pursuit of The Pole, which arrives in Maidenhead and Oxford this week, he was a very complex man indeed.
"There were certainly polarised opinions of Scott's character," explains RADA-trained David.
"Some people really resented him and thought that his trip was not very well planned at all and that he ignored good advice from fellow explorers. Some even called him "Boy Scout of the Antarctic".
"To an extent all of that is true, but his heart was always in the right place."
The Last South, written by G M Calhoun, charts the historic race from 1910 to 1912, between Norwegian Roald Amundsen (played by Christian Olliver) and British-born Robert Falcon Scott, to reach the South Pole first.
Much of the script has been based on the pair's actual expedition diaries and charts both the triumphs and hardships faced by Scott and Amundsen on their separate, but concurrent journeys.
As history reveals, Scott actually lost the race to Amundsen's Norwegian party and on his return, he and his four comrades perished from exhaustion, hunger and extreme cold.
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| David Burt plays Robert Falcon Scott |
"The disappointment he must have felt doesn't bear thinking about," adds David. "Scott had travelled literally thousands of miles and then in the distance he sees this speck, which to his dread turns out to be a Norwegian flag.
| "His spirit and sense of honour almost got him through. Tragically he was just 11 miles from a place where he could have got his men together." | | David Burt on Robert Falcon Scott |
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"On the way there he had always felt this great sense of success. He believed he would be first, that it was rightfully his prize, because he was British and upper-class.
"But certainly when he realised Amundsen had got there first, then came the true test of character."
In researching his role for the play, which is directed by Rob Mulholland, David discovered that Scott had "an immense spirit".
The seasoned actor, who has starred in such West End shows as Cats, Evita and Les Miserables, adds: "His spirit and sense of honour almost got him through. Tragically he was just 11 miles from a place where he could have got his men together. But the dreadful weather held him back."
Despite failing in his expedition and ultimately losing his life, Scott became a "quintessential British hero", albeit one who was flawed.
"People who see this play will learn about the real Scott. He was a man with a gung-ho mentality who was incredibly driven, but in the end that simply wasn't enough."
The Last South: Pursuit of The Pole arrives at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead on Thursday, April 10. Tickets: 01628 788997. Also at Oxford Playhouse on Friday, April 11. Tickets: 01865 305305.
4:01pm Friday 4th April 2008
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