Giving voice to Prokofiev
12:15pm Friday 28th March 2008
The phone rings just a few times before Brian Blessed's distinctive voice booms loudly though my earpiece. "Hello, hello," he sings with hearty laughter, before adding, "Gordon's all-iive?" purely for my amusement.
The 71-year-old actor, with an impressive beard and stature to match, is perhaps best known for his prolific television, film and stage career. His diverse roles over the years have included PC "Fancy" Smith in Z Cars, Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon, the Emperor Augustus in I, Claudius, and most recently the voice for the Star Wars character Boss Nass.
But today, Brian wants to talk about his latest venture in a new stage version of Prokofiev's Peter And The Wolf, which arrives in High Wycombe in a fortnight.
Directed by Anne Geenen, the story revolves around a young boy named Peter, who disobeys his grandfather and tries, with the help of his friends the bird, the duck and the cat, to catch a vicious wolf. Brian will put his legendary vocals to good use in the production as the all-important narrator.
"I'm totally looking forward to it," says Brian enthusiastically. "It's a very simple story, but it has a lovely delicacy and beauty to it, particularly the way the forest has been recreated on stage. It's a bit of a challenge, but I can't wait."
The Yorkshire-born actor is well suited for the role, if only because Peter And The Wolf's central theme of nature is one that has always been very close to Brian's heart.
He has just completed a six-year term as president of The Council for National Parks and is a great supporter of many animal and wildlife charities, including the RSPCA and The Born Free Foundation. He shares his home in Surrey with "about 500 animals", which are "mostly" horses, ponies and dogs.
"I've always loved animals," Brian tells me. "In fact, I admire them. They live now, whereas we live in the past or in a non-existent future. By doing that, I think one misses the point of life."
Brian, who is married to actress Hildegard Neil, adds: "In the mornings, I like nothing better than being in the same room as my dogs and watching them sleeping. Your heart rate naturally slows down with them. It feels lovely."
His love for the natural world has also spurred Brian towards becoming a keen explorer. In recent years he has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua in the Andes, as well as trekking to the magnetic North Pole and deep into the jungles of Venezuela.
He has even climbed Mount Everest three times, but hasn't yet made it to the summit.
"I'll go back again in about a year's time," says Brian. "The Nepalese government wants me to wear oxygen from about 25,000 feet. They seem determined to wet-nurse me to the top!"
A keen sportsman, Brian runs about eight miles every day and lifts weights for two hours. So there's not even a hint of the larger-than-life actor slowing down just yet.
"Retire? Retire from what?" he retorts. "I've always been a great believer of it's not how old you are, it's how you are old. And right now, I feel like a man of 30."
And with such an evident zest for life, who could possibly argue with that?
Peter And The Wolf arrives at Wycombe Swan on Tuesday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 9, 1pm and 5pm. Tickets: 01494 512000