Interview: Harry Long on Peter James’ LOOKING GOOD DEAD

Harry Long (pictured right)

The thrilling Roy Grace series from multi-million No.1 best-selling author Peter James returns with the world premiere stage production of Looking Good Dead, which is currently touring the UK. We spoke to Harry Long, who plays Detective Superintendent Roy Grace himself, about the show and its translation to stage.

If anyone hasn’t read the original novel, what is Looking Good Dead about and who do you play in the show?

The story is about the Bryce family. Tom Bryce, played by Adam Woodyatt, finds a memory stick on a train and what they find on the memory stick then draws them into a slightly hellish story. If I say anything more than that, I risk giving something away! I play Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, the Detective who appears in all of Peter James’ seventeen ‘Grace’ novels. He is a brilliant detective and at the heart of his story, he has a personal case that he has never been able to solve – Sandy, his partner has disappeared and he doesn’t know where she is. This element of mystery lies at the heart of him as a character.

Several Peter James novels have now made it onto the stage. What do you think makes them translate so well to the stage?

Peter James’ novels are brilliantly structured to lead you down a trail and think you’re going one way before you’re suddenly pulled in another direction. They’re incredibly dramatic in that sense and anything with that much drama packed into it is bound to translate well to the stage. There have been some changes to the story so even if you’re someone who knows the book well, you will still be surprised. A novel has different rules to a play so if you’re going to make a successful adaptation, you do have to change some things but it still has that Peter James edge to it. It definitely explores some of the more sinister parts of human nature, which is what makes it so compelling, that investigation of the dark corners of humanity alongside a twisting rollercoaster ride of a play.

What has the process of putting this novel on stage been like? Does approaching the story as self-contained piece rather than one of a series change the way you approach it?

There have been seventeen of these novels, which are all huge best-sellers so our audiences often know just as much about Roy Grace as we do, if not more! By creating these characters on stage, it gives us the chance to give audiences an insight into a character’s personality or motivation in a different way than when you are reading.

There seems to be quite a few crime thrillers in theatres at the moment. Why do you think audiences love this genre so much?

It’s just such a rollercoaster! It’s a very high stakes story and as you go down the path of investigation with an investigator, it is very satisfying for the audience who can follow along and try and get ahead of the plot, identifying clues as they appear and be their own detectives to work out who has done what. It’s an opportunity for an audience to play detective and full of twists and turns.

Recently Laurie Brett has taken over from Gaynor Faye. What was the process of rehearsing her into the show like and has it brought a new dynamic to the play?

Both Gaynor and Laurie are fantastic. They’re two lovely people and two extremely clever actors so it’s a real joy working with both of them. When Laurie joined us, the company had established the rhythm of the show so it’s great to have someone like Laurie come in who really chases their motivation and doesn’t just let things go. Laurie created her own rhythms and motivations which spread out and affected the rest of the show and the rest of the company which in turn affected the rhythm of the piece, which is brilliant as it gives you such a fresh take on a show, especially when you’ve been performing it for a few months. She has asked questions of us as actors and of her own character. It’s been really lovely to work with both of them.

What is it like to tour the country, changing venues so frequently?

We have been in a very privileged position as we started the tour when the country was just starting to come back to theatres and edge its way out of lockdown. We saw early trepidation moving to growing confidence and real joy to be back in theatres and experiencing communal entertainment. We get to see these beautiful theatres, spending a week in these towns and cities and finding a little café you like and exploring the area a bit before moving on to somewhere else. It’s just long enough to get to know a city before you move on, but it is really lovely. We have seen cities move from being very quiet to now being busier and the life coming back into them. 

How did you break into acting and is there any advice you would offer to anyone hoping to do the same?

I went to drama school and after that, I started a theatre company with a friend. I would be involved in writing, directing, producing and performing plays with a team of other people. We then were able to start running a theatre in Dorset alongside the theatre company and I started to not have time to do the acting jobs that I wanted to do. I had to make a conscious decision to put that aside and concentrate on just being an actor because there are only so many hours in a day! When I came back to being an actor, I found that I had benefitted from seeing so many other elements to the process and it has helped me immeasurably when doing the job I need to do. I feel much more confident as an actor know and very grateful to have had that experience. The thing I always say to other people is don’t sit and wait. If you’ve got time and energy and you’re able to then make your own work. The whole industry benefits from that. Keep making and keep working because it develops you and keeps your creative instincts alive.

Looking Good Dead is currently playing at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford before continuing its tour. For more information and to book tickets, please click here.