Afridiziak Theatre News interview with Don Warrington, Rum and Coca Cola
Words: Sophia A Jackson
Published February 26, 2010

Trinidad born, actor Don Warrington trained at the Drama Centre in London. With a career spanning over many decades, he is best known for his role as Phil in the classic hit BBC comedy series, Rising Damp. He is now remembered by younger audiences for his fancy footwork in Strictly Come Dancing, 2008.

No stranger to the stage, Don Warrington has starred in Kwame Kwei Armah’s, Statement of Regret and Elmina’s Kitchen. However, this March he makes his directorial debut in the West Yorkshire Playhouse with Mustapha Matura’s play, Rum and Coca Cola.

Professor, an ageing ex-Calypso King, has been reduced to singing on the beach for tourists accompanied by Slim, a young street boy, whom he attempts to turn from a life of crime. Earning just enough to keep themselves in rum and roti, Professor is teaching Slim the art of Calypso writing, so that they can compose a song with a melody charming enough to win the title of King of Calypso. But past glories and failures haunt Professor, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth that only rum and Slim’s company can sweeten. Wanting the world for his student, Professor has ambitions for his young protégé that stretch further than the tropical horizon: if only he can let go of the past.

Mustapha has re-worked his original 1976 script for a 2010 audience.
The play is a two-hander with Victor Romero Evans who plays Professor and Marcel McCalla playing Slim. The play is a co-production between Talawa, West Yorkshire Playhouse and English Touring Theatre and runs from 5 March – 3 April.

So I’m guessing you’re out of your comfort zone now you’ve turned your hand to directing. How did you prepare for the crossover from being an actor to becoming a director?
You’re guessing right. I’m not sure what preparation one can make – I was asked and it seemed like a good idea. Secretly, I’ve always thought it would be interesting. The initial proposal was from Pat Cumper, artistic director, Talawa Theatre Company and she spoke to Ian Brown and a few other people and they seemed to agree. One doesn’t know how it’s going to turn out but you live with your apprehensions and hope you don’t succumb.

Which directors did you turn to for advice, guidance and inspiration when making this career change?
Peter Brook at the Barbican, who is the guru of all directors was giving a talk and his advice was simple – don’t listen to any advice and follow your instincts, that’s all you’ve got. I thought that was pretty sound advice.

Were there elements of your skills that you’ve honed as an actor which you were able to transfer to directing?
Hopefully, yes. It’s hard to say. I think in many ways as an actor, you’re directing yourself. You’re making choices about the character and in the same way you’re making choices about the play and which direction. With acting and directing, it’s all a question of choices and hopefully it’s the right choice. One has to be open to what’s happening in rehearsals as there are things that happen that you can’t really plan for and people do things you can’t predict. I think most actors want someone to look at what they do and give them an opinion and actors are fairly vulnerable people who want an objective view of what they’re doing. With Rum and Coca Cola we all seem to be responding to each other well.

How do you feel about being judged by your directing standards now instead of your acting?
It’s how life is – it’s what’s going to happen, it’s like anything else if I feel I’ve done the best I can then whatever judgement comes I will take it on the chin.

What was it about Mustapha Matura’s Rum and Coca Cola that tempted you over any other play in choosing it as your directorial debut?
I have to say I was asked to do it. I read the play and thought ‘yes’, the opportunity’s there. It’s a two hander so in that sense it might be the best way in.

How did your Trinidadian roots help in your direction of the play?
It’s nice to do a play about the place that I’m from because one has instinct and memory and a basic knowledge of Trinidad and that must help.

In short, Rum and Coca Cola is described as a ‘bittersweet tale celebrating the art of Calypso and human friendship’. Can you share any tales of how rum and coca cola, and Calypso have helped any relationships in your own life?
I’d love to share that kind of thing with you but apart from the fact that I’ve drunk rum and coca cola, and danced to calypso I don’t have anything else to share with you.

There’s more to life than theatre. Tell me about your role in Gurinder Chadha’s new film It’s a Wonderful Afterlife which is out in April?
How did you know about that? I play a policeman. I’ve suddenly started to play a policeman and I thought I’ll have a go and yes, it was fun to do.

What more does 2010 have in store for you? More acting, more directing or bit of both?
2010 is yet to unfold itself to me – I live in the moment and so the future will reveal itself.

Recently a cultural critic, Lindsay Johns, said in a newspaper piece that black theatre was too ghetto. What are your thoughts on this?
I think that we have to look at the arbiter’s of taste and what they are asking for. I do think the imagination needs to be liberated in terms of the image of black people in theatre and film, however. We have to broaden our scope – the broader the better, and the less likely to have these accusations made. It’s difficult to say black theatre is this or that. We have to look at who controls the agenda and one has to look at what underlying encouragement is being given to the writers. What are people asking them for? Writers need to live and they respond to demand.