UMichael Hodges uncokola no-Alison Steadman malunga nokwenza oonodoli, umdlalo wakhe omtsha kanomathotholo, Ubudlelwane, kunye nendlela angayi kubuyela ngayo kwinqanaba lemidlalo yeqonga.
UAlison Steadman uye wenza ubugcisa. Andikwazanga ukuphuma ndiye kuthenga, utshilo ekwikhaya lakhe elikumantla eLondon. Ngoko ndenza oonopopi kunye nempahla yokunxiba ngamasuntswana amadala namaqhekeza endinawo ekhaya. Ndiyayithanda.
USteadman akazange athethe ngoonopopi ekuqaleni kokuvalwa. Emva koko, inkwenkwezi yeRadio 4 comedy Relativity yaxelela Amaxesha eRadio wayedlula efake igin kunye neetonics kwaye abukele umxhesho wakhe weentaka. Kwiinyanga kamva, uSteadman uyavuma ukuba wayengaziva onwabile njengoko wayevakala. Ndandiyoyika, utsho umdlali weqonga oneminyaka engama-73 ubudala. Ndiyayithanda inkampani. Ndifuna abahlobo abakufutshane ukuze bandithuthuzele kwaye ndifuna ukuthetha nosapho lwam.
U-Steadman wenze umsebenzi wakhe ongalibalekiyo kwimeko yentsapho: UNksz Bennet kwi-Pride and Prejudice, uPam Shipman eGavin & Stacey, u-Edith kunye noJohn Cleese kwi-Hold the Sunset. Ngoku ubuyile kuthotho lwesithathu lweRelativity, uthotho lukaRichard Herring malunga nezizukulwana ezithathu zosapho olunye. Udlala uMargaret, umfazi kaPhil Davies's Ken. Unyana wabo, u-Ian, udlalwa nguHerring: URichard yindoda enkulu, utsho. Unobushushu bokwenene ngaye.
USteadman ubonakala ethanda wonke umntu avela naye- bendikuthanda ukusebenza noJohn Cleese - kodwa umdlalo ohlekisayo kanomathotholo lulonwabo lwakhe olukhulu. Ndonwaba kakhulu xa ndisestudiyo kunye nabo bonke abadlali. Oku ngokuyinxenye, uyavuma uSteadman, kuba akufuneki acengceleze iskripthi.
Uyavuma ukuba imigca yokufunda yenye yezinto eziye zaba nzima njengoko ekhula – kwaye oko kumbangele intlungu. Ndadibana nentatheli kwiminyaka emibini edluleyo ethekweni yaza yabuza, ‘Ihamba njani imigca?’ Ndathi, ‘Kundithatha ixesha eliphindwe kalishumi, kodwa ndiyakwazi ukuyenza.’ Yaye yabeka into efana no’Alison Steadman ukulahlekelwa yinkumbulo yakhe yexesha elifutshane 'ephepheni. Yayimanyumnyezi, yaye yayindidandathekisa nje.
Uyakuvuyela ukuvuma ukuva iminyaka ngezinye iindlela. Andikwazi ukwenza imisebenzi emininzi ngakumbi. Ndiyadinwa, utsho. Ngequbuliso, kwi-70s yakho, uye, ‘Heke. Ndiyayifumana.’ Ndizifumana ngoku ndisamkela ukuba andinakuyenza le nto yaye andinakuyenza leya. Ndonwabe kakhulu. Akuyoyiki, nangayiphi na indlela.
UAlison Steadman ngaphakathi
Luhambo nje lobomi. Ndikhumbula xa ndandimalunga ne-14 leminyaka ubudala, ndabhala idayari, ‘Ndicinga ukuba mhlawumbi ndiya kufa xa ndineminyaka engama-35 ubudala’, yaye ngelo xesha oko kwakubonakala kundala, ndimdala ngokwenene. Kuyaphambana nje, akunjalo?
NjengoMargaret kwiRelativity, uSteadman ngumakhulu ngokwakhe. UFreddy oneminyaka emithathu ubudala ngunyana wonyana wakhe uToby owathi, kunye nomntakwabo uLeo, waba yimveliso yomtshato wakhe we-28 weminyaka nombhali kunye nomenzi wefilimu uMike Leigh. Ndiyamthanda ngokupheleleyo, utshilo uSteadman, eveza ukuba ukwenzela uFreddy izinto kumgcina esempilweni ngexesha lokuvalwa. Ndamenzela unodoli we-papier-mâché kaMnu Punch. Ufuna nje iphephandaba, umgubo kunye namanzi. Andikamenzi uJudy okwangoku, kodwa ndizimisele ukwenza njalo. Awunakukwazi ukuba noNksk Punch, akunjalo?
Akayifanelanga kakhulu iminyaka #MeToo, ndicebisa. Ngaba uPunch akanguye umxhaphazi onobundlobongela? Utshintshile ngoku. Akaphindi ambethe entloko umfazi wakhe. Kodwa uyoyika kakhulu, uFreddy akamthandi. Ndathi ndakumbonisa uMnumzana Punch kwiFaceTime wathoba intloko yakhe phantsi wajonga emhlabeni, ndaza ndacinga, ‘Hmm.’ Unyana wam wathi, ‘Mama, beka uMnu. Uyoyikeka.’
Kwangoko kutshixiwe uSteadman wayekwifilimu yemizuzu elishumi yochungechunge lwe-BBC4 engazange ibonwe ngaphambili, efota izigcawu kunye neqabane uMichael Elwyn kwi-iPhone. Uvuyiswa bubugcisa bale mihla. Iyamangalisa, utsho. Abazali bam babengenawo umnxeba wasendlini de ndibe neminyaka eli-15 ubudala kwaye kwafuneka ucele imvume yokufowuna – kwakubiza imali eninzi. Emva koko, xa ndisuka eLiverpool ukuya esikolweni sedrama, ndikhumbula ukufowunela ekhaya kunye nokukrazula iingqekembe kwi-beep beep beep sound, oko kwakuthetha ukubeka imali eninzi. Dlulisa iminyaka eyi-50 kwaye unako Skype abantu eMelika kwaye uxoxe.
Kwi-East 15 Acting School u-Steadman wayengqongwe ngabafazi base-Essex, kwaye kamva wazoba accents zabo ze-estuarine zika-Beverly, umama wekhaya okhohlakeleyo kodwa obuhlungu kwi-Leigh's Abigail's Party, impumelelo yakhe yokuqala ye-TV ngo-1977. Beverly kwaye, kude kube yi-2014, uSteadman wayesabonakala kwi-West End. Ndoyika kancinci eqongeni, utsho ngokurhabaxa. Andicingi ukuba ndiza kuphinda ndiyenze ithiyetha kwakhona. Ndikhumbula ndikuMalume uVanya [ngowe-1979] noIan Holm, owasweleka kule veki. Wayesoyika kwaye sathetha ngayo. Ndandicinga, ‘Gosh, ndiyazibuza ukuba injani loo nto. Kwenzeka njani oko?’ Ngoku ndilapho nam. Ekuqaleni, yayindenza buhlungu kakhulu, kodwa ngoku, ndicinga ukuba, ‘Kulungile, yamkele. Unokwenza telly. Unokwenza unomathotholo.’
UGavin kunye noStacey badlala (BBC)
Ndibuza uSteadman ukuba yeyiphi indima yakhe eyona nto ininzi kuzo-uBeverly, uPam Shipman, uMargaret kwiRelativity? Ukhetha i-hippy-dippy Candice Marie kwi-Leigh's peerless Nuts ngoMeyi. Ukuwangawangisa isikhafu kwimpepho kunye nokucinga kwamaxesha aphakathi kwiNqaba yaseCorfe kunye nabo bonke abantu kwiimpahla zabo zokuhombisa, yayininzi into yam kuloo nto, utsho. Kwakukudala kakhulu, xa ndiyibukela, ayibonakali njengam. Ijongeka njengomntu ongomnye.
Ukusebenza kwakhe okulandelayo kuya kuba segadini yakhe, apho uSteadman ngoku anokuthi adibane noFreddy kwimiboniso yoonodoli engaqhelekanga. Hayi, hayi uMnu Punch! utsho xa ndibuza. NdineSooty endala. Ndiyigcina ebhegini aze athi, ‘Sooty, uphi?’ de ndiyikhuphe. Intliziyo yakho iyanyibilika.
Olu dliwano-ndlebe lwavela okokuqala kwiphephancwadi. Olona dliwano-ndlebe lukhulu kunye noluhlu oluhle kakhulu lweTV bhalisela ngoku kwaye ungaze uphoswe yikopi.