LONG before he made his name in the Carry On films, Charles Hawtrey played a series of women. It therefore made sense to Amanda Lawrence to turn the tables on him in her new show, Jiggery Pokery.
The play, which is at the Unity next week as part of the Homotopia not Homophobia festival, is a journey through his life from his successful years to his drunken and lonely death.
For Lawrence, it all started when she was the only woman acting in a stage show and someone pointed out that, in her glasses, she bore a strong resemblance to Hawtrey.
Despite their physical similarities, which are less obvious when the actress is out of character, her performance is not aiming at impersonation.
“I am not trying to convince people I am him,” she explains.
“I’m interested in the idea of a woman playing a man who is quite comfortable being a woman, and of the dynamic between public and private.”
Born in Middlesex in 1914, Hawtrey started his career as an actor and director, regularly starring in films throughout the 30s and 40s.
He went on to become one of Britain’s best-loved comedy actors and a mainstay of the Carry On team.
But his personal life told a different story.
