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Acting pals Cumming and Henderson put 40-year friendship onto paper
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Culture & Society

Acting pals Cumming and Henderson put 40-year friendship onto paper

From BBC News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

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  • Actors Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson, friends for 40 years, are starring together in the stage musical "The History of Paper."
  • The play, which explores a couple's life through the documents they collect, became more poignant after the death of its writer, Oliver Emanuel.
  • Cumming, now artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, cast himself and Henderson to play younger versions of their current selves, drawing on their shared history and vulnerability.

A 40-year friendship between acclaimed actors Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson has translated onto the stage with their joint appearance in "The History of Paper" at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Cumming, who also serves as the theatre's artistic director, saw an opportunity to blend their enduring bond with the poignant narrative of the musical.

I thought I was such a sophisticated older man. I had a mortgage. I was married. And yet when I look back now, I see I was just a child.

— Alan CummingReflecting on his younger self when he first met Shirley Henderson.

The play, penned by the late Oliver Emanuel, uses the accumulation of paper – letters, bills, and other documents – to chart the course of a couple's life together. The production gained an added layer of emotional depth following Emanuel's passing in 2023. Cumming and Henderson, who first met decades ago on the STV drama "Shadow of the Stone," found a natural synergy in portraying characters reflecting on their past.

We both have a sort of a child like quality to us. And we're both prepared to be vulnerable as actors.

— Alan CummingDescribing the qualities that make him and Henderson suitable for their roles.

Cumming, now 61, and Henderson, 60, are cast to play younger versions of themselves, a concept he proposed to director Andrew Panton. "We both have a sort of a child like quality to us," Cumming remarked, "And we're both prepared to be vulnerable as actors." This shared history and comfort level allow them to authentically portray a couple navigating the complexities of life and memory through song and dialogue.

It's just easy to be with Alan. We have a good chemistry. We don't over analyse it.

— Shirley HendersonCommenting on her comfortable working relationship with Cumming.

Their reunion on stage follows a previous collaboration on Brian Cox's directorial debut, "Glenrothan." It was during the filming of that project that Cumming saw "The History of Paper" and was moved to bring it to Pitlochry. "I went back to work on the film and I said to Shirley, 'I've seen this incredible show. It was just so moving'," he recalled. The production aims to capture the tender tale of a couple's journey, amplified by the actors' genuine connection and willingness to explore vulnerability.

I come to see you before the show, each night, and I say, 'let's have fun'. If we can, because it's terrifying.

— Alan CummingDescribing the pre-show ritual and the emotional intensity of the performance.
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Originally published by BBC News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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