In the farce lane

Ray Cooney is one of Britain’s most successful playwrights. To date he has had 17 plays staged in the West End including Run For Your Wife and Funny Money.  His work has been translated into more than 40 languages and countless productions have been staged all around the world. He was recognised with an OBE in the New Years Honours (2005).

How did it feel to be awarded an OBE?

It felt good, especially since the citation was for services to drama. It was nice that my work was seen as part of British drama as a whole.

You started off as an actor. How did you get into writing?

It was total accident. As a boy all I ever wanted to be was Olivier or Brando. I started working as an actor at the age of 14 and then joined Brian Rix’s company for four years. About half-way through that run I started writing. I didn’t realise that I knew about how to structure a play and things like that, but I had obviously learnt from being on stage. My first play, written with Tony Hilton, was One For The Pot which, happily, was immediately successful.

How do you manage to combine your writing with  acting, directing and producing?

Acting for me is a joy. Writing, directing and producing is hard work. I tend to do one thing at a time. If I’m writing then that’s it. My full focus is on that.

Were you aware from the start that you would always be a comedy writer?

Yes, I set out to write comedy specifically for Brian Rix. Having worked with him farce is what came naturally to me. I don’t have anything to say. I just want to make people laugh! What I do is look for a story about ordinary people – unlike Alan Ayckbourn for example, who tends to write about quirky people. Farce is like tragedy in that respect – extraordinary things happening to ordinary people. And when we’re rehearsing we never talking about laughter, we concentrate on the dramatic line.

How has the West End changed over the years?

It’s tougher now. There are so many musicals and the price differential between a musical and a play is not great enough. If people can see a huge, elaborate musical for only a little bit more than a simply staged play then it’s going to be tough for the play to get a big audience. I’m hoping to have a top price for my next play, Tom, Dick And Harry, of £25.  Having said that, people still want to laugh. And regional theatre is in pretty good shape at the moment.

There don’t seem to be many new comedy writers coming through in the theatre at the moment to carry on the tradition of Ben Travers, Brian Rix and yourself. Do you have any theories as to why that might be?

Lots of comedy writers go into TV now, so there are fewer in the theatre. And you need to really know how the theatre works if you are going to write the kind of plays that I write. Young writers now don’t often get that experience. I was fortunate, firstly in having been an actor and secondly that I had a year to write and re-write my first play – I have always been a ruthless re-writer.

Has TV always been an extra to you?

Yes. I’ve done TV and had many discussions over the years about films but I love the theatre. I love the contact with the audience. I’ve just been workshopping a new musical and it was absolutely thrilling to see how an audience responded.

This article first appeared in the Guild's magazine, UK Writer (Spring 2005).