Olivier Award-nominated actress Beverley Klein reflects on a life spent on stage

One of the greatest musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof takes to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from October 7 to 18, starring Olivier Award nominee Beverly Klein, who is phenomenal in the iconic role as Yente. Klein became best known for her musical theatre roles, though she also appeared in plays such as Cornelius and Deathtrap. She played the recurring roles of Madame Ovary in Paris and Lyn Paul in Casualty as well as starring as Mrs Winters in Swinging With the Finkels. Her TV and film roles include Mr Selfridge, Call the Midwife, Ripper Street and she is the voice of Mrs Thimble in the Angelina Ballerina series.

Was a career in the theatre something you always aspired to?

I have wanted to be an actress ever since I was seven years old and scored a hit in a play my best friend and classmate had written. I’m meeting up with her in Manchester so I should thank her or possibly curse her! I was at the bus stop with my mum when another parent and child recognised me and praised me. The damage was done.

How do you go about taking a story or character from the page and bringing it to life on the stage or screen?

I’m not one for too much research – I’m far too lazy for a start and sometimes it’s redundant if there’s no relevance to the scenes in the actual play. Of course, knowledge of the context is vital, but in the end, I can only empathise and bring myself to whatever is on the page.

Tell us about Fiddler on the Roof and your character of Yente.

Fiddler on the Roof is about a father and his family in a Russian village in 1902. He struggles with changing values in his society and must find ways of accommodating new ideas and learn how to adapt and grow. It could be set anywhere and anytime, since parents are still having to learn new ways of accepting and loving their kids. It’s also about how politics in the big world outside affect small communities directly and can inflict massive changes. It’s also extremely funny and warm with great songs and fantastic dancing. Yente is a busy Matchmaker who thinks she has arranged a fantastic match, but things don’t go according to plan, with amusing consequences.

Who is someone you look up to in the world of theatre, Irish or otherwise?

Anyone who can keep going in this business we call show, maintaining a sense of humour and their integrity, deserves to be fêted.

What is one thing you wish everyone knew about working in theatre?

99.9% of actors, if you asked them this question, would tell you that it’s really hard work. Eight shows a week is not for the fainthearted, especially for a musical. On top of the performances, there are extra rehearsals and warm-ups. The actual show can be the tip of the iceberg. And of course, if there are stairs involved, which there usually are… It can be wonderful fun of course, and the camaraderie is a great healer! Even at my advanced age, I have made wonderful new friends on this job who make any weariness worthwhile.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone hoping to have a career in the arts?

Only do it if you cannot imagine your life in any other sphere.

Beverley Klein’s life in culture

The last thing I saw and loved… I’ve been working pretty solidly onstage for the past couple of years, so I rarely get the chance to see anything, but I loved seeing my friend Samuel Barnett playing Benjamin Britten in a two-hander with Victoria Yeates. Seeing friends in shows is wonderful. Mason Alexander Park was wonderful as Ariel at Drury Lane recently – he was my first Emcee in Cabaret. Paapa Essiedu was remarkable at Soho Place in Death of England. I don’t know him; he’s merely a brilliant actor.

The book I keep coming back to… I used to have a copy of Jane Eyre on semi-permanent loan from the library when I was a child.

I find inspiration in… Still getting up in the morning in reasonable health.

My favourite film is… Groundhog Day. A profoundly funny film which says everything you need to know about how to live your life.

My career highlight is… I’ve had many terrific roles, but most recently being nominated for an Olivier award for Yente made me very proud.

The last piece of art I recommended is… Mick Herron’s series of books, Slow Horses. I’ve read ‘em all, can’t wait to start the new one, and series five of the television series is planned for next week.

I never leave the house without… Well, obviously my phone, keys, distance glasses and Freedom pass. Anything else is just superfluous.

The piece of art I still think about is… Nicholas Nickleby at the RSC. Catch it online if you can. I’ll never forget being in that audience. It was the first thing I saw after losing my mother that filled me with joy.

My dream role would be… A long-running TV series set in the Cotswolds or Devon, filmed in the summer months, where I am a cheeky comedy regular, maybe fifth on the call sheet, so not in the make-up chair too early, and wearing comfy shoes.

The art that means the most to me is… I watch a lot of TV. A lot. It’s my happy place and I’m unrepentant. I also love art galleries and costume exhibitions. The Royal Academy and the Tate Modern usually hit the mark.

My favourite moment in this show is… Performing the opening number, ‘Tradition’, with most of the company. I’m filled with pride by being amongst their skill and enthusiasm, even when we’ve done it seven or eight times that week already.

The most challenging thing about being on stage is… Once again, I have to mention… the stairs! You’re not usually allowed to use the lift (if there is one) after the half-hour call, because they can be very rickety in old touring theatres and they don’t want you to get stuck and miss your cue. Sometimes I have been known to, however. Don’t tell anyone, will you?

After a show, I… go for a drink with the cast usually. In the olden days, we would generally go out for dinner to a late-night show-folk hang-out, but the young’uns don’t seem to do that anymore. Now on tour, it’s chips and wings from a questionable van!

If I weren’t an actor, I would be… In a ditch.

The magic of theatre/acting to me is… Being in a company of actors of all ages and backgrounds and making a piece together that matters to us all.

Photography by Marc Brenner.

Fiddler on the Roof runs until October 18 at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. Tickets are on sale here.