Rebekah Pickering-Wood Interview: Great Expectations actors Darren Day and Myrra Malmberg.
Title
Rebekah Pickering-Wood Interview: Great Expectations actors Darren Day and Myrra Malmberg.
Date
21 November 2018
Description
Oral history interview with Rebekah Pickering-Wood about her childhood experiences of performing at the Theatre Royal in Great Expectations in 1994 and A Christmas Carol in 1995.
What's the story?
Born in Nottingham in 1983, Rebekah Pickering-Wood performed as a child in two Christmas shows, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol at the Theatre Royal in 1994 and 1995. These two Dickens stage adaptations replaced the traditional Pantomime for two seasons.
From the audition process to performing on stage, Rebekah provides a vivid account of this period in her life, as well as an insight into the life of the theatre.
Rebekah reminisces about actors Darren Day and Myrra Malmberg who played Pip and Estella in Great Expectations.
So from the people who were the main characters, so Darren Day was the lead, he played Pip as an adult. Now at the time, this was when he was just coming out of the back of major shows like Godspell and I think Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well. So he was the new young actor who was doing a lot of theatre at that time. And so as a result there was a lot of buzz around the idea that he was the star. And he was a really nice person to talk to. He was in his twenties, a bit of a celebrity and I think he knew it a little bit. He was very “Oh hi, I’m here now”. But that was good because it was exciting to see how people responded to him as well because he was the star.
The other actors who played the key roles: Estella was played by Myrra Malmberg. I believe she was a Swedish actress. Absolutely beautiful. She had this beautiful long blond hair. I’ve not actually seen her in anything before or since, but all I can remember about her was her singing voice was just off the scale – it was absolutely beautiful. And she had this glamorous blue gown that she would wear for her role. And as she walked through the corridors, it would swish and it was just like mirror, it shone as she walked and we were all “Oh wow, she’s so amazing! Isn’t she the coolest person we’ve ever seen, ever.”
From the audition process to performing on stage, Rebekah provides a vivid account of this period in her life, as well as an insight into the life of the theatre.
Rebekah reminisces about actors Darren Day and Myrra Malmberg who played Pip and Estella in Great Expectations.
So from the people who were the main characters, so Darren Day was the lead, he played Pip as an adult. Now at the time, this was when he was just coming out of the back of major shows like Godspell and I think Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well. So he was the new young actor who was doing a lot of theatre at that time. And so as a result there was a lot of buzz around the idea that he was the star. And he was a really nice person to talk to. He was in his twenties, a bit of a celebrity and I think he knew it a little bit. He was very “Oh hi, I’m here now”. But that was good because it was exciting to see how people responded to him as well because he was the star.
The other actors who played the key roles: Estella was played by Myrra Malmberg. I believe she was a Swedish actress. Absolutely beautiful. She had this beautiful long blond hair. I’ve not actually seen her in anything before or since, but all I can remember about her was her singing voice was just off the scale – it was absolutely beautiful. And she had this glamorous blue gown that she would wear for her role. And as she walked through the corridors, it would swish and it was just like mirror, it shone as she walked and we were all “Oh wow, she’s so amazing! Isn’t she the coolest person we’ve ever seen, ever.”
Type
Oral History
Location of item
Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers sally Smith and Phil Smith
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
