Lisa’s roles are poles apart
If you liked The Full Monty and adored Calendar Girls, you’re going to love The Naked Truth. Susan Welsh caught up with the show’s star, Lisa Riley, to discuss the real-life dilemmas of being a modern woman
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LISA Riley is very glad she’s not a rotter – or at least doesn’t get offered parts in which she has to play the role of someone you’d rather cross the street to avoid. The former star of Emmerdale and Fat Friends is used to total strangers approaching her and, without asking, giving her a big, friendly hug.
“When I was playing Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, my friend Claire King was playing the soap bad girl Kim Tate.
“Poor Claire used to get walloped with umbrellas as she walked down the street, whereas I’d get endearing remarks and cuddles,” said Lisa, who appears in The Naked Truth, a play based around pole dancing, at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness.
The comedy, written by Dave Smith, is described as a cross between The Full Monty and Calendar Girls, and is a play for women, about women. It’s about their relationships, their attitudes to men, to each other and, finally, to their bodies.
At first glance, The Naked Truth may seem like little more than a bawdy night out for the girls, but scratch the surface and there’s a host of real-life dilemmas bubbling away there, with subjects such as coping with breast cancer, dealing with unfaithful husbands, being a single parent – and being three stones overweight. The plot revolves around the lives of five women, each with a different story to tell, who decide they’re not going to be victims but successful survivors who decide to put two fingers up to conformity and learn to pole dance.
“The play is fun to watch, but even more so to take part in,” said Lisa.
“It is hilarious, but very poignant at the same time. It really is a fantastic, feel-good piece of theatre and women in the audience come away feeling good about themselves.
“The men who come along love it, too; it’s a real learning curve for them.”
For the role, Lisa, who is famed for her full-figured shape, had to learn to pole dance, a prospect that would make even the slimmest of women judder.
“For three weeks during rehearsals, we spent two hours a day learning how to be a pole dancer,” said Lisa.
“It was pretty exhausting and at times I’d be covered in bruises. My character is a comedic one, so I didn’t have to learn some of the moves the others girls did.
“Some of them are amazing dancers now and they could literally walk into Stringfellows tomorrow and get a job. My version of pole dancing gets a wonderful response from the audience, but I think it’s safe to say I will never be offered a job at Stringfellows,” said Lisa between giggles.
But the play isn’t just about laughs; it’s about dealing with all sorts of traumas including coping with cancer, something Lisa can relate to as her mum was diagnosed as having breast cancer.
“Dave, the writer, deals with it brilliantly. My mum is a very extravagant and confident woman and the sort of person who would be the first one round at your house to cheer you up if you were ill.
“She is a real trooper, so it came as a shock when she was diagnosed. It was all very strange. As a family, our way of dealing with it was to be positive and handle it in a comedic manner.
“It’s funny, but sometimes the only way you can deal with certain situations is to have a damned good belly laugh.
“The good news is that April 10 marked her seven-year remission.”
The all-female cast features a host of stars from stage and screen, including Julie Buckfield (Grange Hill and Hollyoaks), Gemma Wardle (Family Affairs and Life On Mars), Samantha Seager (Coronation Street), Jayne Tunnicliffe (Coronation Street) and Lucy Rusedski, wife of tennis ace Greg.
“The cast is a really solid team and there is a wonderful sense of camaraderie. The play is very fast paced throughout, so you need to be able to work well together, and we do. All the women want this play to work, and it does,” added Lisa, who has been touring with the play for a year.
“The run ends in July and I’m having three weeks off before I go back to work
“I’m a self-confessed workaholic. Although I love going home to spend time with my family, I like going straight back to work afterwards.”
Lisa took her first tentative steps in showbusiness at the tender age of nine, and has been working ever since. Although she appeared in numerous productions including Worzel Gummidge, it wasn’t until she landed the part of larger than life Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale that she became a household name.
“Originally, I was meant to be in one episode, but I made a bit of an impact and stayed for eight wonderful years.
“The door hasn’t been shut on my character returning and I never say never, but at the moment I’ve no plans to return.”
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