A king of the Joads; Actor Christopher gives us all hope in uplifting drama.Byline: LAURA Laura, subject of the love poems of Petrarch. She is thought to be Laura de Noves (1308?–1348), wife of Hugo de Sade, but this has not been proved. Laura Petrarch’s perpetual, unattainable love. [Ital. Lit. DAVIDSON If you think you've been credit crunched, a night of John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes Of Wrath might just restore some perspective. Even if your bank account's not as healthy as it was last year, you'll leave the play feeling like a lottery winner compared to the Joads, a displaced clan of broke Oklahoma farmers who feature in the tale. Their dirt-poor existence as they travel 2000 miles across the Depression-hit US in search of a better life in California will tug at the heartstrings and seriously make you count your blessings. But it's not all doom and gloom doom and gloom n. Gloom and doom. doom  -and-gloom adj. .
Veteran actor Christopher Timothy Actor Christopher Timothy (b. October 14, 1940), is best known for his portrayal of veterinarian James Herriot in the television series All Creatures Great and Small. stars as the head of the family, Pa Joad, and, as he points out, it's ultimately a tale of great hope. He said: "Steinbeck was a brilliant storyteller, and that's what it is, a great story. "I've known the tale since I was a kid but the director suggested we didn't read the book or watch the film before rehearsals. He wanted us to bring our own slant to it." The full-size old jalopy the group travel in - all 13 of them - has been specially-modified so it can actually be driven on the stage. And there are impressive special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. when it rains during the scenes where the travellers are hit by a great flood. At the heart of it all, though, are the people and their gritty determination to survive. Christopher added: "Pa is a great *LAURA DAVIDSON character to play.He's fiercely protective of his family, although he's not in the least a romantic man. "It's amazing how thousands of people set off on such a mammoth journey so full of hope.They knew it would be hard, but I don't think even they knew just how hard." Christopher, 69, best known as James Herriot James Herriot is the pen name of James Alfred Wight OBE, also known as Alf Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), a British veterinary surgeon and writer. in All Creatures Great And Small All Creatures Great and Small was the title given to a compilation volume first published in 1972 comprising James Herriot's first two novels, If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet , himself has a family nearly as big as the Joads. He and first wife Susan Boys had four sons - Simon, Nicholas, Robin and David - and two daughters, Tabitha and Kate. He has a daughter, Grace, with his wife Annie Veronica Swatton and three grandkids. He's immensely proud of the Timothy brood and is looking forward to catching up with some of them on the play's Scottish pitstop. His eldest son Simon works for an oil firm and lives near Aberdeen with wife Michaela and son Jack. Christopher said: "They're coming to see the show and have dinner, which will be lovely. It's great to see them and I love coming to Scotland for work because of that." Although nearly 70, Christopher is showing no signs of wanting to retire. Just don't ask him to return to those scenes in All Creature Great And Small any time soon. He laughed: "I've had my hands up a lot of cows' bums. I don't miss that. But as long as I see a part that's worthwhile and written well, I'll continue to work." THE GRAPES OF WRATH King's Theatre, Edinburgh, October 13-17. For tickets call the box office on 0131 529 6000. CAPTION(S): FAMILY MAN& Christopher as Pa Joad with Damian O'Hare |
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