I’m greeted by the ever so polite Mike Baulch in his impressive down town office and I can’t help but feel a little shocked at the striking difference between his various stage personas and his real life character. The malevolent Shakespearean Malvolio is, after all, one of the favourite roles he has portrayed in his many years as a member of the Anglo Cypriot Theatre group ACT, poles away from his position as Chief Executive at the RIME Information Bureau.
“Ah yes, acting is a bit of fantasy. You just forget about your day and completely move away from your normal self,” Mike says. “But there’s also a lot of ego involved in it. I just love to hear an audience applaud or laugh, it gives you a real sense of satisfaction.”
A member of ACT since 1985, Mike admits that he got involved with the group quite by chance. “Let’s just say I ended up at the wrong dinner party,” he teases. “It just so happens that some of the people there were involved with ACT and that was it. By the end of the night both my wife and I were roped in.”
Starting off his work as Stage Manager, he was soon strutting his stuff as an actor with 30 different roles now under his belt. But which have been his favourites? “Apart from Malvolio in Twelfth Night, I also really enjoyed playing Lloyd in Noises Off. I remember reading the story when I was ill in bed with pleurisy and I ended up hurting so much from laughter.” He then points out that playing the baddy in A Man for All Seasons was a great experience. It turns out that being the evil villain is a role he’s been accustomed to since childhood: “I had a school friend who wrote plays and I was always the guy who got shot or had a sword through him.”
Now in his early 60s, Mike’s attention has also turned to directing, and he is currently busy preparing for this year’s panto that boasts a decidedly French flavour in The Three Musketeers. “Last year’s Treasure Island went down well so I proposed to follow on with another adventure story. But anyone who is thinking that the panto will be like the novel will be severely disappointed. We’ve had to simplify the plot and put a limit on dialogue. And we’ve added a lot of business scenes.” By that he means songs, dance, sword fights, plenty of audience participation, and the much anticipated slapstick.
With some completely new touches added this year, Mike chooses to keep shtum about the surprises but does let one minor detail slip. “I don’t know if the audience will have ever seen sword fights with French banquettes but they will this time!”
As all the action comes to life at the Russian Cultural Centre in Nicosia over the next couple of weekends, tickets are now on sale for what’s set to be a series of exciting performances. The props team has produced a glittering set of coronation jewels, the finishing stitches are now being placed on the stunning costumes, and there’s plenty of talk of the Dame’s outrageous wigs and make up that are bound to have everyone in stitches.
But it’s not all fun and games in the director’s chair. “The hardest part is when you have to tell someone after auditions that they haven’t got the part,” explains Mike. While he appears extremely calm in his office, he does admit that frustration and anger get the better of him when trying to keep everything in check during rehearsals.
He certainly appears to take it all in his stride however, often leaving the office at 5.30pm, dashing home for a quick bite to eat, and then driving to rehearsals at 7.30pm. “It is time consuming but I’ve been round this tree a few times and know what to expect.” He then cracks a big smile as he explains there’s nothing more rewarding than a mother saying that pantomime has really changed her child and given them more confidence.
With this year’s action centred in Paris, it’s even rumoured that a troupe of Can-Can dancers are making an appearance. As the time approaches to shout out “all for one and one for all” it looks like Mike has his hands rather full. Bets on that he really wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Three Musketeers
A Christmas pantomime staged by ACT. November 28- December 6. November 28 (3pm & 7.30pm), November 29 (3pm), December 4 (7.30pm), December 5 (3pm & 7.30pm), December 6 (3pm). The Russian Cultural Centre, Nicosia. €12 (€6 for children on November 28 and 29 only). Tickets on sale 4-6pm Monday-Friday at Russian Cultural Centre. Tel: 22-329293
