HomeMill On The Floss interview March 2001

Actor who has reached peak!

From the archive, first published Thursday 15th Mar 2001.

THE ACTOR who played the disgraced Dr Sam Morgan in the ITV drama, Peak Practice, will be strutting the boards at the Everyman Theatre next week.

Joseph Millson is to star in an adaptation by the Shared Experience Theatre Company of George Eliot's classic novel Mill on the Floss.

Millson comes to Cheltenham after departing from the TV series in January after his character was revealed to have stolen funds from his surgery.

Now the versatile actor who plays eight parts in Mill on the Floss is delighted to be off camera and in front of an audience.

He said: "The two mediums are very different but equally enjoyable. I am especially pleased to be back in Cheltenham again, having met my wife Caroline Fitzgerald on stage in Salad Days in 1997."

Set in the 19th Century, Mill on the Floss is the story of wild and headstrong Maggie Tulliver who rebels against conventional Victorian society.

The adaptation uses the innovate technique of splitting the character of Maggie into three parts played by three different actresses from immaturity to womanhood.

Passionate and powerful, the play aims to sweep audiences through a torrent of differing emotions.

Mary Ann Evans, the woman behind the pseudonym George Eliot is thought to have based Mill on the Floss on her own childhood, as like Maggie she had a father who adored her and a close relationship with an older brother.

She too battled against Victorian conventions when she chose to live `in sin' with a married man who could not get a divorce."

After appearing at the Everyman the cast will go on to the West End run and performances in Washington DC and China.

The show runs from Tuesday March 20 to Saturday March 24 and starts at 7.45pm with two matinees. For tickets and further information contact the Box Office on 01242 572573.