Leigh Lothian on her role in The Lovely Bones

Directed by Melly Still, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, opened this week at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre as it begins a country-wide tour. The play is adapted by Bryony Lavery.

Like any other young girl, Susie Salmon wants to be beautiful, has a crush on a boy from school and adores her charm bracelet.

One big difference though – Susie is dead.

She can only observe as her family manages their grief in different ways. Her Dad Jack is obsessed with catching who killed her. Her mom is trying to create a different life for herself and her sister Lindsey is beginning to discover boys through experiences she will never get to have. Susie is desperate to reach out to them to tell them what happened to her…

The Lovely Bones is a unique coming-of-age tale that has captured the hearts of readers throughout the world. With a fantastic cast, incredible set design and a soundtrack combining 70’s favourites with original music, this wonderfully creative production brings her vision to life in an exciting, emotional and uplifting theatrical experience.

The Artiscape spoke to Leigh Lothian about her role in the play. She plays Ruth Connors. Her theatre credits include Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre/UK tour), The Flouers O’Edinburgh (Finborough Theatre), Selkie (Southwark Playhouse), Chariots of Fire (Gielgud Theatre), Avenue Q (Gatehouse Theatre) and The Beautiful Game (Union Theatre). 

We asked Lothian what attracted her to this play?

Lothian: I read ‘The Lovely Bones’ as a teenager and was immensely moved by Alice Seabold’s exquisite storytelling. The characters’ journeys beautifully intertwine and though the subject matter is heavy, there is a wealth of positivity and humour peppered throughout the text.

I was aware of the 2018 stage production of ‘The Lovely Bones’ and was curious as to how the juxtaposition between heaven and earth could be brought to life on stage. I spent some time researching the show and was in awe of how masterfully the production was staged.

It is the sort of production I have always dreamed of being a part of so when I was invited to audition for the 2019 production I felt very fortunate. The play is heartbreaking, uplifting, funny, dark, frustrating, chilling, poignant and full of love. It is a gift of a play for any actor and I am extremely grateful to be a part of it.

We asked her to tell us about the characters she plays?

Lothian: I play both Ruth Conners (a senior at Susie’s school) and Buckley Salmon (Susie’s younger brother). Both characters are different in both age and gender yet both sense Susie and have an acute awareness of her presence even after death.

Ruth is an introverted, feminist rebel and excels in art and poetry. When Susie dies her spirit touches Ruth as she leaves Earth and Ruth’s life is forever changed by the experience. She becomes obsessed with the plight of murdered women everywhere (particularly Susie) and seeks to hone what she describes as her “second sight”. She is complex yet utterly transparent in her journey throughout the play and is a joy to portray.

Buckley is around five years old at the beginning of the play when Susie is murdered. He is extremely sensitive to Susie’s disappearance and often questions where she is with little response from those around him. His grief is largely overlooked and as a result, he becomes increasingly reserved and introverted – traits which are only exasperated by his mother’s abandonment towards the end of the play.

For me, as a character, Buckley is particularly heartbreaking. As a young child, he doesn’t have much of a voice and is often left feeling confused and ignored. The trauma he experiences due to his sister’s death is something that affects his entire journey as a character and is something I always endeavour to portray sensitively.

We asked Lothian, other than her own character, what character does she admire in the play?

Lothian: I admire Jack and his unbounded love for Susie. After everything, he goes through he still remains loyal to those around him and never stops fighting for what he believes to be true.

People might remember the 2009 film adaptation of The Lovely Bones, what does Lothian think an audience will take away from this production?

Lothian: I hope the audience leaves feeling strangely uplifted. Even though the subject matter is dark I feel the play has so much love at its source and that’s what makes it so moving. Although the murder is devastating to those surrounding Susie, it is the connections between the characters and the love that pulses between them that truly makes the piece both devastating yet beautiful. Grief is a curious thing and it’s ok to navigate it in your own way.

The production opens at Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 10 September, with previews from 6 September, before embarking on a UK tour to Theatre Royal Nottingham, Exeter Northcott Theatre, Norwich Theatre Royal, The Lowry Salford, Rose Theatre Kingston, Hackney Empire, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and Chichester Festival Theatre. 

On tour 6 September – 30 November 

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