An interview with Glynis Barber
Roger Crow talks to actress Glynis Barber about Death on the Nile, which is currently touring the UK, and can be seen at York Grand Opera House in March.
Glynis, tell us about the new stage version of Death on the Nile, one of the greatest Agatha Christie’s ever. How is it working on that?
It’s very exciting. It’s not been done on stage before. I’ve done quite a few Agatha Christies in my time. (I did wonder) how you bring something so epic to the stage. And, you know, they’ve done it brilliantly, really, with the amazing set and the costumes and I think a lot of people are saying they actually feel they’re on the Nile when they watch it. Which is great.
And I guess this takes you up to the end of May.
Right. It’s a long stint. We’ve already done quite a stint now. And then we’ve just had a break over Christmas. And now we’re back for over four months. So it’s a long one.
But is it like having a comfortable pair of shoes now that you’ve been in the show a few weeks?
Well, it certainly will be in a few weeks’ time. And certainly by the end of this, it will. It will be the longest tour I’ve ever done.
How is it playing Salome Otterbourne, because it was previously played by Angela Lansbury in the 1978 movie back in the day?
It was. I mean, she’s a great character. Although in the play, the story is a little bit different to in the book and the film. So I think in the film, she was an alcoholic and, you know, I think maybe a nasty piece of work. I mean, she’s certainly… she’s very theatrical. You know, maybe economical with the truth. Yeah. But she’s a fun character. It’s a fun character to play.
There’s been so many great projects in your career, which has been a personal favourite?
Well, I suppose for me, it’s always the ones I enjoy the most, which is the combination of people you’re working with, the quality of the material, etc. I did a year in Beautiful, the Carole King story. I didn’t even have a very big part, because I’m not a singer, so I was playing Carole King’s mother. But it was a very joyous year for me, because it was such a fantastic cast of the nicest people. And it was very exciting, because I was a huge Carole King fan. So to be playing her mother… and then she surprised us on the first night. And we didn’t even know she was in the audience, and at the end she appeared on stage, and she took the curtain call with us. And we sang with her. It was absolutely an incredible, exciting experience. So, you know, there have been many good ones that I’ve really enjoyed. And I have to say the cast in this are absolutely fantastic as well.
Glynis Barber in ‘Death on the Nile’
image: Manuel Harlan
I’m sure you’ve worked in York before?
You know, I haven’t worked in York. I’ve been to York, but I haven’t actually performed in York. I remember Michael (Brandon), my husband, performing in York. And he went up there, I think he did Speed the Plough, with David Soul, and they went to York with it. So I remember that, but no, I have personally not played in York.
After May 23 when you get to hang up Miss Otterbourne’s shoes, what have you got planned for the rest of the year?
I plan on having a holiday. It will be summer. And, you know, it is exhausting because not only are you doing sort of seven to eight shows a week, but you’re also travelling to a different place every week. And I always think that being on stage is a bit like being an athlete. It takes a tremendous amount of energy. It is very tiring and the travelling is very tiring.
How do you keep your energy levels up? Do you have a secret stash of sweets?
Oh, no, by looking after my health, and I don’t know if you’re aware, but I also have a health and beauty website called agelessbyglynisbarber.com. And so I’m quite a healthy person; I will eat foods that are going to give me energy, that are going to make me feel good. Because if you just eat junk, which we tend to, it’s going to come back and bite you and make you feel worse. So the only way to stay on top of this kind of work is to actually be very healthy.
‘Death on the Nile’ can be seen at York Grand Opera House, March 3-7, 2026
The full audio version of this interview can be found at podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nostalgiahhh
Top image: Jennie Scott
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
