'I can't wait to re-watch Brideshead Revisited - it’s lavish British television at its very finest'
Cal McCrystal is an acclaimed director and actor, with many hit shows under his belt, including One Man, Two Guvnors for The National – and the West End.
Cal is regarded as the go-to director for physical comedy. He is currently the director for Hull Truck’s new version of The 39 Steps.
I’m currently reading
Dare I confess that it’s the rather controversial new book by Earl Spencer, Swan Song, about his sister, Princess Diana.
And I’ve also just finished Prince Harry’s book as well, so it looks as if I’m rather preoccupied with aristocratic circles at the moment, but it’s all purely coincidence.
As the son of a journalist, there were an awful lot of books around when I was a child, and my parents made sure that I was put to bed each evening with a book, and I was allowed to have an hour to read it.
There were all sorts of authors and subjects – I remember Jane Austen, Trollope’s Barchester Towers, Dumas’ The Black Tulip. We always got a book at Christmas, and it was generally something a little on the “heavy” side.
We lived in the States for a while, and over there I got to love things like Huckleberry Finn.
On the lighter side, there was The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and then, at the age of about 16, along came Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.
I do love reading, and if I can, it’s a proper book, but things like a Kindle are so useful when you are travelling a lot, and need the mobility.
I’ve been listening to
There are thousands of songs on my phone, and most of them rather date my tastes, since there are artistes like Barry Manilow, The Seekers and the Carpenters.
Now, there’s quite a lot of what I’ll call “sci-fi” music from various films, since I’m involved with a new production – for next year – with Gifford’s Circus, and that has a science fiction thread running through it.
I’m just trawling for ideas. I listen quite a lot to the LBC radio station, not so much to podcasts, and I have a tiny earpiece that I pop in at bedtime, so that there is muted noise that I can drop off to.
It used to be the Shipping Forecast, but that doesn’t seem to work these days. Maybe it’s not boring enough?
On TV, I’ve been watching
Television is my principal way of relaxing – I could sit and rot in front of a screen. I’ve loved Ozark, because it is so perfectly written and acted, Breaking Bad, Succession and The Sopranos are also on the list, and if it’s well-made and performed, then I’m up for it.
On a more factual note, Panorama still turns in some exceptionally good reporting. I like Jimmy Kimmel’s commentaries, and there are some very good young liberal presenters out there.
Some of the news is pretty grim, and it’s probably wise not to voice opinions too freely in public – people do rush to make their views heard and seen these days, and without considering what impact they may have.
The live performance I’d recommend is
There have been two brilliant shows for me in the past year, and the first was Oh, Mary! a wild comedy and part play, part burlesque.
It’s still playing in the West End, and I saw it twice, it’s so original. It’s bright, irreverent, and totally thrilling.
The second was a revival of Mel Brooks’ glorious The Producers, which was such undiluted fun, a terrific night out.
I’ve been lucky enough to meet Mr Brooks, and I was totally tongue-tied, because he’s my hero – what a genius the man is!
My next boxed set or streamed series will be (or was….)
Brideshead Revisited, the 1981 version. Made for TV when Granada had money to burn on getting things right – they even had men with scythes to cut the lawns in front of Castle Howard, because someone felt that the grass, cut by modern lawnmowers, wouldn’t look right.
The accuracy and the detail is amazing, and the casting absolutely perfect. It’s lavish British television at its very finest – and it hasn’t done the venue any harm over the years.
The entire series is like fine wine – it’s aged very well indeed.
The App I couldn’t be without is
Facebook, which is where I find most of my colleagues and friends, and most of my news.
But I am trying very hard to wean myself from it a little, I think that we all spend far too much time scrolling through trivial stuff that, in all honesty – we don’t care very much about in the first place.
But I must admit that, yes, I am a bit of a show-off, and I do post quite a lot of stuff as well.
What is right at the top of your “To do” Bucket list?
It’s been a joy, over the years, to meet, and sometimes work with some of my heroes, and, in the main, they haven’t disappointed.
And I’ve also had the great good fortune to visit a lot of wonderful places, both for work, and pleasure.
But the once place that has, so far, eluded me, is Hawaii, and I’d love to visit, and to see those magnificent waterfalls and the amazing scenery.
The problem is that the flight takes forever, and I rather fancy that I’ll have to stop off en route - maybe in Las Vegas, because one of my productions (The Atomic Saloon Show) is running there, at the Venetian.
Why Hawaii? Well, my dad went there on an assignment many years ago, and he brought me back the most amazing Hawaiian short, with pineapples on it, and I adored it.
It’s more than high time that I bought one of my own.