You’ve read the book, you’ve watched the film, and now it’s time to see the live show. Deborah Moggach’s 2004 best-selling novel These Foolish Things, which in 2011 was turned into a star-led film by Ol Parker under the new name The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is back in the hands of its author, who has teamed up with brilliant theatre director Lucy Bailey (Much Ado About Nothing, Witness For The Prosecution) to bring it to the stage. Holly O’Mahony speaks to cast member Paul Nicholas (Jesus Christ Superstar, Just Good Friends, Eastenders) to find out more…
Lucy Bailey – Director, Colin Richmond – Set & Costume Design, Oliver Fenwick – Lighting Design
Kuljit Bhamra – Original Musical Composition
Uk tour 2020, Credit: Johan Persson/
“We’re not old, we’ve just been young for a very long time,” says Paul, quoting a line from the show that captures the very essence of the heartwarming comedy-drama, which follows the adventures and misadventures of a group of British senior citizens, who embark on a new life at a family-run hotel in India.
“I think it’s encouraging for an older audience to see we’re not all walking around half dead; that when you get to 70, life doesn’t have to stop, you can still have fun.” Paul insists that while the show appeals to an older demographic who can relate to its plot – which Deborah and Lucy have updated for 2022, including woke culture references that the OAPs find baffling – it’s very much a family show. “It’s a funny, feel-good show, and it celebrates old age rather than being depressing.” 
Joining Paul in the cast of the brand-new stage adaptation, which is touring the UK until June next year, are several other household names including Hollywood icon of the Golden Age Hayley Mills (1961’s The Parent Trap), Coronation Street’s Rula Lenska and Marlene Sidaway, Andy de la Tour (Notting Hill, Star Wars) and Rekha John-Cheriyan (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Tomb Raider).
Paul plays Douglas, who kindles a special bond with fellow hotel guest Evelyn, while his marriage to his downbeat wife Jean is falling apart. “I’ve played romantic leads over the years but I didn’t think I’d still be doing it at 77,” he laughs. “It’s very nice, it’s very gentle. At least my romantic liaison is with a woman of a similar age and I’m not chasing younger women – that would be horrendous!”
When not on tour, Paul lives with his wife in north London. After weeks on the road, performing in Sheffield, Glasgow and Newcastle, he’s excited to bring the show to Bromley – “a marvellous place” – for the chance to enjoy a few nights’ sleep in his own bed.
“I think my wife might be getting bored of me going off [on tour], but it’s hard not to say yes, particularly at my age. Opportunities to be in things lessen as you get older,” he says, warily. “I’m lucky to be in a show that’s successful and earning me money. There’s only so many times you can watch your wife play Scrabble,” he laughs, referencing the long lockdowns spent at home.
Paul was perhaps an obvious choice to star in the stage version of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, having appeared as himself in BBC One’s The Real Marigold Hotel in 2017. “Based on the film, [it was] basically about old people going to different places around the world to see how they liked it. We went to places like India, Mexico, Argentina and Thailand,” he recalls, fondly.
Paul hasn’t seen the film adaptation of the story. “I wanted to see how we fashioned it without any preconceived ideas,” he reasons. He’s happy to be working with Lucy and to be part of the first cast breathing life into the story on stage. “Lucy’s a very good director – she’s thoughtful… It’s a living thing and I think she’s fashioned it very well.”
The UK tour ends in June 2023 when the show plays Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, but for Paul, the highlight comes during the run up to Christmas. “We’re all going on a cruise to New York, performing the show three times as we cross the Atlantic,” he beams. “When I was a kid growing up in the early 50s, one of my dreams was to go to New York on [cruise ship] the Queen Mary. Now all of these years later, I’m going to New York on the Queen Mary 2.”
So if you fancy escaping the drudgery of British winter and joining Paul’s Douglas and the other residents of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as they embark on a Transatlantic adventure, that’s where you’ll find them.
For now, though, they’re drinking gin and tonics, causing mischief and making audiences laugh at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is showing at the Churchill Theatre, High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA. October 18 – 22, 7:30pm. Admission: £25+/concessions available. www.churchilltheatre.co.uk/Online/tickets-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-bromley-2021
