He's gone through marriage break-ups, alcoholism and a Martin Bell election campaign. He hardly ' knew his son before he started acting with him. And there's nothing DAVID SOUL loves more than theatre. ‘."-.’o'r:s: Fiona Shepherd ‘ " .
I'M TALKING TO HUTCH. INEVITABLY, he's older. craggier. and not as blonde as childhood memory would have him. Neither is he wearing a battered tan leather jacket. driving a stripy car. getting the word on the street from l‘ltiggy Bear. nor indulging in buddy- buddy. ever-so-slightly homoerotic behaviour with his mate Starsky. Instead. David Soul is sitting in an [Edinburgh hotel. drinking strong coffee. failing to operate one of those new-fangled mobile phone devices and enthusing about coming to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time in a 35-year theatrical career. ‘()ne of the things that attracts me to the Iidinburgh Festival is that it reflects a community.‘ he says. ‘People from all over the world are gathered here to celebrate theatre in our lives. There‘s an incorrigibility
20 THE lIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 10 < 17 Am; 200C
jade d
about the theatre — "we are going to put on a show" — and I think the Fringe probably represents that.‘
Soul is directing and starring in Sam Shepard's 1900/ For Love. You might remember Robert Altman's film
version. which starred Kim Basinger
and Shepard himself. but try not to.
The play offers a typical snapshot of
the volatile relationship between a cowboy and his girlfriend. Soul plans to use the multimedia capabilities of the venue. Dynamic Iiarth. to simulate an electric storm over the couple‘s Mojave Desert motel room.
‘The reason I like this play so much is it's a representation of almost every relationship I‘ve had: we've all had.’ he says. 'lt‘s a kind of Greek tragedy in a way. It has that universal
.031. . 1”
o n - o ff
{g}-
‘This play is a representation of almost every relationship I’ve had.’
application to it. It‘s about insecurities and fears. letting go and committing: that‘s why I can relate to it. Relationships are power struggles to a large degree. This one is rather tragic and you could make a case that relationships in my life are rather tragic! I‘ve been married and divorced four times and I’ve got six kids.‘
()ne of whom — Soul‘s 36-year-old son Kristofer — appears in the production. although not in the role of the son: that would be too freaky. what with Soul Sr and his partner Alexa Hamilton already playing the central couple. Instead. that part goes to Stefan Dennis. of Patti-Robinson-from- .-\"viglzlmm's and abortive-pop-career fame. while Kristofer plays the gentleman caller. So far. he is the only
one of Soul‘s offspring to go into acting. }