Preview: The Long Walk Back, Wardrobe Theatre

A co-production by local companies RoughHouse Theatre and Live Wire Theatre, The Long Walk Back at the Wardrobe Theatre tells the real life epic story of an international cricket star’s catastrophic fall from grace.

England all-rounder Chris Lewis enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and fortune in the 1990s, playing 85 tests and one-day internationals for England.

He seemed on the verge of greatness when he was named England’s International Cricketer of the Year in 1994 –but within months of his cricketing career ending, his life lay in ruins when he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for smuggling cocaine into the UK.

‘The Long Walk Back’ follows the travails of former England all-rounder Chris Lewis after his glittering cricket career

Beginning with his arrest at Gatwick Airport in 2008 and an attempted suicide on his first night in custody, ​The Long Walk Back charts the extraordinary journey that took Lewis from the brink of despair to a profound moral awakening.

Here’s the director, RoughHouse’s Shane Morgan, to introduce the play.

Tell us how the show came together.

“The Long Walk Back has been evolving over a period of about two years. In 2016, RoughHouse toured When The Eye Has Gone, a one-man show about the cricketer Colin Milburn. Aside from selling out at Lords (I still get a thrill saying that!) and various theatres around the country, we raised several issues and introduced new audiences to a person who left the spotlight of international fame and came crashing down in spectacular style.

“That was commissioned by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) to run alongside their mental health programme, Mind Matters. One of our champions at the PCA, Jason Ratcliffe, had developed a close working relationship with writer and producer Dougie Blaxland, whom we have worked with on a number of occasions.

“Ratcliffe (now working for himself) approached Blaxland again and put an autobiography across his desk: Crazy: My Road to Redemption by Chris Lewis. Ratcliffe, who now represents Lewis, suggested his story would make interesting fodder for a stage production.

“Blaxland is a fan of RoughHouse’s work (this is our fourth collaboration) and asked us if we’d be interested in moving it forward. Neither of us had heard of Chris Lewis. To be fair, neither of us had ever heard of Colin Milburn and that worked out well!”

‘The Long Walk Back’ in rehearsals. From left to right: Martin Edwards, Scott Bayliss and director Shane Morgan. All rehearsal photos by: Lisa Hounsome

And tell us about Chris Lewis’ story and why it grabbed you.

“The Lewis story is a tricky one. It’s loaded with privilege and a downfall that is entirely self-inflicted. It was the psychology of Lewis that attracted us to the story. Cricket forms the backdrop. The big picture is about a person who could have backed away from a disastrous decision at any time – but chose not to. The inner conflict alone is a joy to explore.”

And has Chris Lewis been involved in the making of the show?

“Yes, right from the beginning. Blaxland has spoken to him on numerous occasions, has met with him and has used a lot of material gathered from these meetings. He is coming on the road with us and will be involved in a post-show Q&A at each of the venues.”

And who do you hope the show will appeal to?

“Whilst I hope the cricketing fraternity will come, I’m also hoping this appeals to a wider audience as it is a very human story. It deals with our shortcomings, vulnerabilities and the ripple effect of temptation.”

Quite a few of your shows deal with sporting characters. Tell us something about that…?

“This is simply the knock-on effect of a show we produced in 2015. Hands Up For Jonny Wilkinson’s Right Boot, an origin story centred around the two rugby codes, league and union, was commissioned by the Rugby Football Union to run alongside the Rugby World Cup. The PCA saw this and commissioned When The Eye Has Gone. That led to The Long Walk Back and also to the upcoming Getting The Third Degree (commissioned by Kick It Out and the FA) which will be touring nationally at the end of the year. We have also talked to the Professional Jockey Association about a future collaboration.

“I’m holding out for a play about luge riders. A full-length play that involves two people lying still for an hour. It has the makings of a classic.

“In all honesty, it has been an incredible couple of years working on subjects that we have very little connection to and unpacking a giant history. Making the pieces about the people rather than the individual sports: that has been our way in every time.”

“The play raises serious questions about mental health” – tell us more…?

“Lewis was reckless. He was catapulted into the international spotlight and felt that he had the world at his feet. Money wasn’t an issue. He famously walked past a car showroom on his way to get some milk and half an hour later drove a brand new flashy car off the car lot, having thrust thousands of pounds into the dealer’s hand.
He loved his parties, he loved the high life and he loved the profile. It was a lifestyle that had no checks and balances and simply wasn’t sustainable.

“Once he left the spotlight, though, he found that the lifestyle he so desperately built for himself was no longer available. This takes a serious toll on your mental health. The PCA are doing some incredible things with their support network now – but that wasn’t available back then. With no advice, no one to turn to and no one to support him, he made his disastrous choice and paid the price.

“One could argue that Lewis dug his own grave. There is some weight to that argument. However, one could also argue that there was no guidance, no support, no one around him to give a reality check.

“This is now changing for the better. Being able to confront demons, openly talk about issues and accept support is now gaining traction and is more of an accepted part of our conversation. This must continue.”

What does the play ask us to think about?

“The aim is to put us, the audience, into Lewis’ shoes. It is easy for each of us to say that we wouldn’t have done what he did – smuggle a case of drugs into the country. But given an insight into the person, having him reach out to us and engage us in his journey: there is something charming about that. When someone can admit to their faults and face up to their failings in an authentic manner, you can’t help but listen.”

The Long Walk Back is at the Wardrobe Theatre on April 16 & 17. For tickets and more information, visit thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/the-long-walk-back

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