His visit was in preparation for his role as Leonard in ‘One Day When We Were Young’ which opens at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park on the 26th February.
“The home was amazingly helpful!” said Barney. “The production sees my character, Leonard, at 18, 40 and 80 so I wanted to get a sense of an 80 year old who’d grown up in London.”
Staff at Lambwood Heights paired Barney with David Hoppit, 76, and 81 year old Ty Davies.
Ty was born in South Wales and despite having a good job in a bank, he harboured a desire to work for the BBC. He got a job with the broadcaster in 1963 as a clerk in the costing unit and came to live in London when he was 20 years old.
“I was delighted to meet Barney,” he said. “lt was great to share my life with him, and my experience of living in the city. It was such a contrast to the small village I’d come from.”
Lambwood Heights provides residential, nursing, memory and respite care for 73 people.
Its Registered Manager, Luciana Dobos, said it was wonderful to see Barney’s interest in the gents’ lives.
“It really gives the residents a sense of value to know that someone is keen to find out about their histories and who they are,” she said. “We were delighted to welcome Barney to our home and introduce him to David and Ty, and hope to see a bit of David and Ty in the production!”
‘One Day When We Were Young’ tells the story of Leonard and Violet whose bond is tested as Leonard leaves for the Front. It follows their relationship in an ever-changing world, from 1942.
It’s not just David and Ty’s experiences that Barney will be using on stage. He also wanted to get a sense of the timbre of their voices, and their physicality as men in their 80s.
“They’ve given me a lot I can use in my performance,” he added. “Their openness about their lives, and their generation, was surprising and I’m immensely grateful.”