TRIBUTES have been paid to comedy actor and writer Rik Mayall who grew up in Droitwich and has died at the age of 56.
Mayall spent his childhood in the Spa and performed many times at the town’s Norbury Theatre. It is believed the first time he trod the boards was in a production of Waiting for Godot which was directed by his father John Mayall.
As well as making appearances on the stage, he and his brother also also helped behind the scenes with the lighting for some performances. The Norbury’s Clive Tudman once told Rik that if it did not work out with the acting, he could be a lighting operator.
Mayall became famous for a number of roles, including Rick in The Young Ones, Richard ‘Richie’ Richard in Bottom and notorious Tory MP Alan B’Stard in The New Statesman.
A spokesperson for the Droitwich theatre said, despite his fame, he was always very supportive of productions at the Norbury which involved his family members and he always attended the shows when he could.
She told The Standard about one instance when Rik’s sister was playing the principal boy in a panto. To ensure it was her in the limelight and not him, he turned up three minutes before the start of the show and took the seat he had booked in the back row. During the interval he disappeared from view, but he stayed behind at the end until everyone had gone.
“We want to send our condolences to his family who have been a part of this theatre for a very long time.
“Rik was always very supportive of his family and was a very caring man.
“It is a very sad loss to the theatre world,” she added.
According to reports, he died this morning (Monday) and the sad news was announced by his manager earlier.
