Viv Hardwick talks to Washington actor James Hedley about the stage tour of The Hobbit.

SMALL is beautiful as far as 5ft 7ins Washington actor James Hedley is concerned because his smaller stature made him ideal to play a dwarf alongside Bilbo Baggins in the latest touring version of The Hobbit.

“The Hobbit being The Hobbit, you don’t turn it down. I’m not one of these huge Tolkien buffs, but I was a fan of the Lord Of The Rings films and I’d read the book as a boy. You can’t help but be drawn to the mystery and magic of it,” he says.

“I think, the height relation is very important to the dwarves and hobbits.

They’re all 5ft 7ins and under and the other parts are all over 6ft which is vital because you need that height relation between the roles. As a child you always want to be six foot, but when you get something like this come along, you find it’s not necessarily an advantage to be that tall,” adds Hedley.

The play reaches Darlington Civic Theatre next week, with well-known actor Roy Marsden as director. “Roy’s great, you can’t fail to learn from him because of his experience. As a director he made the rehearsal a natural process and we jelled very quickly. He already knew the show inside out and could answer any question,” the actor says.

On the perils of bringing Tolkein to life Hedley says: “We have to take a pinch of both using the book and entertainment.

Some things are best left to the imagination. Frankly, I’m not sure I should say how the production creates the moments that Bilbo is invisible. Let’s say it’s very clever lighting. The whole thing is tastefully done. There are trolls, there is a dragon and there is Gollum, but it is very much a family show. But it isn’t about selling popcorn to kids and using a songsheet.”

The play’s arrival on tour precedes the latest blockbuster film version due in December this year and a second part in 2011, which will star Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving and, possibly, the original Bilbo Ian Holm.

“You can appreciate that Peter Jackson could do the films with budgets of tens of millions, but with something like this you have to put your own spin on it. If you were trying to imitate the films you’d be foolish because we are working with the imagination,” says Hedley. He’s delighted to be touring on home turf and says that a busload of family and friends will be coming down to see him play Balin, who bravely battles the forces of evil. “I’ll be staying at home for the run in Darlington. I’ve got a lot of support which is very much appreciated. I did move to London a couple of years ago and I found I was getting the same amount of auditions down south as I was up here. I think you’ve got to be willing to travel and I don’t think that living in the North-East is a disadvantage.

Although a lot of auditions are in London you don’t have to live there just because the work opportunities are there,” he says.

■ The Hobbit, Darlington Civic Theatre, Tuesday-Saturday. Tickets: £17-£25.50.

Box Office: 01325-486-555 darlingtonarts.co.uk