Skip to content

Acting pals Cumming and Henderson put 40-year friendship onto paper

Pauline McLeanScotland arts correspondent
News imageTommy Ga-Ken Wan Two performers stand together on a dimly lit stage, framed by a deep blue backdrop and glowing red lanterns suspended overhead. Warm spotlighting highlights the embrace, while the floating lights create a dreamlike, theatrical atmosphere.Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson's acting relationship goes back a long way and they've been reunited on stage once more at Pitlochry

Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson first met as young actors on the STV drama Shadow of the Stone.

Henderson, who would go on to appear in the Harry Potter and Bridget Jones franchises, was 20 and had just left drama school.

Cumming, at 21, already had a few roles under his belt.

"I thought I was such a sophisticated older man," he said.

"I had a mortgage. I was married. And yet when I look back now, I see I was just a child."

News imageSupplied A black-and-white photograph shows Allan and Shirley seated among large rocks on a shoreline, with water and distant hills visible in the background. Both are dressed in outdoor clothing, creating a candid, natural scene in a rugged coastal setting.Supplied
The pair first met as fresh-faced actors on the TV drama Shadow of the Stone

That connection to their younger selves is something they channel in their first stage appearance together at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where Cumming is now artistic director.

The History of Paper began life as a radio play in 2017 with words by Oliver Emanuel and music by Gareth Williams, who then turned it into an acclaimed musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024.

The tender tale of a couple who tell their story through the various bits of paper they accumulate became even more emotional following the death of Oliver in 2023.

Cumming saw the show on a day off from filming Glenrothan (the directorial debut of Brian Cox) which also reunited him with Henderson.

News imageGraeme Hunter Two people hold drinks in a warmly lit room with dark green walls, polished wooden doors and traditional furnishings. One person sits in the foreground while the other stands nearby, creating a sense of distance and tension within the scene. Soft natural light from a window illuminates the interior, highlighting the rich wood tones and intimate atmosphere.Graeme Hunter
Cumming and Henderson worked together on Brian Cox's Glenrothan and it was during filming that the idea emerged to do The History of Paper

"I went back to work on the film and I said to Shirley, 'I've seen this incredible show. It was just so moving'."

Around the same time, Cumming had applied for the role of artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and although it was yet to be publicly announced he was already planning his first season.

The original production had two younger actors looking forward to their older selves, but Cumming suggested to director Andrew Panton of Dundee Rep that he cast older actors who could play younger versions of themselves.

And he and Henderson, now 61 and 60, were the people for those parts.

"We both have a sort of a child like quality to us," he said.

"And we're both prepared to be vulnerable as actors."

News imageTommy Ga-Ken Wan Two performers sit on the edge of a stage set, surrounded by brightly coloured origami cranes scattered around and suspended in the air. Dramatic spotlights illuminate the scene against a dark background, drawing attention to the vivid paper sculptures and casual costumes. The theatrical setting creates a striking contrast between the simple staging and the whimsical, dreamlike display of floating paper birds.Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
The History of paper travels through a couple's lifetime where the stops are dictated by the bits of paper that define them

Their shared history means they're comfortable and convincing as a couple talking – and singing – about their lives together.

"It's just easy to be with Alan," Henderson said.

"We have a good chemistry. We don't over analyse it."

"I come to see you before the show, each night," said Cumming, "and I say, 'let's have fun'. If we can, because it's terrifying.

"Because you've got this incredible roller coaster of emotions. Even in the happy bits, I want to cry."

"You just can't help but feel something," said Henderson.

"It's like when the first snows come. It's a tenderness, but there's a rawness to it as well."

News imageGetty Images Alan Cumming, wearing a turquoise suit, poses on the ground behind his Hollywood Walk of Fame star. He is on one side, supported by one elbow, with the other hand raised in a two-finger peace sign. Getty Images
Alan Cumming was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January - a long way from his humble beginnings

As for the pieces of paper the actors treasure most?

For Henderson, it's letters sent by her late father when she was living in London.

"I've still got letters from when I was a teenager and living in a bedsit. Occasionally he would send me a bit of money too."

For Cumming, it's the drawings made by his illustrator husband, Grant.

"I have thousands of them, on letters and hotel notepads.

"He'll leave them by the bed or I'll find them in my luggage when I go somewhere."

A History of Paper is at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 12 September, then at Dundee Rep Theatre from 16-19 September