Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
Writer and Director Andy Burden on The Truth About Harry Beck
You might not recognise the name Harry Beck, but you will absolutely know his work. Because Beck designed the first diagrammatic London Underground Tube map that has formed the basis for the map still in use today. His story has been turned into a show, The Truth About Harry Beck, which plays at the uniquely fitting Cubic Theatre in the London Transport Museum from 14th September to 10th November.
Being big fans of the tube map, after all, it does help us find all the great venues dotted around London, we thought we’d hop on the underground to catch up with writer and director Andy Burden to learn more about Harry Beck and how he brought both Beck’s story and the iconic London Tube map to life on stage.
Can you tell us a little about Harry Beck and what audiences expect from The Truth About Harry Beck?
Harry Beck was obsessed with perfecting the design. He loved details and routines, yet his life was a bit chaotic. His house was a mess, with pictures scattered everywhere. There was something about the man that makes you think he was bolted down, but he was also prone to being a bit messy, a bit of a “professor brainstorm.”
He was middle class, incredibly polite, and believed everyone should do their best. When there was a misunderstanding about ownership of the map, he just expected people to do the right thing. He was a kind, congenial man.
The play itself is multilayered. It’s about a man’s struggle to be recognised for creating something simple, but it’s also about his relationship with his wife, a very human story. Who was the person behind the map?
What sparked your interest in Harry Beck’s story and made you want to bring it to the stage?
The show opens on September 18th (with previews 14th to 17th), exactly 50 years since Harry Beck’s passing, which felt like the perfect anniversary to honour him.
I first became interested in the map 16 years ago. Like many people, I understood London through the tube map, and became curious – how did such an iconic design come to be? Watching the Concorde being built and then winning a design competition as one of the most iconic creations inspired me. The tube map came in second, so I started diving into its history and how the underground evolved over time. I’m a bit of a nerd like that.
As I dug deeper, Harry Beck’s story became more intriguing. We didn’t even know how he passed away until I stayed at the house where he died. The current owner, Sue Manning, had a box of Harry Beck’s belongings. She brought it down, and inside was his death certificate and letters he’d written to his garage. He had kept the same Hillman Minx for about 20 years and would give the garage detailed instructions on what needed fixing and how to fix it. That gave me a real insight into who he was.
Given that the Tube map is an amazing blend of art and functionality, how do you reflect these elements in Beck’s story?
I think the art in Beck’s work was accidental because he was a draftsman, not an artist. We see him trying to solve a problem, and that’s where the art emerges. People say he was inspired by circuit diagrams, but in the play, we show that his real inspiration was solving the challenge in front of him.
Frank Pick, the head of London Transport, wanted to keep all the underground network unified. You had Charles Holden designing the Piccadilly line, Edward Johnston working on the fonts, and others creating the iconic roundel. For the first time, everything had a cohesive look.
Harry Beck took one look at the old geographical map and thought it looked like vermicelli spaghetti – it needed to be clearer. Like an engineer, he approached it as a problem to be solved. But, like an artist, he drew inspiration from the architecture, designs, and colours of the previous map.
Beck’s original Tube map is an iconic symbol of London, inspiring countless metro maps worldwide and nearing a hundred years old. How did you tackle the challenge of conveying its significance and Beck’s creative journey?
We explore why the map was created and focus on his obsession with perfecting it. The play highlights how he reacted when someone else, Harold Hutchinson, attempted to redesign it. While Hutchinson worked on it for three years, his version didn’t measure up to Harry Beck’s original. Some even claimed Hutchinson just traced Beck’s map but got it all wrong—angles and station placements were off. The play focuses on the effort Beck put into ensuring everything was just right. There’s a wonderful bit in the middle of the play where he tries to work it all out and you see the map exposed massively on the stage.
In what ways do you include the evolution of the Tube map over the decades? Were there any specific changes or maybe line openings that you chose to highlight?
The first version of the play was three hours long, and I would happily write every single change to the map into the play, but I had to cut it. But some are mentioned. The fact there was going to be an extension to Alexandra Palace but didn’t happen. And the big challenge of the Victoria line. We also show how the map evolved over time, matching Harry Beck’s own obsession with inventions.
How did The Truth About Harry Beck find its way to the London Transport Museum? It seems like the perfect venue to showcase a story so deeply connected to the city!
Yes, they came to see it. Elizabeth, who was the general manager at the time, attended a preview we did in Bath three years ago.
It was one of those situations where everything just clicked. We had connections with London Transport through people on the board of the Natural Theatre Company, and we were renting our studio to Dan Coleman, the producer. I mentioned the project to him, and he told me he was already in talks with the London Transport Museum. It was one of those happy little coincidences where everything came together.
Could you tell us a bit about your cast, who portrays Harry Beck and his wife, Nora?
When I first started writing the play, it was Nora’s story, and Ashley Christmas, who plays Nora Beck, read an early draft. I met Ashley back in 1994 at Leicester Haymarket, and I knew she’d give me honest feedback. Thankfully, she loved it, and she really embodies Nora Beck for me, so I’m glad she can do it again.
Chris Garner was our Beck before, but he’s tied up with other projects. So, we went on the hunt for a new Harry Beck and Simon Snashall reached out. When Simon joined the rehearsal room he clicked with Ashley instantly. They’re fantastic together on stage. Even though they don’t look like the real Beck and Nora, I think it works in our favour. It’s not a tribute band – it’s our own interpretation on the story, and I believe it helps the audience focus on the story itself.
It’s fascinating that hundreds of millions of people could likely identify the Tube map instantly but how many of them do you think would know the name Harry Beck?
More and more people will now because of Ken Garland and his book. He also started the campaign to have Harry Beck’s name put back on the map, which in 2002, it finally was. And hopefully more people will know his name after coming to watch our play – it’s like the last line when Harry says – I just wish people knew. And of course they will.
What do you hope audiences will take away from The Truth About Harry Beck in terms of their understanding of Harry Beck’s role in shaping London as we know it?
There’s a couple of things.
Firstly, I want them to have a really good time. It’s a nice gentle play. It’s genuine like him. Secondly, I want them to go away going thinking, just by looking carefully at a problem, you might create something brilliant. He wasn’t recognised as the maker of the map for many years. But now people know about him, and this play is about the recognition he deserves.
I hope this play says the mild-mannered person can be brilliant. It’s not always the loudest in the room.
Our thanks to Andy for talking time out of rehearsals to chat with us. The Truth About Harry Beck plays at London Transport Museum from 14th September to 10th November. Tickets and further information can be found here.
