©Rayner Bourton 2009

RAYNER BOURTON

Wrote and co-produced Let The Good Stones Roll, the bio musical charting the phenomenal success of the Rolling Stones, which had hugely successful productions at Edinburgh and Newcastle before transferring to London’s West End at the Ambassadors Theatre.  He was producer and director of the South Dorset Arts Centre’s Season of Comedy and the Dutch Tour and album of Steven Sleno’s King of the Cuspidor!  He also directed the New Zealand production of The Rocky Horror Show and Cross Wind Film’s Simply Years Ahead, for which he also wrote the screenplay from his own original idea.

Rayner began his career as an actor in 1969 in his home town of Birmingham playing the Sailor to Richard Chamberlain’s Hamlet at the Old Birmingham Rep.  Following his debut he went on to appear at the New Birmingham Rep, the Chichester Festival Theatre with the then living Knights and now Dead Dames of British theatre.  Seasons with the Glasgow Citizens Theatre and a few salubrious television appearances were enjoyed before being unwrapped on to the West End stage in 1973 when he created the role of Rocky to Tim Curry’s Frank ‘n’ Furter in the original London and world production of The Rocky Horror Show, a performance that has enabled him to travel the world and enjoy success in both the theatre and Rock ‘n’ Roll, performing as ‘Rocking Rayner’ was climaxed with a minor hit record and a performance at the World Rock Festival in Tokyo.

Rayner has spent two seasons at the Royal National Theatre and has played a succession of leading and supporting roles in the West End, regional theatres, films and television.  Although he played Barachio in the BBC TV production of Much Ado About Nothing, his roles as the News Reader in Douglas Adam’s The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; Dave Clark, Barry Grants infamous side-kick in Brookside and being a member of Ridley Scott’s US Super Group in the seventies are what his neighbours talk about the most.

Rayner was the Founder and Event Organiser for the tennis charity Tendis in association with Westminster City Council, The Lawn Tennis Association, International Tennis Federation and Sony Records UK, which produced the special version CD We Carry On from Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of Spartacus featuring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Lady Smith Black Mambazo.  In 1995 Rayner set up, created and became Founding Editor of the Theatre Magazine applause before returning to a further stint of acting.  At this time he appeared in the pilot episode of TV To Go and made two British films; You’re Dead opposite John Hurt, where he plays Swedish Harry, father to Rhys, Spike from Notting Hill, Ifans and failed gangster.  In the other, Rayner plays an irate wedding guest in Michael Winner’s critically annihilated film full of British comedy talent, Parting Shots, where even the dog playing the Poodle got more credit than Rayner, some may say deservedly so!