Stein way
lL‘t‘oL‘iotts intelligenee. While this (ierman speaks to me in linglish. he is interrupted by his mobile phone. talks briefly in Italian to siiiiieiiiie. then returns to our eonversation vvithout missing a beat. He tells me his preparation involved painstakingly translating the play from Riissian a language he doesn't speak at all into linglisli a language that is not his ovvii. 'l‘hat vv as below he eonsulted various translators and studied at ltost ol' published \‘et'sions.
In truth. the question ol him vvorking with British aetors is futile more than eonl'rontational. .\'ot so mueh a eulture elash as a fruitful meeting betvveen (iermanie rigour and British vigour. When I intervievved l‘iona Shavv in 1997. .she told me that. although she loved eomedy'. she vvas beeoming inereasingly' interested in pushing hersell beyond the easy laugh. ‘I vvas obsessed vvith vvit and humour.‘ she said. 'I always thought they vvere the great rev ealei‘s ol
PETER STEIN’s production of The Seagull marks a significant step for the legendary director: he’s working with British actors. Words: Mark Fisher
not the normal. average linglish aeting style. 'l'hey are veiy individual and very dil'l'ei'ent ai'tistie personalities. .\lltl the main thing is they are really beautil'ul: I didn‘t e\peet that. I spent about three aiid a hall years ol' my lile in lli‘itain and l vvas very mueh surprised liovv beautil'ul they are.‘
He eontinues: ‘lii the vvork. they are mueli moie sell \lllllL‘lL‘lll. You see these highly armed individual battle units. They prepare themselves. they go l‘oi'vvai‘d. they develop things and they make propositions » vvliieh I ask them to and the propositions are getting more and more radieal. lliis individual. sell-reliant beliav ioiir on stage is quite siii'pi'isiiig.'
It‘s true also that dii'eetoi's li'om eountries vvliere long rehearsals are the norm ol'ten liiid themselves iiiipi'essed by the speed at vvliieli British aetoi's vvoi'k the legaey ol vveekly rep is still strong liei'e. llas Stein lound the same thing and is
it good l'oi' ('liekliov 1’ 'llltl\ is His. he says. "lilie
eonneetion vvith the audienee and they are. But I ‘l problem is you have to then make the things deepei.
more pi'olound. lltl\ needs time. In ('liekliov yoii
began to see that it you go beyond the laugh. it you go to a territory that isn't l’unny'. and there's no have to go to the most minimal details. lle vvorks
irony'. then something else happens.’ That is very mueh in accord vvith Stein‘s
DOES. otit highly dramatie moments out or [mm] o I I
situations. 'lliese banal situations vvoi'k only il they
multilayered approaeli to aeting (he tells me it's T0 are in a eei'tain kind ot vvorld. h vs e lllll'titltlL‘Ctl the
possible for a good actor to perl‘orm six levels of I
subtext at the same time) and it is elear he has been
dazzled by Shavv‘s vibraney — so mueh so. it has
all‘eeted his understanding of the play. ‘What I novv
see about The Seagull - perhaps this is also the
povver and the input of the linglish aetors - is that it is rather
ehaotie. strong and extreme. so in a eertain vvay younger.
more insolent.’ he says. ‘l’erhaps it is beeause ol' liovv the
linglisli aetors take it. I eannot measure vvhat l-‘iona Sliavv
does: everything on stage starts to vibrate. it‘s unbelievable.‘ So hovv does he lind vvorking vvith British aetors'.’ "l'here
are tvvo things.‘ he says vvith ty'pieal clarity. ‘I don't knovv it
these actors are totally representative ol‘ linglish aetors. They are very special. 'l‘hey surprise me nearly every day. There are a lot Irish people and a Seotsman. and you feel that these are
everyday vvorld ol' today. the simple. banal vvords that he uses are not lilting any more. 'l'lie language simply tltl‘sttd lunetion.‘ lle eontinues' 'It is totally dil'l'ei'ent vvitli Shakespeare: they ean be men l'roin .\lars or they can vvank on a homosexual toilet and speaking Shakespeare test is no problem it vvoi'ks. ln (‘hekliov you have only this banal speaking ol’everyday language. And this language must be in a eertaiii system vvhieli is around l‘)t)tl. It is a elosed system. vvliere minimal aetion is going on. It's all about the ps)L‘lttt-pttllttiltigy ()l- L'\ct‘_\ tlity lll'C. ‘lillL’ catastrophes are inside the people and not eomiiig l'rom outside.’
King’s Theatre, 473 2000, 11-23 Aug, 7.30pm; 14, 16, 20 & 23 2pm mat, 26.504226.
YHE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 67