Georgie Henley, best known for her role as Lucy Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia, stars in Tarantula, the live premiere of Philip Ridley’s gripping monologue.
Henley, who made her stage debut in Ridley’s Angry in 2018, returns to collaborate with director Wiebke Green in this spine-tingling exploration of trauma, memory, and identity.
Don’t miss Tarantula at Arcola Theatre’s Studio 2 from January 8 to 25, 2025.
You’re bringing Tarantula to Arcola Theatre, what can you tell us about the show?
It’s quite a hard show to talk about because I’m desperate not to give anything away! We meet Toni, who is young and ambitious, a real old soul, and she’s about to go on her first date. On this date, an event unfolds that changes the course of her life forever. We follow her story, and she’s talking to the audience the whole time.
Tarantula explores deep themes of identity, memory, and trauma. What drew you to this role, and how do you relate to Toni’s journey?
Tarantula is probably the character I’ve ever related to most. Toni has some experiences that resemble my own, even if her reactions to those events are different. It’s such a complex journey, exactly like a spider’s web—very intricate and all leading to this deeply painful core. I was just so excited to work with Phil again and get to explore the worlds and characters that he creates. The first time I did this play, I was covering my scars with makeup, but now I don’t have to do that. It feels even more emotionally vulnerable for me than before.
You’ve previously worked with Philip Ridley in Angry. What’s it like to return to one of his plays, and what is unique about this production?
Angry was an incredible experience, getting to do six different monologues, but I especially enjoyed being on stage and really settling into the final monologue, ‘Air,’ which was about 50 minutes long. So to get to do Tarantula, where I don’t leave the stage, was such an exhilarating challenge. I think that Phil is a true visionary artist, and I’m humbled to get to return to his work. What is most unique about Tarantula is how sprawling it is. We cover so much emotional ground, and I feel like it really accurately reflects the messiness of the human brain—identity, memory, trauma. There are no easy answers, and I love that. It’s also a real thriller; you genuinely have no idea what’s around the corner.
The play is described as a “gripping monologue.” What is it like to carry the entire performance as Toni, especially given the emotional weight of the role?
It’s certainly a challenge, but it’s such a gift of a role and a story as an actor. You rarely have opportunities to tell a story and embody a character like this. The play is incredibly vocally and physically demanding, so you become very attuned to your body, its limits, but also how far you can push it. Emotionally, it can be hard to decompress—your body doesn’t know that what you’re feeling isn’t technically real—but there’s something about doing the marathon of it that can be very cleansing.
Tarantula was first performed online, and now it’s having its live premiere at Arcola Theatre. What’s the difference between performing this piece on stage versus online?
The show is very concerned with the act of storytelling—how we tell stories, different versions of stories, how we tell stories—so to be able to actually speak to the audience truly makes a massive difference. This is not a play in which the audience are just observers; Toni is implicating them in her narrative all the time, which creates such a fascinating tension. There were elements of doing it streamed online that were really evocative, but I’m so looking forward to having an audience. I also adore the Arcola. I think it always programmes brilliant, exciting material, and it’s such a dream to be acting there.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Tarantula at Arcola Theatre?
I would say that even though the play has its intense moments, it’s also full of joy, humour, and discovery. People always talk about the darkness of Phil’s work, but what always shines through for me is his amazing wit!
