Insignificance, written by Terry Johnson and directed by David Mercateli, centres on an imagined meeting between Albert Einstein, who is deliberating whether to testify to McCarthy’s House Committee, and Marilyn Monroe, who is being pursued by her jealous husband Joe DiMaggio. Over one night in a hotel room, the characters grapple playfully with the difficulties of knowing the world, each other and themselves. Simon Rouse is taking on the role of Einstein, and he took some time out of rehearsals to chat to us about the play.
Insignificance is coming to the Arcola Theatre, what can you tell us about it?
Insignificance is undoubtedly one of the best plays of the last few decades. It’s about an imagined meeting between four towering icons, but the way Terry Johnson has written it makes it oddly realistic, and you fall into playing it like any other play. That’s what’s amazing: it captures a realism which you wouldn’t have thought possible with such characters.
How did you get involved in the project?
I was asked to come and meet David Mercatali, the director, who asked me if I’d be interested in doing the play, and of course I said yes, like a shot. Especially when I discovered that it had such a fantastic cast I didn’t even have to think about it. Another big pull was the Arcola; I love the Arcola and I think it’s a great space. Funnily enough it reminds me of some of the theatres I acted in when I started out, in the 60s. There’s an amazingly young, free, sexy vibe; lots of excitement and possibility. Which is perfect for this play.
How have the cast been getting to know each other during rehearsals?
Well, there are lots of people who have lots of theories about warm-ups and games before rehearsals. I worked with a director who got us to do circuit training before every rehearsal, which kind of works. But what we did with David was great. First, we took it in turns each day to lead stretches. After that we’d play a simple ball game we called ‘keepy-uppy’ which was a lovely, childlike thing to do – just patting the ball between each other. Really the simplest things are the best to get to know each other, I think. Also, because it’s a four-hander and because of the way it’s written – we engage with each other so quickly and intensely – we got to know each other quite quickly.
How have you researched your character to make sure you get it right?
I watched some clips and bought a biography of Einstein – unsurprisingly I didn’t understand three-quarters of it. I hadn’t a clue what was being talked about because there’s a lot of maths and physics and whatnot. But from what I understood I gleaned that he was quite extraordinary. Interestingly though, people have often said that because he was so eccentric and because the way he thought was so left field, that if he had done an IQ test he probably wouldn’t have done very well! So, I read and watched a few recordings of him and I did a bit of research. But you have to stop at some point and just play the piece. I think most people have an idea of him as a brilliant German genius – but he’s slightly forgetful and absent minded as well, and that suited me!
It was first in London over 30 years ago, why do you think it‘s still relevant today?
Well, now instead of McCarthy we have Trump who is actually a similar figure: a fascistic, powerful, authoritarian figure, who people have been brainwashed into accepting, which is absolutely terrifying. North Korea’s nuclear proliferation also makes this a strikingly relevant play to do, because it touches on the first use of the atomic bomb which Einstein, inadvertently, was part of setting off.
If it was being written today, which four modern–day icons would you like to see in that hotel room?
I think I’d have Christopher Hitchens… Mohammed Ali…Trump… and Judi Dench.
The most difficult to choose was the “thinker”. I suppose it’s difficult because we don’t have as many thinkers we’d see as “iconic” these days. But I chose the late Christopher Hitchens, because he’s so open and honest, divisive but unafraid.
The others are more straightforward. Trump is… well, I don’t want to say disgusting, but I think the tragedy is that he represents the worst of all of us. The fact that he’s been allowed to get to where he is proves how we all suffer from greed.
I chose Mohammed Ali because he’s such a marvellous character and also because he’s such a powerful symbol of the civil rights movement. I think, in our lifetimes, issues of race and discrimination have moved increasingly to the fore. We are becoming more open about discussing the problem; facing it in society and within ourselves.
And Judi Dench is there as the voice of reason, humour and humanity. It would be nice to see how she dealt with them all.
Insignificance is at The Arcola Theatre Wednesday 18th October – Saturday 18th November 2017
