RSC Friends

Q
Photograph by Helen Maybanks.

The talk began with a resume of Alex’ career. The interviewer had done his homework and put it to Alex that he had been working continuously in classical theatre for the past 13 years without ‘resting’. A remarkable record for any actor. Alex joked that his year long stint at the Almeida gave him more job security that many of his friends enjoyed working in the City!

The discussion then focused on Alex’s much lauded playing of Brutus in Julius Caesar. He shared his insights into Brutus’s desperate and delusional justification of his actions as he becomes increasingly seduced by power. Alex drew our attention to Shakespeare’s ambivalence towards Brutus in Mark Antony’s questionable judgement that Brutus was ‘the noblest Roman of them all.’

Commenting on the decision to play Julius Caesar in togas rather than modern dress, Alex pointed out that when a play has a long run, as this production will, dress that looks topical at the beginning of the run can look out of date remarkably quickly.

Finally, Alex spoke about the difficulties of reconciling an actor’s life with the demands of a young family. He thanked the RSC warmly for its flexibility and understanding.