A sexy and frightening revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein, directed by Daniel Fish, set years, if not decades later, inhabiting the insular world of Judd Frye. Oklahoma! (College, Off-Broadway, On-Broadway, London) Patrick Weil was looking for a change. He found his complete 180 in The Upside Down, in his words, “from tormentor to tormentor.”
In the West End world premiere production, Stranger Things: First Shadow, a prequel to the hugely popular Netflix series starring Kate Treffry (a story by Treffry, Jack Thorne, and the Duffer brothers), Bale plays a younger version of Dr. Martin Brenner (the older Doctor in the TV version was played by Matthew Modine). ). He is tasked with monitoring a young man with telekinetic abilities named Henry Creel. He wouldn’t elaborate further, except to say that the experience had been a great gift and brought new audiences to the West End (he was “delighted” to have an “iron-clad N.D.A. (signed). And he doesn’t take it for granted.
(©Manuel Harlan)
This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
It is very interesting to compare the additional features of this work Oklahoma!it was just plywood and a picnic table.
I’m kidding when I say it has a big effect. Oklahoma! That means all the lights have been turned off. This play is technical on so many levels. The first act is very rapid-fire. Literally everything is spinning. On the stage he has three turns, and the plot is progressing rapidly. In the second act, he suddenly finds himself alone on a nearly empty stage, wrestling with each other. The great gift is being able to participate in this kind of weird double-handedness in these situations.
Technology was an endurance test for everyone, not only physically but also mentally. What’s amazing is that for something so technologically advanced and what feels like huge entertainment, it’s still an old-school Trunk Show. We have these huge illusions and great moments of stage magic, but without giving anything away, they are very simple. At the end of the day, we’re a company of players and we all really care about each other and we’re all really excited to tell this story every night for people who are looking forward to hearing it. Masu.
This role is clearly related to Matthew Modine in the series. How much freedom did they give you in terms of building your own version of the character, as opposed to playing Patrick Bale, who plays Matthew Modine, who plays Dr. Brenner?
That was never explicitly asked of me. Perhaps there was a question of resemblance to him on the baseball field, even to the point that I was considered. I looked at the physical and vocal bones of what he did in the series, especially the vocals, and threw away anything that wasn’t useful. I had no interest in imitation. That’s a huge disservice to the show, but then what’s the fun in it? What he has accomplished is so unforgettable and he feels so lucky to have so much room to play. What he shows in the series is a fully formed human being, the Dr. Brenner we meet. first shadow It’s fun to be not so elegant and sometimes not free at all.
(©Manuel Harlan)
What was it like when you finally met him on the first night?
First of all, I was shocked by him because he was so handsome. That’s the first thing, this huge handsome guy in front of me. I’m a fan of his work. stranger things. full metal jacket. he made this movie. private school With Phoebe Cates, who many of us were watching during the slumber party. I was really thrilled to meet him. He is an actor that I respect both in terms of his work and his manners as a human being. That was a big thing for me.
He was sitting right in front of the theater. Luckily I didn’t realize it was him. Because I thought they weren’t going to put him on the third line. he was very nice. I can’t imagine what it would be like to watch someone else play another version of something you’ve already built. I was so embarrassed to show him my performance. He was surprised by the fact that I was wearing a wig at the show. The way I look on stage is very different from the way I look when I come out.he really loves stranger things. That is one of the strengths of this property. Everyone who works on it has a deep love for it.
One thing that surprised me…I went to a Friday matinee in mid-February. I wondered if anyone would go see a West End show at one o’clock on a Friday in the middle of winter. The theater was packed with people of all ages and genders, and everyone was engrossed in watching the movie. In New York, we are trained to expect a much older audience and fewer participants at matinees.
It’s very different in London. People watch more plays here. Now more accessible. People are exposed to theater at an early age and it is very attractive to new audiences. Therefore, in this country there is a custom of going to the theater, which gives rise to experiments not only from the artists, but also from the audience.
I really loved being here for that.in Oklahoma!Certainly, there were a lot of people who were deeply surprised by what they saw, and a lot of people who came thinking it was “Let’s Eat Your Veggies” theater and were excited about what we were doing. stranger things has a built-in audience of wonderfully dedicated fans who love the story and the material, which is a huge gift. But when you tell people a story they’ve never heard before, they want to know what happens. As an actor, there’s nothing better than that moment when you realize the story is good and the audience is listening. There’s that floating feeling throughout the room, and you feel your collective breath hold. But there are also people who say, “I heard that this is good, so I’m going to go see it.” stranger things they don’t know anything about it. They’re experimenting and seeing if they like it.
One of the statistics I read… I think for 55% of the audience, this is their first West End show. That’s unusual. As someone who ended up going to theater as a kid, it was seeing things like this that got me there. We may be the people who get into drugs or end up in this field. It’s huge and I’m really happy that we are the first experience for people.