Charlotte Randle on her role in Cougar at The Orange Tree Theatre

Written by Rose Lewenstein, Cougar is primarily a play about an older woman’s relationship with a young man.

Leila (played by Charlotte Randle) is the older woman who meets John played by Mike Noble (The Almighty Sometimes, Royal Exchange; Road, Royal Court; Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the West End), a barman 20 years her junior, at a conference. There is immediate chemistry between them. They embark on an affair where he acts essentially as her lover and companion as she travels around the world to give talks on the impact of climate change and consumerism. Her lover John, on the other hand, needs to get his “shit together”. This is all in the backdrop of a world falling apart…

Charlotte Randle’s theatre work includes Yerma (Young Vic/New York); Plastic (Theatre Royal Bath); Medea (Almeida); Deluge (Hampstead); Birdland (Royal Court); The Lyons (Menier Chocolate Factory); Public Enemy (Young Vic); The King’s Speech (West End/tour);

The Artiscape spoke with her on her role in the play;

We asked Randle what appealed to her about the play ?

 “It’s extraordinary writing. Rose Lewenstein has a gift for dialogue that is totally conversational and poetic all at once” says Randle. “The play stunned me the first time I read it and just gets better and better the more we delve into it.”

Randle was struck by Chelsea Walker, the director and the idea of working with an all-female creative team.

We asked Randle to describe the character she plays?

She explained “Leila is described as ‘Completely. F**king. Impenetrable’ near the start of the play. She is a Climate Change expert working in Corporate Sustainability, travelling the world trying to save the planet, yet enjoying the benefits of her enormous salary and justifying her carbon footprint.”

“She is a woman who has achieved a huge level of success in a man’s world, but at a price. She’s tough, motivated and knows what she wants. And when her path crosses with a young man, she wants him! She is passionate, fierce and flawed. She’s human” says Randle.

What did she find were the challenges for playing her character?

“The play is little over an hour yet has 80 scenes – the fast-paced nature of the love affair that ensues between Leila and John is thrilling, ” she says. “As goes on, the emotional extremes and madness of their situation overwhelm them. It’s like getting on a rollercoaster with no let up!”

What will resonate with an audience that will see this production?

“It is a play that confronts the dire climate catastrophe that we are facing. It examines consumption, excess, waste, entitlement. And sexual power games. But at its heart is a love story” says Randle.

We asked her what she was most looking forward to about performing in this play?

She concluded “Getting to go on this crazy journey with Mike Noble every night – he is one of the most brilliant young actors I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. That’s very exciting.”

Cougar runs at Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Until Saturday, March 2, 2019.