Pierre Marivaux’s The False Servant, (translated by Martin Crimp) starts its run at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond from 13th June 2022. Paul Miller directs, following his acclaimed production of Marivaux’s The Lottery of Love. Martin Crimp’s prolific international career began at the Orange Tree Theatre, including our recent hit revival of Dealing with Clair.
This version by Martin Crimp was acclaimed at its 2004 National Theatre premiere by The Telegraph: “Thrills, chills, and belly laughs – this addictively adult comedy has got the lot.”
When a man thinks he can cynically take a rich woman’s money and then run off with an even more lucrative potential fiancée, he’d best not tell the fiancée by mistake. Le Chevalier, a woman disguised as the son of an aristocrat, embarks on a plan that will expose the dark heart of this male power-play.
The Artiscape spoke to Phoebe Pryce about her role as Countess.
She plays Countess. Her theatre credits include The Night Watch, Cash Cow (Hampstead Theatre), The Picture of Dorian Gray (UK tour), About Leo (Jermyn Street Theatre), Passage to India (Park Theatre/UK tour), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Octagon Theatre/Theatre Royal York), The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest (Shakespeare’s Globe) and Charlie’s Dark Angel (The Drayton Arms Theatre).Her television credits include The Girlfriend Experience;and for film, The Lost King, The Merchant of Venice and Plus One.
Can you tell us about the character you play?
Pryce: I play a Countess who lives in a chateau somewhere outside of Paris. That’s all Marivaux tell us about her so it’s been lots of fun creating a life for her under Paul Miller’s exceptional direction.
Can you identify in any way with the character you play?
Pryce: She’s not someone I immediately identify with (I hope) – she’s proud, stubborn and entitled but I think she’s someone who exists in a world where she’s had to be those things in order to be heard. She’s an intelligent, wealthy woman in a man’s world. She’s also caring, witty and ultimately wants to love and be loved. We see more of that as the play goes on and she starts to open up. She’s flawed, certainly complicated but she’s human and a joy to play.
What attracts you to the play’s plot?
Pryce: How funny it is and how thrillingly that has been explored in the rehearsal room. Big, bold characters who know who they are, what they want and how they’re going to get it…or so they think.
As an actor, what are the challenge in preparing for a role like this?
Pryce: As we don’t get too many clues as to exactly who she is so I’ve tried to figure her out by the way she reacts to the other characters and the situations she finds herself in throughout the play. And tried to remain as open as possible during the whole process, nothing is certain so anything could change and that’s as challenging as it is fun.
What do you feel an audience will take from this production?
Pryce: I hope they will laugh a lot, think a bit and tell all their friends to come and see Martin Crimps’ brilliant adaptation of this deliciously bonkers play.
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Tue – Sat at 7.30pm (13 June at 7pm)
Tue, Thu & Sat at 2.30pm (from 16 June)
Audio Described performance
Thu 14 July 7.30pm
Captioned performance
Tue 12 July 7.30pm
To book for accessible seats, and for captioned and audio described performances, please call the box office on 020 8940 3633 or email
box.office@orangetreetheatre.co.uk
(Mon to Sat from midday to 6.30pm)
