The various dramatic conflicts in the plays of Harold Pinter present serious challenges for his characters and his audiences. Here comes a double bill of Pinter to the Ustinov Studio with director Lindsay Posner, and they are both in the safe, interpretative hands of David Morrissey, says Melissa Blease.
There was a Martin McDonagh piece in the West End called Hangmen, in 2015; I really loved doing that. And Mark Antony in the National Theatre’s Julius Caesar a couple of years ago. And Sherwood on TV, which I enjoyed – oh, and The Long Shadow, about the Yorkshire Ripper. It’s hard to pick! I have a lot of work behind me. But I don’t think there’s one particular role that I would stand up for as a highlight, for myself – that’s for others to decide.”
But other people have as tough a choice as David Morrissey when it comes to nominating our favourite of his characters Gordon Brown in Stephen Frears’ 2003 TV film The Deal? Ruthless Philip ‘The Governor’ Blake in US post-apocalyptic horror drama The Walking Dead? The confused Next Doctor in the BBC’s 2008 Doctor Who Christmas Special? All distinct characters, for sure; as the British Film Institute puts it so succinctly, Morrissey is “one of the most versatile English actors of his generation.”
Preparation for Pinter
This month, Morrissey will be showcasing his chameleon-like, definition-defying versatility yet again as he begins a four-week residency at the Ustinov Studio leading the cast (including Mathew Horne, of Gavin and Stacey fame) in a compelling double-bill of The Lover/The Collection, two of hugely influential British dramatist Harold Pinter’s most emotionally complex works, directed by Lindsay Posner. Two plays, in one night, for four consecutive weeks? Phew! Is there at least a link between them, to lighten the Morrissey load?
“Only in the sense that they’re both written by the same author,” says Morrissey, talking to me on the very first day of rehearsals. “Also, they were both originally written and conceived for TV. But there are no other distinct links apart from the fact that, in true Pinter fashion, both plays are to do with the human condition, and there are certain parallels between the two in terms of how people interact with each other.”
So is it a challenge to play two characters in one double-bill, if there isn’t a distinct link? “Actually, you could say I play three characters, in that in The Lover I play a person who takes on another character as well!,” he says. “But it’s fine, they’re all very, very different. I suppose that’s where the challenge is; to disappear into three characters during one matinee, or evening.”
Researching roles
Now if you know Morrissey beyond ‘knowing’ the multiple roles on his CV, you’ll be aware that he’s noted for his intensely methodical approach to the job in hand. “I’m not a Method actor, though,” he explains. “Method describes an actor who lives in the life of a character, and I don’t do that. What I do is a lot of research around my work: if I’m playing a teacher, I’ll go and meet teachers; if I’m playing a copper, I go and meet coppers. I do a lot of work outside the script around my character, but I’m definitely not in the character 24/7, which is what governs Method – I just like to do research.”
Research for this production probably relies more on intellectual analysis of Pinter’s own, unique perception of the machinations behind love, relationships and the human condition: The Lover is described as a ‘quirky, tense and intriguing glimpse at the private intricacies of modern marriage’; The Collection, ‘a comic play of suspense and sexual jealousy between two couples, sparked by an anonymous phone call.’ Intriguing?
Unravelling the characters
“From my perspective so far, The Lover examines the relationship between a middle class couple and how they interact with each other around their sexuality,” says Morrissey.
“But my character is also very funny; he’s very witty, and very cutting. The Collection is about a man trying to find out whether his wife is lying to him or not – also very funny; quite dark, but also quite musical in its language.”
If any actor’s going to bring these roles to life, it’s going to be Morrissey; I can already feel the intensity, plunder the depths and scale the heights of two plays that sound like rollercoaster emotional journeys with him, just talking to him on the phone.
As we’re in Pinter territory: will there be any controversy punctuating those journeys along the way? The writer’s apparent attitudes to women and female characters has always been a source of debate, to say the least…
“I like Pinter’s writing – I think he challenged conventions,” says Morrissey. “If you see a bad Pinter production, it might be easy to think he was a misogynist, or that a lot of his characters are misogynistic. But I honestly don’t think that was his own, actual attitude. I think he knew – and saw, in our society – how some men have a misogynistic, women-hating attitude, and they’re triggered by women, and can only categorise them as madonnas or whores. But Pinter is commenting on those attitudes and exploring them, not condoning them. In The Lover, for example, my character is very triggered by women – it’s always a power struggle to him, and he questions his masculinity being challenged, and he reacts in very neanderthal ways, sometimes very violently, or highly insultingly.
“But I think that Pinter shone a light on that immaturity and that sort of misogyny in a way that’s really important to see: yes, some men do react to women like that. But the play is not a period piece; when you look at society today, I think that misogyny is, sadly, still alive and well.”
I think [Pinter] knew – and saw, in our society – how some men have a misogynistic, women-hating attitude…”
Journey from The Everyman in Liverpool
From our conversation so far, it’s clear that Ustinov audiences are set to be confronted another spectacularly thought-provoking production from the Ustinov. But taking a quick step back to where Morrissey’s own story began before we watch him get on with his future, I have a personal connection with him that I can’t help nudging.
Morrissey was born in Liverpool in June, 1964 – a month after me, just down the road from where I lived. Inspired by seeing Ken Loach’s 1969 film Kes, Morrissey wanted to be an actor from a very young age. There were no drama classes to encourage his ambition at secondary school so he joined Liverpool’s Everyman Youth Theatre (EYT) – at around the same time that I did. But where I’d joined the EYT for the sole reason that I was shoehorned into the EYT to meet people who ‘got’ the fact that I was a bit of an odd kid, Morrissey clearly had innate aptitude and aspirations waiting to be fulfilled; he swiftly bagged a part in the EYT production of Fighting Chance (a play about the 1981 riots in Liverpool) and, in 1983, a starring role in Willy Russell/Gordon Flemyng’s TV drama One Summer – and a very big oak from that little acorn grew.
Ah, David: I remember you as being one of the clever kids at the youth theatre – the ones that not-so-focused kids like me looked up to from a respectful distance. “I don’t remember there being a specific group of clever kids!” he laughs; “I just remember us all being in one big group – it was a wonderful, wonderful time. I was there with my fellow actor Ian Hart, who also appeared in One Summer – we’ve known each other since we were about five years old. And Cathy Tyson, too; we all live near each other today, in north London – we’re all still close.”
David Morrissey has ‘been’, in his career to date, many things to many people. But he is ultimately, I believe, an actor who has always remained true to his authentic self, with the lifelong friends to prove that point. Me? I’m still the odd kid, all told. But you’re never too old to have a clever kid to look up to… and Ustinov audiences are poised to be presented with a very clever actor taking on Pinter to look up to this spring season.
The Lover and The Collection, Ustinov Studio, 22 March-22 April; theatreroyal.org.uk