Divorce, feminism, sex... Rupert Young tells Jane McGowan why The Philanderer is perfect for modern audiences
When George Bernard Shaw wrote The Philanderer in 1893, topics such as sex, women’s rights and divorce were considered taboo, and the censors deemed the play too racy for prim Victorian theatregoers.
Luckily, that is no longer the case and this much-neglected piece comes to the Orange Tree Theatre directed by Paul Miller. It stars Rupert Young (probably best known for his work as Sir Leon in BBC drama Merlin) as Leonard, the philanderer of the title.
“The part of Leonard is a confusing beast,” Young admits. “It’s been great to thrash out what the play and the character is really about.”
The play tells the story of Leonard Charteris, a man caught between two women. Nothing new there then… but what is different is that in this play, the women express their views on marriage and carry on their affairs of the heart with the same sexual openness as the men.
“There are very strong women in this play,” Young says. “And Leonard is not as bad as you might think. He doesn’t just play women off against each other, he makes it clear what he believes in; he doesn’t hide the fact he doesn’t want marriage. He also treats the women in the same way he treats the men. Really he just doesn’t want to settle down, but is there really anything wrong with that?”
Perhaps not nowadays, but Shaw’s contemporaries certainly thought so and urged the playwright to change the ending from one of divorce to a more conventional conclusion of a marriage. The Orange Tree production will feature the original ending.
“The play was way ahead of its time. The issues it raises are still prevalent today, which means it’s much more than a museum piece,” Young says. “It’s about conversations between men and women as equals, but then that was seen as just as shocking as someone getting divorced.”
Thirty-eight-year-old Young, who is based in West London, was encouraged to think about acting as a profession by his drama teacher who had seen him in a production of Guys & Dolls. That was more than 20 years ago and he acknowledges that he’s been very lucky to make a living from what he describes as a “challenging, crazy world”.
Nevertheless, he is clearly loving his time in Richmond and enjoying the benefits of its six-week stint.
“We had four weeks of rehearsals and now a nice-length run, so the play has the chance to grow and embed,” he says.
“The Orange Tree is great. So youthful and exciting – you can’t beat it. I was sitting on the green this morning and I thought to myself, ‘There really is nowhere better’.”
The Philanderer runs at The Orange Tree Theatre until June 25. For more info visit: orangetreetheatre.co.uk or call (020) 8940 3633
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