How will Pierre (Robert Sean Leonard), a middle-aged, serious political journalist, fare when assigned to interview Katya (Paten Hughes), a glamorous, younger influencer with millions of devoted followers? Interview, currently at Riverside Studios, unleashes this unlikely pair against each other and asks, whose authority carries more weight: the seasoned journalist or the clickbait star. As the two spar, the air crackles with seduction, challenge, and uncomfortable truths.
The play unfolds in Katya’s sleek New York loft, complete with a claw-foot bathtub sitting prominently in the living space. The production roots us firmly in the digital age, with projections of texts, selfies, and mobile phone icons appearing on the back wall, while cameras and multimedia are central props. Katya streams directly to her followers while coaxing Pierre into revealing his darkest secrets to the lens. Pierre also turns the camera on Katya — and who is really telling the truth in this piece? Vulnerability is never unadulterated in this couples’ world—it’s twisted, packaged, and monetised. The piece leaves us questioning how, in a world ruled by digital influences, we measure what is authentic and what is discardable.
As Katya, Paten Hughes is both playful and sharp, embodying a woman who knows her value and the currency of her screen time. Robert Sean Leonard brings gravity to Pierre, torn between his history as a war correspondent ridden with crushing secrets, and the humiliation of having to write a fluff piece. His integrity is tested, but is he confiding or exploiting? Will he betray Katya for the sake of a story?
Director Tuenkie van der Sluijs, has reimagined the piece for the stage based on a screenplay by Theodor Holman and a film by Theo van Gogh, and updates the story into our media-saturated present. The dialogue is quick-fire and the pace unrelenting—sometimes too much so, leaving the central attraction between the two too speedy and a touch more thought than felt. And while the set is a chic New York loft, it feels somewhat curated rather than lived-in.
Overall, Interview is a sharp and timely piece that raises questions worth contemplating, even if it doesn’t always give the ideas ample room to breathe. The performances are engaging and the update feels fresh, but the emotional weight doesn’t fully satisfy and leaves too many gaps. Still, it makes for an intriguing evening of theatre, and asks which kind of newsmakers, and which kind of news has the upper hand in our digital age.
Interview
Until 27 September
Adapted for the stage and directed by: Teunkie van der Sluijs
Cast: Robert Sean Leonard, Paten Hughes
Set Deisgn: Derek McLane
Photo Credit:
Reviewed by: Wilder Gutterson