Review of ‘Interview’ (Riverside Studios): “Overly predictable narrative gives away too many answers”

Robert Sean Leonard returns to the London stage with the theatrical adaptation of Teunkie Van Der Sluij’s 2003 Dutch film. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its investigative journalistic narrative leads to a favourable opinion piece.

Nobody questions the power of an interview-themed two-hander to explore the depths of the human condition. But when there’s no content to tackle, the playwright’s job (much like the journalist this piece depicts) turns into an uninviting task one could only hope to end fast — and well. Based on the 2003 Theo Van Gogh film, Teunkie Van Der Sluijs’s adaptation of Interview opened last night at London’s Riverside Studios, to a moderately enthusiastic applause that may not become their usual audience for the rest of the run.

It’s a simple premise that avoids complications. That might be the reason for its difficulties. A political analyst from the fictional New York Courier, whose journalistic practices will soon prove to be debatable, is sent to a high-profile influencer’s apartment in Brooklyn. They intend to run a Q&A that offers a more serious and comprehensive perspective of her actual self and her views. Yet, his suspicion that her opinions are founded on the idea that impeachment is a moisturizing brand doesn’t make it sound like the best of plans.

Sadly, the play doesn’t deviate too far from the protagonist’s initial feelings. That same superficial, empty persona he envisions his interviewee as is precisely how the writing of this piece comes across: clichéd, stagnant, and unsurprising. There is very little gravitas or truthfulness exuding through either the plot or dialogue. On the whole, the narrative moves in an eternal circle — constantly tiptoeing over the same themes, without ever taking any roads that allow them to evolve.

The tension is extremely heavy-handed. All in all, there’s hardly any. In roughly 90 minutes, we’re supposed to believe things have escalated from low-key bantering to steamy flirtation; all along, accompanied by the most soulful, genuine confession of both parties’ darkest critics. If you’re already thinking there’s probably a catch to such a convoluted situation, I should give you a pat on the back. But it would pain me to do so. “Why?”, you may ask. Well, just because I’m petty. But also, because that’s the core of the problem: we can anticipate everything that’s going to happen from a mile away, and that even includes the end of a few lines.

Consequently, the piece leads to a vacuous, unrefined experience that fails to engage the viewer on both an entertaining and artistic level. Too often, the script evokes a sense of pretentiousness, as if convinced that its life observations are somehow revelatory — while, in reality, they are just immature, overused, and sometimes slightly obtuse. The lack of organic climactic strength, accentuated by the text’s forced attempts to push it forward, solidifies the show’s generally dull vibe — unable to trigger too much emotion or dramatic interest, and repeatedly losing its audience through the performance.

American film and television star Robert Sean Leonard, far from a theatrical debutante, gives a fine rendition that regales us with a few occasional moments of interpretative sparkle. Yet, those excerpts only take place while standing on his own — a blessing limited to the play’s prologue and some fortuitous brief segments. Wistfully, Paten Hughes gives a disappointing portrayal of the seemingly self-entitled social media personality, Katya, rarely coming off as genuine, and ultimately deprived of any strokes of range and nuance. The absence of chemistry between the two is excruciatingly palpable. And that nonexistent rapport sacrifices the account’s last chance for credibility.

Proposing an enticing debate from two opposite outlooks, but leaving us with the vaguest, most unquotable responses, Interview may encourage audiences to raise a few questions. However, those will unlikely stem from its invisible thought-provoking energy, and certainly more from the doubts about the production’s readiness to be onstage. Its poor conversational aptitudes, added to a mainly weak storyline, make it an uninspired journey where there’s hardly any news to report — that is, if you’re not looking for the fake ones.

All pictures credit to Helen Murray.

Interview plays at London’s Riverside Studios until 27 September. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara