Director Max Elton talks upcoming new play ‘Most Favoured’: “Unlike with Meg Ryan, neither of these characters are faking it”

Following several critically acclaimed collaborations, including Not Now and Yes, So I Said Yes, the dramaturg-director reunites with playwright David Ireland with this new comedy, running at the Soho Theatre for the festive season. Guillermo Nazara chats with the creative to learn more about the development process, and how this two-hander about a one-night stand with an American tourist can make amusement great again.

How did the idea for the show come about?

You’d have to ask David. The play is a short, 45-minute cracker of a play. There are some places where a show with that running time might leave audiences feeling short-changed before they’ve even seen it, but at Soho Theatre it felt like the perfect place, and the perfect audience, for a show like this.

What led you to explore the subject of faith? How would you describe your approach to it in this play?

The story of the 20th century was one of Western liberals becoming increasingly reluctant to think of themselves as religious, though the numbers of people who have seen themselves as spiritual have remained constant — whatever the size of the congregation in church on a Sunday has been at any given point. This trend has, in the turbulent times we’re living through, somewhat reversed. And while I have a complicated and inconsistent attitude towards my own faith, I have at times found myself appealing to some kind of notional god to show me the way forward. No matter how sceptical, cynical, or secular we often feel, most of us want to believe in miracles, and to some extent I think that is what Most Favoured is about.

Does the play also poke fun at the cultural clash between the two leads?

I don’t think this is a play about culture clashes so much as it is a play about cynicism, and the limits of it as a way of thinking about the world.

What has the development of the piece been like, particularly regarding your reunion with David Ireland?

In classical music, the job of the conductors or musicians is regularly referred to as that of interpreter. They’re interpreting the manuscript of a singularly talented visionary for audiences. Ultimately, that’s what I see as my job as a director, and this is never more true than when working on a play by David Ireland, who I think is the finest playwright I’ve come across. This is the fourth play that I’ve worked on with David, and I feel exactly the same way now about doing so as I did the first time. It’s a dream come true.

What challenges have you found during the creation of this piece in particular?

There’s one principal challenge that I won’t go into, because it would spoil the play for anyone who reads this and then plans to see the show. The other major challenge is the same one that I’ve faced in every rehearsal room I’ve ever been in: making sure we uncover everything within the text, and do justice to the humour and detail that exist within every sentence David writes.

What makes this show stand out in comparison to other rom-coms?

That it is, ultimately, difficult to categorise as a rom-com once you’ve seen it. I love so many rom-coms and wish there were many more being made, but invariably they’re erratically written, only occasionally funny, and very predictable. Most Favoured has none of these problems, and unlike with Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, neither of these characters are faking it. 

Why come see ‘Most Favoured’?

Because it is 45 minutes long, features the best writing you’ll see all year, and has two exceptional performances from Lauren Lyle and Alexander Arnold that will make you want to see it again and watch them again. So maybe a better question would be: why only see Most Favoured once?

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All pictures credit to Lidia Crisafulli.

Most Favoured plays at London’s Soho Theatre until 24 January. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara