Al Weaver is currently starring as Oliver in Jamie Lloyd’s production of The Pride at Trafalgar Studios. Written by Alexi Kaye Campbell, The Pride is running as part of Jamie Lloyd’s West End season, Trafalgar Transformed, which has so far also seen acclaimed productions of Macbeth and The Hothouse.
Featuring a complex love triangle, The Pride (which runs until 9th November) delves into the attitudes towards homosexuality in both 1958 and the present day. The play, which premiered Upstairs at the Royal Court in 2008, also stars Hayley Atwell, Harry Hadden-Paton and Mathew Horne.
Al stage credits include: Inadmissible Evidence at the Donmar Warehouse, The Seagull at the Arcola Theatre, The House of Games at the Almeida Theatre, How to Curse at the Bush Theatre, Coram Boy at the National Theatre, and Hamlet at the Old Vic.
His television credits include: Southcliffe, The Frontier, Secret State, Sherlock – The Blind Banker, Survivors, Personal Affairs and The Devil’s Whore. Al’s film credits include: Honeymooner, Powder, Me and Orson Welles, Marie Antoinette and The Merchant of Venice.
Recently I spoke to Al about his last minute casting, working with Jamie Lloyd and why he doesn’t find the show draining…
You’re now well into the run of The Pride, how’s it going?
Oh it’s great! We’ve had lovely audiences and the play seems to be having a really strong effect on them which is really important.
The Pride is a very shocking piece of theatre. When did you first come across it?
I was literally only cast a few days before rehearsals started – it was all very last minute. At the end of one week I read the play and then started rehearsals on the following Monday!
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| Al & Harry Hadden-Paton |
And what was your initial reaction when you read it?
I just loved it! I thought it was very sad and tragic. I guess I really connected with the 1958 world of the play, the two worlds are very different and raise important issues. Obviously I found certain parts very powerful too.
When I saw the play you could see how shocked and affected people were both during the interval and afterwards. What is it about Alexi Kaye-Campbell’s writing which makes The Pride such a powerful piece of theatre?
I think looking at the 1958 world and then realising how much freedom we have now and how much more acceptable it is to live as a free person has a lot to do with it. To see how it was is very upsetting and I don’t think the play just affects people who are gay, it affects everyone because it’s about humanity and being true to yourself. I think it’s always heartbreaking when you see two people who can’t be together. It really makes you root for them but obviously in this story it can’t happen which affects people.
The Pride is a very heavy show. Do you find eight shows a week draining?
Actually I don’t. Surprisingly every single show fills me with more energy, it’s weird because you would think that it would be harder.
You’re part of a very small cast. What are the other three like to work with?
Oh lovely! From day one I could tell they were really great actors and I could trust them. They are really interesting people and we’re all looking out for each other which is really nice. As an actor to be able to be free on stage and to be able to make mistakes and know that your back is covered is wonderful because it means you can really let go which I think is what this play needs.
Mathew Horne and Al
All four of you have spoken about being attracted to the play because of Jamie Lloyd. What it is about him and the way he works which made you want to work with him again?
I think there’s definitely an age thing, he’s round-about the same age as I am – maybe there’s a year or two either side – so we’ve grown up with the same history almost. What I like about Jamie is that he trusts his actors and genuinely guides us instead of saying “do this, do that” which certain directors do and which is frustrating for actors. The whole rehearsal process was about a mutual trust and everyone was working together to create a piece of theatre, it wasn’t just an ego trip. The whole process was very exciting. I’ve worked with Jamie before, about a year and a half ago so it was nice going into rehearsals with a director again who I enjoyed working with last time. I had a smaller part last time and I got to watch amazing things happen in the rehearsal room. So this time I went in knowing what to expect. We all make mistakes and get things wrong, but Jamie will always push you in the right direction if you’re taking too long [laughs]. My favourite part of doing a play is the rehearsal process. I do TV work too but always try and do one show a year.
What’s next for you? Or what would you like to be next for you?
Christmas I guess! Hopefully I’ll get another job and see what happens. That’s the nice thing, you’re always in the dark... well it’s nice for a while until you’re really in the dark [laughs]. I would love to do another play but then I would also like a cracking part on television. I made a short film in January and that’s coming to the London Film Festival and I think I’ll probably be doing another one. I’m doing some other filming too, we’ll see what happens!
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
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didn't know what to expect but loved the pride, powerful stuff.
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