‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore is described as a “violent and bloody drama” during which the audience witness a brother and sister’s passionate descent into hell. Incest, morality, religion and corruption all make this play as shocking and controversial today as it was almost four hundred years ago.
Orlando’s theatre credits include: Another Country (Chichester), Ferdinand in The Duchess of Malfi (Eyestrings Theatre Company), Greville in The Madness of George III (Apollo/Theatre Royal Bath), Malcolm in Cheek by Jowl’s Macbeth (New York/Barbican/International Tour), Mark in Country Feedback (Waterloo East) and Albert in Ears (Southwark Playhouse).
On screen he played Lord Bentham in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, starring alongside John Hurt, Matt Smith, David Tennant and Joanna Page.
I recently spoke to Orlando about performing to international audiences, why ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore is such a shocking yet brilliant play and how it felt to be welcomed into the Doctor Who family…
Are you enjoying your time in 'Tis Pity She’s A Whore?
The tour's been going since 2011 and I joined this time last year. It’s been really great! I did a stint last year which ended in Los Angeles which was really fun - American audiences are crazy!
How have you found all the different audiences?
We’ve just got back from Taiwan and we didn’t know how they would react at all, we assumed they would be quite conservative, but actually they were up for it! It’s quite a racy production with lots of sex and nudity. We had some really good responses. In America they were amazing, they love to talk along and argue quite loudly, which is really funny when you’re onstage [laughs]! It was very different from performing to polite British audiences. When you’re in a foreign country the performances are surtitled so it’s funny realising the differences between the translations. Some countries find some things absolutely hilarious, but then other things that we think are funny don’t always work as well.
It’s an amazing part because it’s about a brother and sister which is a really interesting relationship to explore. I just think it’s written so well! It was written fifteen years after Romeo and Juliet and takes all that classic ‘will they, won’t they?’ love story and turns it on its head. I think the scene set the morning after they first do ‘the act’ is like the nightingale and the lark in Romeo and Juliet, only so well written and so naturalistic – and what you would actually do is bolt to the door, not roll around in bed and say “oh it’s this, oh it’s that”. It’s like – ‘what have we just done?!’ That reality is really what we’ve gone for in this production.
As well as being shocking, what else can somebody who knows nothing about the play expect?
Cheek by Jowl work in a way that is very accessible to everyone, they really strip back the play to its roots. It’s set in Annabella’s bedroom and all of the action revolves around her bed and there is a chorus on stage who constantly focus all the action. They really highlight the social implications of what’s going on in the scenes. I think people can expect a really fast paced, racy exploration into what happens when you blur boundaries. It’s not just these two kids who commit incest, it’s how did that become possible in the society – it can’t just be their fault.
What’s the vibe like among the cast? Touring the world must bring you close together!
We’ve become very close! We’re always there for each other; one of the guys got injured in Taiwan so with a couple of hours’ notice someone went on for him. We don’t have official understudies so he just had to pick it up and go with it. Luckily when Cheek by Jowl are casting I don’t think they’re just looking for the best actors, they’re also looking for people who can work really well in a company and will get along – we’re on sixteen hour flights with these people for six months! We all really get along.
One credit which does and always will stand out on your CV is the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary. How does it feel now to look back at the experience?
It was amazing! It was my television debut as well so I was so nervous going down to Wales to film it. I knew that my scene was with John Hurt, Matt Smith, David Tennant, Joanna Page… and me! Luckily when I got there everyone was so nice, I just assumed I would be sort of lumping it in a tent with some of the extras but I had my little chair next to John Hurt’s chair [laughs], they really looked after me. On the first day of filming we did everything from over my shoulder so I got to do the scene loads of times with my back to the camera, it was really good to have a day to settle in and soak it up. The show has such a huge fan base and I was bowled away by the amount of letters I got sent. It’s a really lovely thing to be a part of. I did a play in Chichester over the summer and there were people there at the stage door who had Doctor Who things. It’s like you become a part of a family!
Of course that’s the amazing thing about theatre – you get that immediate response. Is that something you enjoy?
Definitely, it is really nice. Lots of people I know just slip out the stage door and disappear, but I think it’s kind of their turn. They’ve watched you for the past two hours so if they want to come and give you comments then it’s right that they are able to do that.
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore runs at the Barbican until 26th April 2014.
Please visit www.cheekbyjowl.com for tour dates, further information and tickets.
Interviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore runs at the Barbican until 26th April 2014.
Please visit www.cheekbyjowl.com for tour dates, further information and tickets.
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