There’s something fascinating about the game of an interview: the push and pull of questions, the possibility of revelation or deceit. It is in this dance of power that Teunkie Van Der Sluijs’s adaptation of Theo Van Gogh’s 2003 film finds its thrill – albeit in scattered flashes. Reimagined for a modern-day setting, with reference to viral content, curated online profiles and followers, the play asks what it means to be truthful in a world of pretence.
Old-school political journalist Pierre (a commanding Robert Sean Leonard) begrudgingly arrives in Brooklyn to interview the social media and film star of the moment, Katya (Paten Hughes). Meanwhile, the place he actually wants to be, Washington DC, spins into a political frenzy over the impeachment of the US vice president. Before even meeting his interviewee, Pierre has dismissed Katya as a vacuous, fame-hungry influencer. But as the evening rolls on, he realises she may be sharper than he has given her credit for.
It is a clash that sparks discussions about gender, celebrity and who really has influence. Sure, they’re knotty issues but it’s hardly new ground, and the script would benefit from a shot of something fresh. Leonard and Hughes make the stage into a battlefield; both are careful not to expose the wrong things. Their fast-paced spurs and spats are electric.
The camera remains central to Van Der Sluijs’s contemporary direction. Screens are projected on to the back wall of Katya’s flat (a feat of architectural detail by Derek McLane), showing streams of likes for her content. She films herself talking directly to her fans, casually calling them “besties”. Trolls’ typed words pop up in Twitter-style captions, while the power of the lens is a constant fear. Even when the writing wobbles, the production maintains a state of uneasy, absorbing tension.
