ACTOR THRILLED AT IDEA OF TAKING AUDIENCE ON A RIDE
In Butcher, an old man is dropped off at a Toronto police station with a Santa hat on his head and the words “arrest me” on a butcher hook around his neck.
Written by Governor General Award-winning playwright (for 2013’s Fault Lines) Nicolas Billon, the 2014 play is a suspense thriller full of twists and turns. Beneath its knotty plot are questions about revenge and justice. A production of Prime Cuts Collective, which formed to bring Butcher to the Vancouver stage for the first time, the play features Peter Anderson, Lindsey Angell, Noel Johansen, and Daryl Shuttleworth.
Postmedia News talked to Anderson, who plays the man dropped off at the police station, about Butcher’s themes, and learning an invented language.
Q: When did you get involved with this production?
A: Kevin McKendrick, the director, is a longtime colleague of mine. He and (actor) Noel Johansen approached me after reading the script. We just loved the script so much. We were surprised
the rights were available and that it hadn’t been done in Vancouver yet.
Q: You’re also a playwright. What do you like about this play from a playwriting point of view?
A: It’s so well-crafted. It’s structured so tightly. It has so many surprises. From page to page it keeps you off balance. It takes these left turns that are truly shocking. From all I’ve heard from people who have experienced the show, it’s a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat ride.
Q: Is it more difficult to pull off a thriller on stage than comedy or drama?
A: That’s one of the things that makes this play unique. It’s not a thriller in the sense of a scream-fest or gore. It’s more of a political thriller. Like any good piece of work, it’s not all one thing or another. There’s some great comedy in it. And it goes to some very dark places. And it’s wonderful that he (Billon) has used this extremely entertaining tale to frame a very serious discussion about revenge versus forgiveness.
Q: Language and difficulties in translation are recurring themes in Butcher. You had to learn a new language, is that right?
A: My character does not speak a word of English. He’s from a fictional country called Lavinia, which is a nod to Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. Nicolas wrote the part in English and then approached two Slavic professors (Dragana Obradovic and Christine Kramer) in Toronto who created this language pulling from different languages.
I’ve had a recording of Professor Obradovic saying the lines in Lavinian on my iPod shuffle. I’ve been going on early morning walks around Trout Lake, muttering this language nobody understands. I’ve had to learn the language and the lines in English, so I know what I’m saying.
Part of the reason he (Billon) created this country was that he didn’t want it to become a play about which side is right, or which side is wrong. It hearkens to Balkan wars, but he wanted to put it on a different plane.
Q: Are you looking forward to audience reaction to the show?
A: From what I hear of other productions, it’s one of those shows that generates a lot of talk afterwards, with people taking sides. And I’m looking forward to the actual performance. The first time I read it, I’d never been so excited just reading a play. Your expectations are subverted at every turn. It’s really a fascinating puzzle that keeps you guessing.