The Scoundrel That You Need (Interview)
The Scoundrel That You Need, directed by James McCaughey, is a rare staging of a play by Alexandr Ostrovsky, the founder of Russian national theatre. Unlike his contemporaries Tolstoy and Turgenev, Ostrovsky focused on the merchant middle class, with its bewildering array of rituals and standards. I spoke with Ben Pfeiffer, who plays the lead role of Glumov - a young schemer who charms his way up the social ladder. Pfeiffer is a graduate of the VCA, and appeared in last year’s productions of The Perjured City and A Dollhouse.
Ostrovsky is considered a giant of Russian theatre, but his work is rarely performed outside Europe. What makes him interesting?
He’s kind of the forefather to Chekhov. There’s something extraordinary in his writing, a certain clunkiness to the language, the way the words fall out of the mouth. It’s very hard to pinpoint how one thought leads to another, which leaves massive gaps for you to fill in as an actor. He uses visual metaphors that are almost a bit ugly - this play would have been received with great distaste in society. He looks at the hypocrisy within social ranks, he’s really brutal.
What sort of scoundrel is your character?
He comes from a peasant background, where’s he discovered the essence of hatred for the upper classes. Then he suddenly realizes he has this chameleon quality, and can actually use his skills with language to ease his way into society and manipulate it all to his advantage.
Is the audience supposed to “see through” his charm? How do you play that?
It’s such an easy thing to see this character as calculating. He sees an opportunity to use the skills that he has. He woos the older woman, he lands the pretty girl with the $200,000 dowry, he lands the best position he can, he starts rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty. But I really tried to remain true to his character, the desperation and reality of being a peasant in Russia in the 1860s.
I worked from an empathetic position, as in: “Yeah, this kid does deserve a break!” I think the things he does are slightly immoral.
The title of this play is usually “Diary of a Scoundrel”, but here it’s “The Scoundrel That You Need”, which almost implies “The Scoundrel You Deserve”, or “The Scoundrel You’ve Been Waiting For.” Does it imply that, no matter how cunning this guy thinks he is, he performs a service everyone wants?
One of my lines is, “You all need me, ladies and gentlemen, you can’t get on without a man like me.” He’s the only one who tells the truth - he’s the first to admit he’s bought into the corruption, the hypocrisy. You get to the point where you think, “This little bastard’s going to get found out,” but then suddenly the play exhales and it completely turns on its head.
There are a lot of farce and slapstick scenes in the play. How do you make sure the satire still has a fair amount of bite to it?
I think the stylistic nature has been invested in fully, that riotous Restoration style. There’s the whole relationship with his mother as well. In the opening scene, she thinks that his scheme is flawed, but then he says, “Mother, I’m smart, I’m crafty and I’m envious - I’m just like you.” They’re this classic vaudevillian duo of villains.
How was your experience at the VCA?
My perception is that they choose a vast variety of students, with different and interesting approaches to acting. It’s not so much about beaten down and re-built. There’s a fundamental focus on theatre-making, putting actors out there who can contribute to change and further the industry.
Can you tell me about your upcoming projects?
I’m working with Bryan Derrick’s company Theatre of the Oppressed. He works with a range of groups - autistic children and adults, the mentally ill, Somali taxi drivers. They talk about their life stories and experiences, with actors who facilitate the project. I’m also working on a solo project, a version of Brian Friel’s Faith Healer, which is written for three actors: two men and one woman. I’m looking at playing all three.
The Scoundrel That You Need
Gasworks Arts Park, 7-24 May
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[...] Lesley Chow offers an interview with the lead actor Ben Pfeiffer who plays the social climber Glumov in a new production of Russian playwright Alexandr Ostrovsky’s bourgeois comedy The Scoundrel That You Need. [...]