BWW Interviews: Emma Rice Talks Kneehigh's TRISTAN & YSEULT

Performances of Kneehigh's TRISTAN & YSEULT, an adaptation of the older-than-King Arthur story concerning an adulterous love affair between a knight and a queen named Lancelot and Guinevere, ahem, excuse me, I meant to say, between a knight and a queen named Tristan and Yseult, are in Houston, courtesy of the Alley Theatre.

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British theatre company Kneehigh has created a remarkable and trim exhibition in its version of TRISTAN & YSEULT. By that I mean that it's a sequined spectacle without sequins. There's acrobatics and clowning, mixed with rock music mixed with Wagner, mixed with Pharrell and Daft Punk. But as Emma Rice, director and adapter of Kneehigh's TRISTAN & YSEULT, says if it becomes "too polished, then it loses it's spirit."

Emma Rice, also the joint artistic director of Kneehigh, talked about the piece with BroadwayWorld.com. Rice was incredibly affable. She laughed at every joke, even the unfunny ones, heaped praise on this great country, and talked about Kneehigh's TRISTAN & YSEULT.

In an interview with Intelligent Life you said, "What people speak is the dusting of icing sugar on top. The story is the foundation." What is the foundation of TRISTAN & YSEULT?

TRISTAN & YSEULT is really about the trouble human beings get into with this thing called love. I love it. It's one of the oldest stories on the planet, and yet it's so non-judgmental. At it's core, it accepts that we fall in love with the wrong people. It examines how we make choices in that situation. It really is an exploration of the wonder of love but also the damage that love can do.

Who did you work with to create Kneehigh's TRISTAN & YSEULT?

I worked with two writers, Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy. They didn't write the script beforehand. They were in rehearsals with us, and I worked with them and the actors. I would say to Carl, "I want you to write in iambic pentameter because [the character] is a king, and I want you to write a passionate introduction to Cornwall, almost a speech about Cornish nationalism." Then I'd say to Anna Maria Murphy, "Write an unstructured piece, because [the character] is a servant, about what it feels like to have lost your virginity with a man who didn't know who you were and who was thinking you were someone else." [TRISTAN & YSEULT] really works in sections of poetry, which we layed on the story. So rather than being led by the words, [Carl Grose and Anna Maria Murphy] created a poetry, which was the icing on the top!

As a director, how is it preparing for this sort of huge tour? How did you prepare the actors?

We work with lots of fun and lots of play. We make music together. We play ball games together. I try to keep everything as playful and enjoyable as possible because, in my experience, great actors will always find tragedy and will always find the truth. So I work on how you build an ensemble and a sense of [Pauses] glee is the word I like to use.

How has the reception been in other US cities on your tour?

We have the most fantastic reception in American cities. We've been to Boston and Orange County and New York as well as Berkeley Rep. We just love America! [Laughs] We think you kind of get the British humor more than the British do.

This piece debuted in 2005. How do you keep it fresh over the years and for the length of the tour?

You know, really, that is the magnificence of the actors. The actors have changed over the years, so they bring something fresh. And they really are the most amazing group of human beings, my company. Everyday they warm up together. They sing together. They work on the show. So it's a genuine thing. They keep it fresh. I'm always astounded when I come back and visit how wonderful the show is. And the show has gotten better and better with time. It's like a big, stinky cheese. [Laughs]

How has it gotten better with time? Are the changes minute or larger?

It's such a rich patina of work now. It's very detailed. If anybody sees it for the first time, they go "How could you make something so intricate?" That's because everybody has added layers and layers of detail around [it]. But the changes are small changes and bit by bit, like a snowball, they get bigger over time.

[Excitedly] I was going to ask you about the detail! TRISTAN & YSEULT has been described as a spectacle in reviews, but it's not a traditional spectacle. It seems so naturalistic and modern. How did you make that work (if you can explain it)?

I wish it could. The amazing thing about TRISTAN & YSEULT is that I made it in four weeks with almost no money. [With Emphasis] Four weeks and almost no money. We had a two week run in Cornwall, and we just thought it would come and go. There was no pressure on it at all, so I think it was made with great freedom. As our company's gotten more successful, I often remember how irreverent we were in those four weeks. We just said yes to everything. [I Laugh] "Should we put on a rock record?" "Yeah!" We've really kept the spirit of that. If it ever gets too shiny or - as I say - too polished, then it loses it's spirit, so we make sure it's always fresh and loose as a show.
[SPACE]

Kneehigh's Tristan & Yseult from WeAreKneehigh on Vimeo.

For more information about Emma Rice and UK based theatre company Kneehigh, please visit http://www.kneehigh.co.uk/.

Kneehigh's TRISTAN & YSEULT, directed and adapted by Emma Rice, begins performances Friday, April 24, opens officially Wednesday, April 29, and runs through Sunday, May 24 at the University of Houston's Wortham Theatre. Visit www.alleytheatre.org/gettouh for a map and directions to the UH theatre.

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