Playing God?

Playing God? (a Guest Blog by Denholm Spurr) 

Every actor relishes the chance to play a significant figure from history. 

Henry V, Julius Caesar, Queen Victoria, Margaret Thatcher... they're all the sorts of parts that make actors tingle. The big trap for the actor when recreating kings, queens, military leaders or politicians, is to play them simply as archetypal figures of power and courage, however, these were still 'real people' so to speak so finding the human behind them is still relatively straight-forward. 

This is the challenge for the professional actor, to make things real. 

What then do you do if you're asked to play something above human, something sur-real, a god for example? 

In 'Circles' I play Jesus opposite Louisa Tee's Mary Magdalene.

Louise Tee is Mary Magdalene in 'Circles'

It's a short scene where the sexual tension between the two comes to a head and something has to shift - one way or the other. This particular relationship has become controversially famous in recent years since Dan Browns' book The Da Vinci Code exposed an, albeit fictional, possibility that Magdalene bore Jesus' child and therefore started a hereditary line continuing to the modern day. 

The question here then is Do I play him as a god? or indeed Do I play him as God himself?. 

The answer to both is No. An actor should never play anything... one who does will portray a one-dimensional soulless character. And just because Jesus is God doesn't make him special. For the audience, it is far more interesting for them to see Jesus as a person, with the same hopes, aspirations, fears, doubts as you or I. We want to see Jesus the Man not Jesus the Son, Jesus with a problem to overcome, Jesus not quite as pure and pious as the Bible would have you believe. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus did exist, and that he was a man like any other - a particularly unique one perhaps but a man just the same. In my preparation for the role I have tried to delve into what was going through Jesus' mind, to make him real rather than an automaton painting the will of God. 

Perhaps its heretical to play god with God: if I'm struck down by lightening on the first performance, you'll know why! 

All the more reason to come, I suppose... 

Denholm Spurr is a recent graduate of the Oxford School of Drama. He will be playing Jesus inCircles by Michael Dickinson and Tom in Wonder by Chris Sivewright next week 20th-22nd November, 7.30pm at the Dogstar in Brixton. 

Note: check Denholm's profile here. Denholm plays Tom in 'Wonder' where his opinion of God seems to be falling...

For further information - and more pictures - see here...