While some of us might be easing down for Christmas [I said ‘might be’, big OLT bosses – I’m not obviously] Ralph Fiennes, Sarah Snook and The Master Builder’s team are deep in rehearsals.
There’s not a mince pie to be seen in the stark rehearsal room. Not a whisper of tinsel nor the hint of a cheeky snowman. It is the type of Christmas free zone that would make the red-nose of a flying reindeer sniffly with sadness.
Instead of the usual garlands and foil stars, director Matthew Warchus has chosen to adorn the walls with large printed words. Sacrifice. Kingdom. Castle. Selfishness. They’re not quite as jolly as a shiny bell but, you know, they probably have more to do with creating the tone of the classic Henrik Ibsen drama about a master architect whose life is thrown upside down by the arrival of a young country girl.
While Fiennes, who is similarly giving Christmas cheer a wide berth in Manuel Harlan’s rehearsal room shots, and Sarah Snook dominate the images, they’re joined in the cast by US stage star Linda Emond, James Dreyfus, James Laurenson and Charlie Cameron in the drama that begins its run on 23 January.