Interview
Interview
Brian Cox: “We have seen everything in the play happen before. Nothing’s new and that’s the tragedy”
Inhabiting historic composer Johann Sebastian Bach in The Score, imperious actor Brian Cox tells us why the potent play emphasises that history simply repeats itself.
Brian Cox is a titan of the stage and screen. From sweary monolithic magnate Logan Roy in HBO’s Succession and Hannibal Lecter in Michael Mann’s slick neo-noir Manhunter, to Greek king Agamemnon in Troy and King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company, his sixty year plus career in acting has been littered with imperious performances.
With his new play The Score, Cox is taking on yet another figure whose cultural importance still permeates today: historic composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
After an initial run at the Theatre Royal Bath, Oliver Cotton’s play comes to London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket for the first time. Presenting throughout March and April, The Score depicts the meeting of two of 18th century Germany’s most prominent men – the god-fearing Bach and the godless King of Prussia, Frederick II – and the subsequent events that unfold after their clash of ideologies and beliefs, tussling with themes within the prescient play that seem eerily applicable to modern times.
Leading man Cox took the time out from his preparations to talk stepping into the shoes of Bach, the realities of his explosive acting style when it comes to the stage, working with his wife Nicole Ansari-Cox night after night, and why the potent play emphasises that history simply repeats itself.
Before you took on this particular role, what was the allure for you about playing such a significant cultural figure?
Well the truth of the matter is, this is the second time I’ve played Bach. The first time was a complete non-event I have to say… I did a TV film I think for BBC2 called The Cantor of St. Thomas’s in 1984, and I couldn’t get with the character at all.
Maybe it’s because I’m older, Bach is more appealing to me now. But also I think Bach in this particular setting shows his character more than the previous job I did. Now, it’s a much more interesting and much more significant, as you say, significant cultural figure, and a lot easier to inhabit.
This might sound a bit naïve, but how did you formulate your idea of how the character should be played? Did you approach Bach as a fictional character to suit the narrative purpose, or stay true to what history tells us about the composer, for instance?
No, I didn’t formulate anything. The character is the character that comes off the page, and because of Oliver Cotton’s writing, it’s so well written as a part that all you have to do is embrace that. It speaks for itself and that’s what makes it exciting to do, and makes it feasible. Again, it’s the writer who’s written a kind of wonderfully rounded role and a man of conflict. You know he’s got tremendous conflict, Bach, running his school and the whole question of trying to seek justice for this blind girl.
Set in The Age Of Enlightenment, the play confronts themes like warfare, religious conflict, liberty, freedom of expression, belief and tolerance. Why do you think The Score will resonate with today’s audiences?
The reason for the play resonating with today’s audience is because we are in the middle of the most awful situation with both Ukraine and Gaza. We have seen everything that’s talked about in the play happen before. Nothing’s new. Nothing’s new and that’s the tragedy of all our lives. Nothing is new, and Bach is merely a kind of observer of another time when the same horrific situation was going on. It’s timeless, absolutely timeless, and until we grow up as human beings we’re not going to make it any better.
You’re celebrated for being a volcanic performer. What are the realities of bringing that powerhouse presence and physicality to a performance every night?
Well, the reality is exhaustion. It’s a very exhausting role. Because, it has to have tremendous volition. Oliver’s writing is such. Every sentence is interrupted, or incomplete, which means that everybody’s talking over one another which gives a wonderful other dimension to the role, and to the play and as a result, I have to hit it with a lot of energy and keep that energy up.
The first half is very different from the second half because in the second half he’s much more of an observer, and things are happening directly to him. Whereas in the first half it’s about what’s happening around him, as about what’s happening to him.
The chemistry with your wife Nicole was widely praised during the initial run. How much of your real-life relationship did you pour into your fictional relationship on the stage?
It’s different. It’s a fictional relationship, but I happen to be working with one of the finest actresses I know, so that makes it much simpler. I think that Nicole and I have a shorthand together, and that’s why I think it works. She’s such a great actress. It’s a joy to be on stage with her.
As a classically trained actor that has spent many years treading the boards, what do you find about being involved in a theatre production that’s so rejuvenating creatively?
Well I think you’ve said it all; it is because it is a rejuvenating event that makes you stand up and be counted in the part. It’s a wonderful script. I know there’s elements of contention about it, but it’s a wonderful script. It’s one of the best scripts I’ve read in a long time and Oliver is a wonderful writer. So, it’s a gift. It’s a gift.
Lastly, what’s your favourite piece of music by Bach and why?
Oh dear. There’s so many pieces of Bach’s music that one can adore. ‘The Brandenburg Concertos’, ‘The St. Matthew Passion’. There’s just so much of it. You know, it would be like picking your favourite child, and saying well I prefer that child as opposed to the other one. I do have a soft spot for Bach’s ‘Chaconne’, but he’s just a great… It’s a great gift to do the play and to be part of that music.
