Q&A: writer James Fritz on ‘Ross & Rachel’

The Wardrobe Theatre welcomes Ross & Rachel on July 1 and 2, the new play by 2015 Olivier Award nominee James Fritz.

James’ one-hander tells the mind-bending, heart-breaking story of what happens when a couple that was always meant to be together, gets together. And stays together. Molly Vevers (winner, The Stage Award for Acting Excellence 2015) reprises her award-winning performance after the show’s critically acclaimed, sold out world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 and a 2016 New York transfer.

“Fritz’s script has a streak of mischief a mile wide… a virtuosic piece of writing, playful, post-modern and devastatingly serious, all at once” Time Out

Here’s James to tell us more.

“Ross & Rachel tells the mind-bending, heart-breaking story of what happens when a couple that was always meant to be together, gets together. And stays together.” Interesting: what is heart-breaking about them staying together? 
I don’t really know how to answer that question without giving too much away! Also, it feels like it’s not up to me to say whether it’s heart-breaking or not. I will say that it pushes beyond the ‘happy’ in a happy ending and tries to explore what might exist on the other side. 

Why did you take the decision to make this a duologue for one performer, rather than a two-hander?
In a lot of ways the process of solo performance – of taking multiple characters and unifying them in one physical presence – serves as a nice metaphor for the ‘oneness’ of the language of love. Two parts of a whole, when two become one, my other half, etc. That was the starting point for the show, and has been a really useful thing to keep coming back to when making it. 

“Molly Vevers takes an unflinching look at the myths of modern love” – such as…? 
It’s stuff we’re all aware of. The idea of soul mates, the idea that another person completes us, the idea that fate brings two people together. The concept of a thunderbolt.  Or, in Friends parlance: the idea that we, like lobsters, mate for life. While they’re all nice ideas to buy into, they also set us up for failure when we can’t live up to them. 

“Playful, postmodern and devastatingly serious, all at once” – is this reviewer right that the piece is ‘postmodern’ and if so, what does that mean in this case?
It’s not for me to comment on how the show is read, or what the right terminology is to describe it. I think that word often gets ascribed to stuff that engages with or reacts against cultural narratives, and the starting point with our show is the title – the names of probably the most famous fictional couple of the last twenty years. I guess the show has a certain scepticism towards those narratives, and obviously engages with the way culture – and particularly pop culture – shapes our lives and our language, so I can definitely see why that term’s been used.

Are there more challenges in making a one-hander dramatic than, say, a larger piece with more performers and onstage action?
Yeah, I think so. Monologues can often feel easier to write I think, and it’s easy to make them full of beautiful, descriptive writing, maybe because it’s a lot easier to give someone a florid, wonderfully written speech when there’s not another person stood there going ‘why are you talking like that?’
But that can sometimes mean they can feel a bit lacking in drive and drama. It’s something we were really aware of when making the show – trying to make sure that everything in the text is there for a reason, trying not to let me as the writer have too loud a voice or get too carried away.
But I’ve also seen some of the most breathtaking, lean-forward-in-your-seat pieces of drama delivered by one person, so it can be an incredibly powerful device. Often it’s to do with the form of the play. When solo shows move away from the ‘I wake up in the morning and the sky is bluer than the bluest thing I ever saw’ form of storytelling, and do more with the performer or the audience or both, it can be incredibly exciting. I guess we’ve always seen the show as a two hander written for one performer, which has helped us clarify lots of stuff during the process.

Does a slightly pessimistic view of relationships emerge – or would you rather term it realistic? 
I hope the show is not pessimistic. It certainly goes to some tough places, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with questioning the language we use and maybe trying to figure out why we might use that language, why we might tell the stories we keep telling. We never wanted the show to feel snide but outside of that, I’m happiest if it suggests a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

Ross & Rachel is at the Wardrobe Theatre from July 1-2. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/ross-rachel 

James Fritz pic: Hampstead Theatre
Production pics: Alex Brenner