Dame Kristin Scott Thomas has revealed she finds poor audience behaviour hard to tolerate, admitting she has to "really control" herself when faced with disruptive theatregoers. The 66-year-old actor, known for her role in Slow Horses, is currently starring in Ian Rickson's revival of Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard at the Harold Pinter Theatre, opposite Stephen Mangan.
Star's struggle with audience etiquette
Asked whether she would interrupt a performance to challenge an audience member, Dame Kristin told the Press Association: "Probably not because that would interrupt what I'm doing. It's really hard sometimes. I can't stand it. I have to really control myself." Her comments follow recent incidents where performers, including Cate Blanchett and Rosamund Pike, directly confronted audience members for texting or filming during shows.
Praise for London theatregoers
Despite her frustration, the actress had warm words for London audiences, describing them as "particularly brilliant." She said: "They listen. I think it's part of the culture. Theatre going has been such a thing of ours for such a long time that it's a natural thing to go to the theatre, it's not a sort of great big milestone to climb up and get over. I've done plays in other places as well but the London audiences are particularly brilliant."
The play, which centres on aristocrat Ranevskaya (Dame Kristin) returning to Russia after five years in Paris to find her family estate and cherry orchard under threat, continues to resonate with audiences, she added. Chekhov, she said, was a "master of character and master of human behaviour." She noted: "Because it was his last play, it feels to me like he had so much to say still. He just tried to say it all in one play. He certainly felt that he was responsible for a lot of people because there were a lot of people who relied on him for money, for shelter, for succour in some way. I think that is something that is very strong in the play about who is responsible for who."
Mangan on modern relevance
Mangan, known for The Split and Green Wing, said every night on stage "is a treat" and that the conversation around bad audience behaviour shows that "people care." He said: "We're no different from other people. We find it annoying if people aren't paying attention. I think the fact that there's been a fuss about it shows that people care about it. Audiences have been great here. So far we haven't had a problem at all so I hope that continues."
Despite the play being over a century old, Mangan said it "feels completely modern," with his character's story resonating with his own family history. He explained: "My character is the son of a peasant who was very poorly educated. That's my dad's story. He was a very bright man, and my mum, both very bright, but left school at 14 and sort of fought their way through the world in a world that often could look on them with certain amount of snobbery or disdain. There's actually very little that's not relevant today – the younger generation struggling to come through, trying to find their place in the world, wanting to get rid of the older people who've gobbled up all the wealth and property. People falling in love with the wrong people."
The Cherry Orchard opens on Tuesday at the Harold Pinter Theatre and runs until January 9.
