Max Rinehart on The Retreat

We spoke to actor Max Rinehart about his experience working on the European premiere of Jason Sherman’s The Retreat at the Finborough Theatre.

Can you sum up the show in five words?

Faith, love, redemption and peace

What drew you towards The Retreat?

The script was incredible. I thought this is a world I’d want to live in for a while. So witty and clever with these complicated characters, exploring what it means to love, to dedicate your life to something and if those choices serve us or others, in a way that we want or need. It doesn’t get bigger than that really! It also covers so much ground; it’s romantic, it’s tragic, it’s joyful and sad while being funny and entertaining. And you think, wow as a performer there is potential here to take it to some interesting places. I like theatre that makes you feel alive, because why else do we go to the theatre, and this story could definitely do that.

Plus, the idea of doing it at the Finborough, which is a space that is as intimate as it is challenging was so enticing. We did a show last night and there’s this scene towards the end of the play that you could perhaps describe as the emotional peak for the character. I’m kneeling next to another character and the people on the front row must have been a foot away from me. Their responses to what was happening was palpable, it was thrilling. You couldn’t get that at most other theatres.

Can you tell us about your character?

At the start of the play he’s at a crossroads in his career and marriage. You could also describe him as a love addict and that gets challenged, so I like exploring where that journey goes. He is a successful movie producer, he is extremely smart, but is perhaps lacking intelligence in other areas that aren’t as developed. He runs away from his feelings sometimes and that has left him regretting some of his choices. Not having the emotional vocabulary to get himself out of this rut. In the play he explores how to deal with that and the choices he makes to try and change it.

What drew you towards a career in the arts?

It started at school, always secretly admiring the people that did drama, they were so confident and expressive! But I was too unsure of myself to do it. Until I went to an audition for a school play as a “joke”, got the part, thought this is unlike anything I could have possibly have imagined, and there was no going back. I also around this time saw Festen on a school trip, 2004 it must have been, and again, being in that theatre, seeing this play, it was this alchemical, cathartic experience that I hadn’t got from anything else, and haven’t got from anything else since. From then on I wanted to tell stories, understand how that was possible to do and try and create that for other people.

What has been a highlight of yours in the rehearsal room?

Everyday was so much fun. The director, Emma Jude Harris creates a fantastic space to work in. It was playful and safe. The rest of the cast are extremely talented. It was very rewarding. The first time we did a run of the play stands out because you could see where it was going and it made me excited about performing it every night.

What is coming up next for you after The Retreat?

A restful weekend by the seaside.

Jason Sherman’s The Retreat opens at the Finborough Theatre on April 25^th and runs until May 13^th. For more information and tickets: https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/the-retreat/