Dream Weaver: Jason Barnett on working with Sigourney, and Mathew Horne, in The Tempest
Published: Tuesday 7th January 2025
Are you the keymaster? It's a sobering thought but a month ago we celebrated 40 years of Ghostbusters, and that mighty dual turn by Sigourney Weaver - "there is no Dana, there is only Zuul!" - and all that. Meanwhile it's now 11 years since Jason Barnett began his own brush with catchphrase fame, as Cuzzy in PhoneShop - more on that below.
Now Barnett and Weaver - and Gavin & Stacey's Mathew Horne - have joined forces at London's Theatre Royal for another great fantasy epic, The Tempest; Barnett and Horne playing the jocular parts, Stephano and Trinculo. Only Shakespeare - and visionary director Jamie Lloyd - can get a cast like that together.
Barnett crossed the streams in-between, from acclaimed National Theatre productions to Agatha Raisin and Bridgerton, and has some starry stuff coming up in 2025. Beginning with Shaky and Sigourney - we dropped him a line just before Christmas.
This show is quite a way to end the year - how have the last 12 months been for you?
2024 has been a great year. I've filmed The Count Of Monte Cristo all around Europe with Jeremy Irons and Sam Claflin - it was a fantastic experience. And just prior to The Tempest rehearsals, I finished a show at the National Theatre called The Hot Wing King, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Katori Hall who is maybe the funniest writer alive right now.
Tell us about Stephano, and your take on him - is he still boozy?
Boozy is right. However, I feel like I've done a lifetime of research into that particular aspect of Stephano's character. This might be the closest I ever get to method acting!
Did you know about Sigourney Weaver's casting beforehand? Any particular favourites among her film work?
I did know about Sigourney's casting beforehand and was wildly excited, but I had been looking forward to working with Jamie [Lloyd] and his gang again, so that was an A-list, iconic, star-studded and legendary bonus. I'm a big Working Girl fan... can I say that? You know what I mean right?
Our readers will probably know you best for some great comedies - how would you describe the tone of this production? Some interpretations of The Tempest have been pretty wild...
This production is extraordinary. The stage is vast. The design is like an art installation, it could be in the great hall at Tate Modern. So it lends itself to a very filmic version of the play. The whole stage hasn't been used like this since Noel Coward's Cavalcade in the 1920s, so it's amazing to be a part of the story of this theatre in that way.
Am I right in thinking you've worked with Jamie Lloyd before? What are his distinctive qualities as a director?
I did The Seagull with Jamie a couple of years ago at The Harold Pinter Theatre with Emilia Clarke and Indira Varma. Just 12 chairs. Sooo cool. Jamie is distinctive in many ways but I love how much he wants to make the stories he tells as clear as possible and completely accessible to contemporary audiences. Even the folk who've seen a dozen Tempests before are connecting to the relationships in a new way.
What's your favourite comedic role, so far - and is there one you'd love to play?
I'm a firm believer in trying to find the humour in every character, even my very straight roles. But it's very satisfying that a decade after we did it, people still shout "Do the Music" from PhoneShop at me from cars, vans, mobility scooters, the works!
I'd really like a go at Falstaff though.
It's an interesting time to work with Mathew Horne too - is that always a talking point backstage, when an actor has high-profile work elsewhere?
It's a talking point everywhere not just backstage, we're all dying to watch and Mat hasn't given anything away. Mat is a very good friend and it's joyous to be working and learning from him again.
What else do you have planned for 2025?
Well we do The Tempest until February 2025 then I'll be revisiting my role as Mr Nolan on CBeebies' Waffle The Wonder Dog. Seven year-olds of the world look away now. A radio series, McLevy, with Brian Cox (the actor not the star swot) and look out for a new eight part adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo coming to a streamer near you starring Sam Claflin, Jeremy Irons, and me as Caderousse the Count's right-hand man.
Jason Barnett stars in The Tempest, which is currently running at Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 1 February 2025. thejamielloydcompany.com
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