Geordie Johnson challenged by Richard II

by Donal O'Connor
Beacon Herald Festival Edition 1999

Familiar to Festival audiences for his portrayals of one or another of Tennessee Williams' desperate characters -- Chance Wayne in Sweet Bird of Youth, Reverend Shannon in The Night of the Iguana -- Geordie Johnson this season takes on a couple of completely different roles. He plays the title role in Richard II and he's the uppity and perhaps misunderstood Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Still, the Alberta-raised actor says there's much from his role as Shannon last season which informs his portrayal of Richard.

"Williams writes raw, unforgiving characters. He shows them with all their faults at desperate moments in their lives, and they're ugly and they're beautiful, and that's Richard to a T. He's selfish and he's generous. He's a full, full character at a crisis point. He's just on the edge all the time."

While Mr. Johnson acknowledges that Richard is in many ways inept as a ruler, he points out he's no one-dimensional character. "In some ways he's very astute. While he has power, he's very politically astute. He just goes too far. He doesn't realize there are limitations to a king's domain, whether it be material or psychological.

"I think that from the beginning Richard has so far to go in his understanding of what it is to be a man. He has to shed his kingship, which he does, and listen to his heart. He gives away his crown and ultimately the act is somewhat successful in his starting to understand what it is to be just a man.

He has many fine qualities but he's one of these people who switches from being inspiring and gentle and full of kindness to being selfish and vengeful. You really get a dual personality."

That duality, suggests Mr. Johnson, comes from the political and divine elements interwoven in the play. Richard has a strong belief that he is God's appointed ruler on earth but he struggles with that because he does not feel capable of carrying out God's wishes. "There are times when he calls upon God to do things for him when in fact he ought to (take action.) At least he has the morality to recognize that he has a moral dilemma and admits to having some faults."

Mr. Johnson suggests Richard II isn't often done because it's not an action-packed play. There are no battles.

"It's all poetry. There is very little comic relief. What I'm hoping to find are elements of characteristic comedy."

Turning to his character in Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Johnson notes that "Everybody in that world has a general opinion about Darcy and it is that he is overly proud and pretentious.

"Of course, you just can't play that," he adds. "You have to have reasons underneath that make him appear that way. There is a lot of subtext that goes on with Darcy and it's tricky to find something that you play that can be interpreted two ways. Because people -- especially Lizzy -- constantly misunderstand him."

He's the uptight, silent type, says Mr. Johnson. "I think he is the person who can put his finger on Lizzy's personality and I think that is upsetting for her." As it turns out, it's Lizzy's reaction to Darcy that forces him to take a look at himself and to come to the understanding that a person's intrinsic worth is the important element in life and not his or her background or affiliations.

Despite the rather negative impression projected by Darcy, the man who portrays him says he finds much to like in the character. "He takes his responsibilities in life very seriously: that of his guardianship of his sister and of a huge estate. And I think that when you know a person like that ultimately is going to be liberated, that the playing of that pre-liberation is something that can be very rewarding. I find him intriguing."

Mr. Johnson grew up on the edge of the foothills in southwestern Alberta, first in a lumber camp and then in Cowley, a town of about 165 people. He got into acting, he says, because when it came time to leave high school he knew he didn't want to work in a sawmill.

His acting experience includes six previous season at Stratford and he has played leading roles at various other theatres in Canada including The Shaw Festival and The Grand Theatre in London. He also has considerable film and TV experience including title roles in Liszt's Rhapsody and in Dracula: The Series.

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