Written by Mark
Maxwell Caulfield has spent decades embodying iconic characters on stage and screen.
In Michael Punter’s Pilate: The Lost Gospel, Caulfield portrays Pontius Pilate in 36 AD, freshly recalled to Rome to answer for his political excesses in Judea.
Ahead of his month-long Fringe run, I sat down with Caulfield to talk about the rigorous demands of a one-man show and finding the human truth inside a historical monster.
Caulfield is instantly likeable, and someone you could happily talk to for hours. Our chat started with a discussion around technology and football, with the World Cup well underway in America. We shared our bond over the love of football. He says that he and his wife, actress Juliet Mills (who co-produces the play), have a motto which is "thank god for the footie." Explaining further that "it's the only thing that seems to remain stable and is pure entertainment and my god we need it; the world seems to be going to hell in a handbucket".
We begin to delve into the play with Caulfield saying, "they say all theatre is politics, and I don't promote the idea that this is a political play. It is far too hot a potato to be doing that. Given the situation and the significance of what unfolded in relation to the trial of Jesus and its consequences through modern history. The subject matter will never lose its pertinence."
"The play is a very well-constructed piece, and that's what drew me to it. It's not the telling of the story, which people are pretty familiar with or at least have an understanding of. It's set out more as a court hearing with Pilate on trial, but ultimately he puts himself in the witness box. He begins to peel the layers of his own life. It's a very original take on the story. A comedy it is not. "This is not a barrel of laughs; though there is some levity in it."
"Not a lot is known about Pilate, pre- or post-the Crucifixion. Our playwright Michael Punter is the first to acknowledge that he has taken some poetic license; he's certainly done his research and read the source material. He has almost reverse-engineered the story to take us back to Pilate's childhood. In fact, the name Pilate means to be good with a spear. We learn that his father was an armourer and made weapons for the Roman legions. The story is really the chinks in Pilate's armour. Like any man who finds himself in the dock, you're going to be tooled up to mount your defence. In the end it's him that peels away the layers. You get deeper and deeper into the soul of the man and his acceptance of the significance of what he elected to do."
Explaining further about the play, Caulfield says, "I don't want to give too much away; it captures people a little off guard. The audience comes with their own understanding of the story of Jesus and certainly the endgame, which is where Pilate gets involved. He was a true politician, and he had a lot of mundane work to do whilst he was the prefect of Judea. He wasn't expanding the Roman Empire; he was sustaining one of the provinces. He had been involved as a younger man, and he had fought. There are some interesting recollections.
Performing a one-person show that is 75 minutes is no easy thing. "You are out there as an actor, and you are repeating the script and telling the story, but you also have to be in the present moment, and that is what is my biggest driving force with the play: to make it an immediate experience, for actor and audience alike. For the actor in a solo show, that is the great challenge; there is no one to bail you out."
Caulfield works with director Asaad Kelada on the play. "He is terrific. Rather than directing the overall production, I've collaborated with him on the performance element of the show. He is Egyptian and very experienced both in Hollywood and in theatre. His strength is guiding performance. I'm very blessed to have hooked up with him in the last month or so."
The relevance for this piece remains ever timely. "The Middle East is a total powder keg. God knows what is really going on. We have very self-righteous leaders at the moment. I would go as far as to say they are self-destructive. We really could do with a second coming; I don't know how we get out of this mess. In that regard, I think the play has a real purpose. To bear the guilt that is really at the heart of this play is a tremendous burden. Some people are very adept at denying its existence. They just don't give it credence; they don't feel guilty. They don't necessarily have a conscience to the point of almost being sociopathic. They are single-minded in their mission that they are not concerned about the ramifications of what they are doing because their objective is so laser-focused. I just think until we all accept each other as a people, not as different races. I don't think we are ever going to get our act together in this world."
Caulfield then turns to me, saying, "you are in the prime years of your life right now; you are in good physical shape, and your faculties are now very honed. Hopefully you haven't become inhibited by events. You are at the age where you do need to realise that you are the generation that can lead us out of this quagmire. Here in America, we're being so regressive; it's terrifying. I know the UK has its own challenges too. All of this makes you think carefully about who is in charge, who is being persecuted unfairly. At the end of the day, we are all wanting the same thing, which is a sense of safety and happiness. I'm not saying this is a dark play. This will give you food for thought. It's giving me a bloody good workout. I needed the focus of this play. It's my wife who has urged me to bring it to Edinburgh and have a good run with it. I'm going to do my level best".
The show takes place at 10.45am at Above at Pleasance Courtyard. The early start seems to favour Caulfield, explaining the positives: "I don't have to wait for another show to finish before I can get out there. So I can begin the day on my own terms. A lot of the critics at the festival review multiple shows during a day. I'll presumably be where they are at their most alert, as it is first thing in the morning." On the flip side, there's the time difference compared to life back home on the West Coast of America. "10.45am (GMT) is 2.45am (PCT) for me, and that is ready for the curtain up. So when I first start this, I'll effectively be getting up in the dead of night. I'll be even more in touch with my subconscious, which is where a lot of great method acting resides".
One of the questions I've been asking all my Edinburgh Fringe interviewees is if, instead of giving out flyers, which object would they give out to draw an audience into their show. Caulfield says, "I was thinking I might be handing out little cups of borscht and matzah bread. My producers says I should be walking around in a very short toga!"
I also delve into artists' favourite Edinburgh spots to visit during a run at the Festival. Caulfield says, "I had an easy role in Singin' In The Rain as the Studio Chief. I did go to Loch Lomond and took part in the Great Scottish Swim. Loch Lomond is quite close to Edinburgh. I see there is one on the 29th, but I'll be on the stage."
What about success at the Fringe? Success can mean various things. "I'm playing at a relatively big house. The Above at the Pleasance Courtyard is 146 seats, which is a tremendous number of seats for a solo act play. If I get close to selling a couple of thousand tickets over the course of the run in a crazily competitive market, I'll be well pleased. Other than the initial outlay, there are no running costs to speak of regarding the play. There is no crew. I'll have to hire a stage manager to play the cues on time. There are some sound cues. It'll probably be me and him lugging the set up and down the back stairs. I'll have to don a baseball cap and some dungarees so the audience don't realise! As you know, it's every man for himself at the Festival. I hope there's enough of my post-show music for the audience to leave the venue with their thoughts."
Before the interview, I'd emailed over a photo we'd taken together back in 2010 when he was appearing in the Rocky Horror Show as the Narrator. He says of that time that he was "very lucky to be in the production with David Bedella as Frank N Furter. He was just sensational. Right before I did the Narrator, Christopher Biggins had been doing it for a few dates. One of the things I'm hoping to do in Edinburgh is to kiss up to Biggins and be part of his Tea with Biggins at Prestonfield House as part of my campaign to put bums on seats."
Pilate: The Lost Gospel runs at Above at The Pleasance from Wednesday 5th to Sunday 30th August at 10.45am. For tickets and more information visit https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/pilate-lost-gospel
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