Interview: Nathaniel Martello-White Of PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS!

Hi Nathaniel, and thanks for joining us. You must all be thrilled with the reaction People, Places and Things has got - fantastic reviews and responses and an exciting piece of work to be involved with, I'd imagine.

Absolutely! On reading the script you got a sense of what it could be, but there are so many occasions that you read a play and the elements don't come together in the rehearsal room. We really wanted to serve this with integrity. Nobody could have anticipated the audience reaction.

What was that rehearsal period like?

It was really intense. I struggled first time round in the rehearsal - I felt like I started to relax in front of an audience, but I think that's partly because the play has a lot of comedy in it, and when you're in a rehearsal room and drilling it over and over again, the comedy kind of disappears, so all you're left with is the heartbreak and the pain. That makes for a heavy room. But it was alien territory for me - I didn't really know anyone who was in recovery, so I spent a lot of rehearsal trying to connect to that headspace, so it was quite difficult.

Denise Gough has picked up so many awards for her performance - what was it like to rehearse with her?

Denise is a rare specimen. She's one of those rare actors who never phones it in. Every time she does a scene, she always hits it at 10. That's a really unusual thing. She sets the bar so high, and that's brilliant because it ups your game.

The creatives behind it too - it must be wonderful to work with Jeremy Herrin too.

I've always wanted to work with Jeremy. I've auditioned for him twice on other projects, and it never quite worked out. It's been a joy working with him - he's really precise, and his notes are about making you grow as a performer. He makes it all look so easy! He's done it so much and worked with so many people. He casts actors that he knows can do the job, and he's with you on the process the whole way.

You had a re-rehearsal period before you transferred the show to the West End - that must be a strange experience. Are you not just thinking, "We've done this"?

[laughs] I came back to re-rehearsal thinking I didn't want to complicate it, I didn't want to be too obsessive about changing stuff. What's happened with my character is that he's gone deeper into recovery. I think that's because I'm more relaxed with the material. Before, Mark was angsty and volatile. Now he's more contained. I didn't plan on it happening - it just happened, and people have enjoyed that interpretation. That's not to say it was wrong before - it's just part of the progression, and the joy of re-rehearsal. It was stressful getting into the theatre - you get to a strong point in the rehearsal room, then it falls apart in the tech, and you get it back together during previews. But the Wyndham's is a fantastic place to play!

It sounds like you're having fun!

It's rare that you do a play where it comes together like this has. Even though I know it's a great play with an amazing performance at the centre of it, I'm still always surprised at the end when everybody stands up. It's a humbling moment.

People, Places and Things runs at the Wyndham's Theatre until June.