The Inquisitor - A cerebral theatrical battle of wits

The Herald Scotland

18-06-2025

The Inquisitor, virtually a monologue in which a silent prisoner is being interrogated, was set to be produced at Glasgow's Oran Mor theatre. But just before curtain up, the writer's luck collapsed like cheap panto scenery.
Arnott recalls: 'The main actor – let's call him 'Actor A' who was signed up to perform pulled out because he was offered more money for another job. So, we then recruited 'Actor B', but he also pulled out, and this was now just a week before rehearsal. The option we had was to bring in yet another actor, who at this point would have to go on stage with script in hand.'
But there was another possibility; Arnott had acted while at Cambridge University. And being the writer, he knew every word, every beat. 'Yes, but even though I'd written it I was insecure about the script,' he admits, with a rueful smile. 'So, what I did was I arranged a prompter to be at the side of the stage. Yet, when I began the performance, I looked around and he wasn't there. I panicked. And I completely lost the script. I then suffered that sort of blush that explodes in your body and creates a nimbus of sweat. It was truly awful. At the time all I could think of was 'I'm following Stephen Fry to Belgium!'' (Fry fled the London stage later citing a breakdown and bipolarity as reasons.) The playwright adds; 'This experience cured me of ever wanting to do it (acting) again.'
Playwright Peter Arnott (Image: unknown)
Now, however Arnott is 'revelling' in the chance to see 'a proper actor' such as Tom McGovern take on the role. (McGovern won plaudits for his performance in Arnott's acclaimed play, The Signalman. 'Tom actually brings a spiritual quality to the role,' he suggests. 'Peter Brooke once said that the theatre is like a holy place, and I agree with that. And when you look at Tom in rehearsals, he takes what could be considered as a ponderous piece of text and turns it into a light piece of dance. I was open-mouthed watching him.' He grins. 'If anyone comes to this production wearing socks, be prepared to have them blown off.'
The Inquisitor is a deep think play. The prisoner (played by Michael Guest) doesn't speak but his silence speaks volumes, prompting his inquisitor to confront his own belief systems, his faith and his reasoning. The idea was [prompted by an episode in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov we discover that prisoner is being tortured, yet the torturer argues he is not a torturer. 'We are asked 'What does the prisoner stand for?''
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Arnott adds; 'I had the basic shape in mind for the play,' says Arnott, 'and the idea is that the interrogation turns into a confession.'
The writer was influenced by thoughts of Al Queda and imaginings of what would have happened if Osama Bin Laden had been caught. 'What would you say to him?' The play takes on a more contemporary resonance and prompts thoughts of Russia and its onslaught against Ukraine.
Peter Arnott's work is being celebrated for his tremendous canon of work for 40 years, with plays such as The Boxer Benny Lynch and his huge success White Rose. This will be his 11th production at Oran Mor. But has he changed in this time, as a writer? As a person. 'Oh yes,' he laughs. 'I was so sure of myself in my mid-twenties. Now in my Sixties, I can look back and say, 'Who was this w**ker?'' As for my writing, I love the quote Denis Potter once offered when asked of his previous work, that he looked back with 'affectionate contempt.''
The writer loves to pose questions. He loves to take us to dark places in the search for answers. He loves to suggest the themes and create the storylines which then insist we question our own judgements. But what is the stand-out thought Peter Arnott has had in terms of understanding geopolitics, and indeed how our world has changed? 'We are asking more questions,' he says, with a wry smile. 'But what we know for certain is that we shouldn't trust anyone who thinks they have the answers. Like Donald Trump.'
The Inquisitor, A Play, Pie and a Pint, Oran Mor, Glasgow, June 23 – 28