Five questions with Mason Alexander Park of 'The Tempest'

Mason Alexander Park made their West End debut last year with a barnstorming Emcee in Cabaret and are now making magic as Ariel in The Tempest.

Mason Alexander Park is bringing their husky vocals to the role of spirit Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane — the first time Shakespeare's work has been performed at the venue in 67 years. They spoke to London Theatre Magazine about working with Sigourney Weaver and their favourite roles.

Tell us about The Tempest.

The play is so beautifully simplistic and so human, even though it’s about magic and these intangible forces. Ariel, as this spirit, is remarkably human and I think there’s something so gloriously touching about the language. Also, hearing Sigourney [Weaver] saying some of these lines that I’ve seen written on pillows! There are so many iconic moments in the play – I’ve been moved to tears many times.

What’s it like working with Sigourney Weaver?

It’s so dreamy! She is someone who creatively I adore and trust implicitly. Sigourney is one of the finest actors of my lifetime. I have incredibly vivid memories of watching the Alien franchise with my family, even though I was FAR too young and deeply traumatised by it! I was drawn to this business because of her and those films, so to learn from her as an artist is one of the greatest honours of my life.

You performed in Cabaret last year – given the political turmoil of recent years, did the show feel particularly prescient?

The reason the show keeps being performed is not only because it’s one of the greatest pieces in theatre history, but it’s also because the world requires that mirror. When I did it for the first time in America, it was right after Trump had been elected and performing that piece while he was in office was a harrowing experience. The way they’d staged the ending meant I was able to just sit with the audience and witness their emotional experiences of the atrocities within the show, and I’ll never forget watching people break down in a way I’d never seen in a theatre before.

Which was more fun to play – Hedwig [in Hedwig and the Angry Inch] or Frank ‘N’ Furter [in The Rocky Horror Show]?

I would say Hedwig because, as an actor, it encapsulates everything. Not only is it essentially a one-person concert, but it is so high-energy and raucous and then incredibly intimate. I have goosebumps just thinking about doing that show.

You play non-binary roles in the TV series The Sandman and Cowboy Bebop – do you think the sci-fi genre is ahead of the curve in terms of representation?

Sci-fi and fantasy have always been ahead of the game because they’re able to imagine what the world can be in ways that maybe other genres can’t. The Sandman was written in the late 80s/early 90s with these amazing characters that have expanded beyond the needs of binary thinking. It’s cool that we can now put names to those experiences and people can see themselves represented on screen.

Book The Tempest tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Mason Alexander Park in The Tempest. (Photo courtesy of production)