Ruth Wilson interview: The Second Woman (The Financial Times)

It sounds like one of those nightmares you wake from with your heart racing. When Ruth Wilson steps on stage at London’s Young Vic Theatre next week, she will have no idea who her co-stars are. She will also have to repeat the same scene 100 times over 24 hours, near continuously.

 

This petrifying Groundhog Day-like scenario is in fact the European premiere of a 2017 Australian show that has triumphed wherever it has played. In The Second Woman, written by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon, a couple — Marty and Virginia — play and replay a crunch point in their relationship 100 times. The actress remains a constant, but a different stranger plays Marty every time. The audience, meanwhile, can stay for the duration or just pop in for a couple of repetitions.