Bernard (played by Rodney Oliveiro) is a modern-day Casanova, dating three alluring stewardesses at once. What seems to be a logistical nightmare for some, the Lothario has perfected into an art with down-to-the-minute scheming. Everything seems to be going well until his mate Robert comes to stay. Soon, Bernard’s carefully woven love life starts unravelling at the seams and he begins squirming as he tries to hold everything together.
Ahead of this comedy we speak to Rodney to find out a little more about this comedy and whether he has any personal experience dating more than one person at once.
Hey Rodney, can you tell us a little bit about how you came to be a part of this cast?
Pam Oei, the director, asked me to come to read for the part. After just a bit of playing hard to get, I agreed. Interestingly, I read the part with Shane Mardjuki and we were both cast. So we must have both done something right!
In your own words can you tell us a little more about what Bernard is like?
Bernard is a man who has been quite successful in his career. He’s an architect. He lives in a swanky apartment. And he loves the ladies. A lot. He conceives this plan to juggle three fiancées at the same time and for a while, he manages to do so. That is before it all starts to unravel with hilarious results is where the play starts.
Have you had experience dating more than one person at once?
Ok, disclaimer first: This happened very, VERY long ago. Like YONKS AGO. There was a time when I found myself in between relationships when, yes, I was in such a situation. Yes, it was stressful. Yes, it was unfair. Yes, it’s two-timing and you feel like a complete turd. Was it worth it though? No comment!
The cast and crew of this show look like a fun bunch of people, what has working on this production been like for you?
It’s very important when doing a comedy to have co-actors that have a sense of humour and a good sense of comedy. Pam’s done a fab job of gathering this cast. They’re not only good at playing comedy, they’re very good actors full stop. It’s been a blast so far and they keep me on my toes just by being so talented.
What inspired you to get into drama?
When I was an undergraduate, I thought very seriously about being a teacher. Maybe an English literature teacher in a junior college I thought. But slowly, I started getting more and more roles, I was in a TV series, the pay started getting better, so that opened me up to theatre being a career possibility. I kind of meandered into it and stayed, there was nothing dramatic like an epiphany, I’m afraid.
When did you decide to become an educator, and how has that been for you?
Being an educator means stepping into different shoes, like directing and writing. It has not only opened up new streams of income as a practitioner, it rewards you when you discover sparkling new talent and be a small part of their journey.
As someone who’s been in the industry for a while, would you say it has come a long way from ten years ago?
I would say every decade is a long enough time to see patterns and trends just like you can in any industry. When I first started out in the late 90s, there was still a zeitgeist of heavy experimentation and finding your niche. In the 2000s, companies reassessed their risks more closely, mainly because the cost of everything had shot up. This is simply economics and the instinct to survive, just like any company in any industry. There are, of course, pros and cons to this.
If you didn’t get into drama, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
In no particular order, I would have loved to be a video game maker or a research chemist! If this hypothetical career was still within the field of the arts, I would have loved to be a professional dancer. That’s a dream-wish because I have two left feet but I always look in envy when I see dancers who can really move!
BOEING BOEING is live from 23 Jun – 22 Jul at Victoria Theatre. Get your tickets here