Will Adamsdale performs in the UK premiere of DETROIT, a brutal, hilarious play by Lisa D’Amour, opening at the Cottesloe Theatre on 15 May. Will gives us a witty insight to the character he plays, Kenny, who's 'a damaged Stanley Kowalski'.

Directed by Austin Pendleton, who directed the original production at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the cast is: Will Adamsdale (Kenny), Clare Dunne (Sharon), Stuart McQuarrie (Ben), Justine Mitchell (Mary) and Christian Rodska (Frank). The designer is Kevin Depinet with costume by Susan Kulkarni, lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by John Leonard and choreography by Arthur Pita.

In a suburb of a mid-sized American city, Ben and Mary welcome their new neighbours, Sharon and Kenny, who have moved in to the long-empty house next door. Fuelled by backyard barbeques and booze, their sudden friendship rapidly veers out of control, as inhibitions are obliterated and the fragility of Ben and Mary’s off-the-shelf lifestyle is laid bare.

RR: Can you tell us about the character you play?
WA: The characters in the play unfold very beautifully so I wouldn't want to give too much away but...
 
Kenny is a curious creature. Half innocent, half very canny. When we first see him he's on his best behaviour at Ben and Mary's but even from the look of him you can tell he's from a different world to them. They are living in a pretty depressing suburb but they're sort of settled. Kenny (and Sharon) on the other hand have lived a rootless existence in several different cities, occasionally crossing paths, their only real focus being drugs. They're recently out of rehab though, and trying to start afresh.
 
Kenny is a hardened hedonist. If you saw him in your local supermarket you'd move aisles. In the past he genuinely hasn't given a fuck - he's probably littered with crime and abuse - of himself and others.
 
There's something very earthy about him though, and noble, like a damaged Stanley Kowalski maybe. Sometimes you need people like that. The question (among many others) is - will he be able find some way of channeling the energy that used to go into drugs into something socially acceptable? It's a tough ask.
 
Also he's very understanding of Sharon. He loves her and accepts her with all her disastrous traits.
 
There is a childlike flip-side to Kenny too. He's been raging since he was a kid - against something, maybe his father? In many ways he hasn't changed since then. There's a moment when he mentions strawberry shortcake - something he maybe loved as a kid - it's a sad little glimpse into someone who lost his way. Or just never had a chance.
 
He's someone who a lot of middle class people would immediately judge pretty negatively. There is always another side and - certainly in playing him - I think I need to try and find his vulnerability. I need to love Kenny, and I do.
 
RR: Has the production been adapted to suit the London audience?
WA: I like that the play hasn't really been adapted or changed. As an audience member I'd be intrigued by references to specifically American things, like Manwich (a tinned beef meal a rizla paper away from being dog food).
 
RR: Is there an odd similarity between the character Mary (played by Justine Mitchell) and Margo Leadbetter in the 70s sitcom The Good Life?
WA: Yes there s a parallel there. However, maybe if it had been the neighbours on the other side they'd met she'd have been the Felicity Kendal character instead (I mean lower status). Detroit is like The Good Life's weird, violent brother, who no-one talks about and was sent to a corrective institute.
 
RR: How else is Lisa D’Amour's Detroit rife with comic moments?
WA: I find it very funny. The comedy very often has a really razor sharp darkness - you laugh and wince. I reckon audiences will vary night to night depending on whether they give themselves permission to laugh. I like little moments like when Sharon is explaining the finer points of a drug experience she's had to Mary, and Mary - who is naturally supportive - interjects 'right' as if she knows what Sharon is talking about. She clearly doesn't though. It's nicely observed. Plus the fact that Kenny tries to echo business jargon like 'lets make that happen' to Ben in an attempt to bond. Kenny as businessman - a terrifying thought.
 
RR: Amidst the background recession that Detroit is set, is there a glimmer of hope to clutch onto in this suburban play?
WA: Hope? Yeah, there's a ray of hope - but it flicks on and off.
 
RR: On the subject of making friends with new neighbours, what advise would 'Kenny' offer?
WA: Kenny hasn't got a lot of experience of neighbours. That's a bit of an understatement actually. I don't think the concept of neighbours or neighbourliness has really meant anything to him. He's probably had strong bonds with the people he partied with - and they supported each other / needed each other / were companions in self destruction.  Neighbours? I think Kenny would've seen people living in houses he passed, with barbecues and kids and TV's, etc. They would've been so remote to him - a different tribe. That objectification would've made it easier to steal from them too. But now he's run into some of the other tribe - and there are different rules. He needs them, and - as it turns out - they need him too.

DETROIT by Lisa D’Amour, directed by Austin Pendleton            

Cottesloe Theatre
Previews from 8 May, press night 15 May, continuing in repertoire.
nationaltheatre.org.uk