congenial place. And then you go down to the Bogside neighborhood, and you go around the Catholic areas and you realize
that some awful stuff has happened. Yet at the same time I wasn’t trying to push this thing toward a political conclusion. I think
the themes speak for themselves and correspond to a lot of the stuff that happened there.
Signature: You’ve collaborated with Stephen for a long time now. How did you two meet?
SS: I left New York in the early ‘70s. I left for the same reasons I don’t hang out there now, the
commercial parts of theatre were just not interesting. I still have a hard time getting plays done
commercially, even though there are great reviews, etc., because they don’t have movie stars.
I went to London because the fringe theatre was happening at that time. It was very eclectic
and very exciting, in the way that the original off-off-Broadway was, and that’s exactly what
I was looking for. Stephen and I met at the Hampstead Theatre, which is also where
Nancy originated, and she happens to be directing, so the whole thing was incredible,
almost accidental. I’m very grateful.
Signature: You use the word “Variations” in the title, which makes it sound like a piece of
music with a theme and variations. And Nancy has described it as your “jazz riff” on Oedipus.
Can you talk a little bit about the structure of the play?
SS: The play has so many submerged and overt themes that ha