MEET THE CAST OF
THE IMPROBABLE FALL, RISE, & FALL OF JOHN LAW |
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Name: Greg Carere
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Beyond the Wall
We hear there are more than 40 characters in this play! How many are you playing?
Um… one. (Specifically John Law). |
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Which of the characters you’re playing is your favorite? Tell us a little bit about that character.
Hoo boy. So, the “favorite” answer is obvious. But the “little bit” is tough, because a little bit does nothing to paint a picture of who John Law was or might have been, and, really, the play’s gonna do a much better job of giving you an idea about him, so just come see it? Ok, wait, I’ll try: John Law was a real dude, and he was probably a genius, and probably a con-man, and what he did to money, as a concept, still echoes today.
What are you most excited for the audience to experience when they come to The Improbable Fall, Rise, & Fall of John Law?
This is another really hard question to answer. Is it a cheat to just say, “the play”? The cast is really exciting - watching seven people play, like, 44+ roles around me is a trip. And it’s delightful how true so much of it is. Matt Herzfeld’s written a story that’s closer to actual history than you might think possible, and it’s a history very few people are even partly aware of, so I’m excited for people to have their minds blown.
If you became a millionaire overnight what would you do with your newfound wealth (besides donating generously to your favorite non-profit theatre company, of course)?
Probably a lot of boring, grown-up things, like, I dunno, paying off student loans and buying property and whatever you’re supposed to do as a responsible adult. But I’d definitely need to do one needlessly indulgent thing; probably either doing a food tour of every 3-Michelin-star restaurant or constructing a room entirely devoted to a VR set-up. And traveling. Lots of traveling.
What’s the most surprising thing about John Law or the history of money that you’ve learned working on this play?
In hindsight this shouldn’t have been surprising, but the fact that one of the godfathers of our modern financial system was an honest-to-God fugitive from justice for most of his adult life was, I’m gonna say, unexpected. Does seem to explain a lot, though.
What’s your take on John Law (or at least Matt’s version of John Law) – hero, villain, or somewhere in between?
Somewhere in between. I’m still trying to figure out where, exactly, he falls on the Hero-Villain Spectrum; I think in his heart, towards H, but in the eyes of history, towards V. |
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