BERENGER ~ I would have him look like a washed-up office worker. Sometimes in our career-life we lose momentum, miss that promotion, or even lose purpose – much like Berenger. There is nothing 2-dimensional about a person who worked hard and long to get higher up the corporate ladder and fall all the way down – even if “a worker” is all we see on the surface. They have a story that nobody has time to listen to – that’s just reality when you live in the city. I want Berenger to be the character the audience can identify with. My aim as the director is not to make the audience feel guilty about following trends, I just want them to remember and be aware that all of that is meaningless. And being yourself – no matter how much you dislike yourself – is better than just being another person to follow the herd.Berenger lacks motivation. He admits to Jean in Act One that he is frightened of life and the only reason he is able to continue on in life is by drinking – his way of putting aside his fear (I might change the Pastis beverage to a beer or Whiskey to put it into Australian context). Berenger’s cause of apathy is from his boring office job – very discouraging and not motivating. Berenger sometimes questions if we even really exist, and this question is enough for him to lose motivation in life. But there is a lady named Daisy whom Berenger really likes, so that could be what keeps him going.
