Category Archives: Theatre

Reviews of theatre work.

Brave New World (King’s: 29 September – 3 October ’15)

Posted in 3*, King's Theatre, Rated: Unrated, Theatre by
Photos: Touring Theatre Consortium Company

Photos: Touring Theatre Consortium Company

“Trim, bold and emphatic”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars

This is a didactic staging of a hugely instructive book, so here are two questions from the lecture theatre: how near do you like your future and do you shop in ‘lower caste stores’? For me the answers are (i) pretty close and (ii) it depends.

Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1931, which seems a long time ago, but he was seriously long-sighted and along with keen definition came the vision thing. OK, his Doors of Perception (1954) is a mescaline trip but he really did see what might be and his World State is bad and appalling, unless that is ‘You’re worth it’, in which case you might love to bits its mind-numbing, slogan-ridden lifestyle.

As for the second question, I bought some excellent coffee at ALDI last week and am very pleased with my jacket from Tu Clothing at Sainsburys, which by Huxley’s reckoning makes me a quantifiable Delta. Naturally part of the ‘fun’ of reading Brave New World is knowing that at least you’re not an Epsilon-Minus lift operator.

Huxley’s story, this play, is about misfits in the sorted, post-apocalyptic society. Bernard is a maladjusted Alpha-Plus psychologist who sees his way to a snappy suit by introducing John, an impure bred, unconditioned primitive, to his lords and masters. Or rather to Margaret, Margaret Mond, Regional World Controller. Lenina, a Beta-Plus lab technician with dodgy longings for a monogamous relationship, joins Bernard on the visit to the Savage Reservation to look at those unfortunates, who still suffer childbirth, disease and aging and who still experience family, love and heartbreak. There they find John and bring him and his mother home to London. It all gets messy when John claims his right to be unhappy.

Mond (Sophie Ward) and John (William Postlethwaite)

Mond (Sophie Ward) and John (William Postlethwaite)

Dawn King’s adaptation of Huxley’s text is trim, bold and emphatic. Its Display settings are, if you like, maxed out: Bernard is so inadequate that voice recognition software won’t recognise him; Lenina is sweetly confused; Mond has an answer for everything and John would take an axe to the whole ignoble shebang. He won’t take soma though – a legal high gone stratospheric – or sex gum, which is a relief.

There is a whole new order to configure here so it is unsurprising that video, lighting and sound provide illustration and support for the ten strong cast. There are multiple screens, helicopter rides and ‘feelie’ films and an immodest electronic score by ‘These New Puritans’ that all make the use of a centre stage curtain look decidedly old-fashioned, if not clumsy.

There is no hiding, either, of the pared down script and my unfortunate impression was of good actors managing one educative but end-stopped line after another. Flow was there none. On the other hand, and to be fair, I read Brave New World so many times when I was at school that I’m a fastidious, prose bound geek and anyway Huxley’s narrative is ‘set’ on information overload. Nevertheless, I did like William Postlethwaite’s tousle-haired John, with his subversive use of Shakespeare. Even the uber-cool Mond (a poised Sophie Ward) would have him, which is way beyond Huxley; but Scott Karim as the rebel writer Helmholtz really isn’t given enough to say.

So, fittingly enough, this is Brave New World encapsulated as feature drama. It is a little plastic, a little lurid, but still potent.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Alan Brown  (Seen 29 September)

Go to the Touring Consortium Theatre Company here.

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All My Sons (King’s: 22 – 26 September ’15)

Posted in 3*, King's Theatre, Theatre by
Robbie Jack as Chris. Photo. Rapture Theatre.

Robbie Jack as Chris.
Photo. Rapture Theatre.

“From event to moral consequence to personal calamity”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars

Edinburgh theatregoers can salute one of the 20th century’s greatest playwrights this week, as Scottish company Rapture Theatre bring Arthur Miller’s All My Sons to the King’s Theatre. Marking the end of their month-long tour of Scottish cities, Rapture’s production does not disappoint and ensures that Miller’s 1947 play still hits home. This week’s breaking news of Volkswagen AG marketing dodgy car engines in US  is an unlooked for dividend. At the heart of Miller’s plot are faulty cylinder heads shipped out to the Pacific ‘theatre’ during WWII. High diesel emissions don’t kill outright but Joe Keller’s cracked engine blocks killed twenty-one pilots.

The backyard set is minimal, portable yet effective, and closes tight around the Kellers as the story is stitched together. It felt a little uncomfortable at first but grew familiar, with more ‘give’ as the actors took hold. Paul Shelley as Joe Keller gives a commendable performance in that epitome of Miller roles: the grafter with no college education behind him who has managed to make it from shop floor to Board room. It is easy to believe in the image of the honest family man but that only adds to the effect of the sudden breakdown in relations with his second son, Chris. Equally credible, but with good reason, Trudie Goodwin is the heartbroken Kate Keller, a mother unwilling to accept the fact that her first son, Larry, did not come marching home. That grim acronym ‘MIA’, missing in action, is stamped all over the fate of Mr and Mrs Keller.

Robert Jack’s portrayal of Joe’s son Chris is especially notable and is the role to underline. A far cry from his Jacko in Gary: Tank Commander, Jack’s performance grows through each scene and his electric presence on stage is almost palpable. Deliberately more contained in the first act, Jack developed Chris’ character in such a way that the audience couldn’t help but be drawn into his hope for love, and subsequent devastation at the discovery of his father’s actions.

Throughout the play, sound effects are used to bring back the past as characters are reminded of their time as children back home in the yard. While an interesting idea, this often sounded clunky, and the nostalgia broke off from the rest of the production.

Despite some disappointing and/or distracting American accents from supporting cast members, which is often a big ask to get right, director Michael Emans does deliver the goods. The three central performances by Shelley, Goodwin and Jack are well sustained and the ‘unwinding’, as Miller put it, from event to moral consequence to personal calamity is unforgiving and inescapable.

Rapture Theatre are currently showcasing their Arthur Miller season in Scotland and will be at Summerhall with The Last Yankee next month.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Rachel Cram  (Seen 22 September)

Go to All My Sons at the King’s here

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Waiting for Godot (Lyceum: 18 September – 10 October ’15)

Posted in 5*, Rated: Outstanding, The Lyceum, Theatre by
Bill Paterson and Bian Cox as Estragon and Vladimir. Photos by Alan McCredie.

Bill Paterson and Bian Cox as Estragon and Vladimir.
Photos by Alan McCredie.

“Magic and compassionate”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars  Outstanding

A production dedicated to the memory of Kenny Ireland (1945 – 2014), artistic director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company from 1992 to 2003.

It’s celebratory. 50 years of the Lyceum Theatre Company and 50 years, thereabouts, that Vladimir and Estragon reckon that they’ve been together. It’s always nice to be definite about those two, as over the years they’ve acquired a reputation for being as equivocal and as moot as Monsieur Godet, Godot, or Godin, himself. Well, not any more, for this indelible production of Samuel Beckett’s famous play nails them as surely as any I’ve seen – and that includes the Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart show of 2009. I’m in complete agreement with Gogo (Estragon) when he says ‘They all change. Only we can’t’.

It is probably Didi’s pee stained trousers that did it. For a play that elsewhere is often taken as an exhibition piece for metaphor, where the grave digger puts on the forceps, etc., here a weak bladder in a sixty-two year old man is a weak bladder and that’s that. Gogo’s boots stink, his feet are putrid, and every time that he is reminded that they’re waiting for Godot he stiffens in a gut churning, stomach cramped response. It is unsurprising then that the here and now – the blasted tree on the bleached cold set, the vicious kicks to the hapless Lucky – is ‘kackon country’.

And there’s the marvel: one shitty situation made bearable by kindness and affection, because that is what the magic, compassionate, pairing of Brian Cox and Bill Paterson achieves. Cox plays Vladimir as philosopher clown, constrained to smile rather than laugh. Paterson as Estragon has the pallor to match his delivery. It would be deadpan were it not so forlorn. And it would, of course, be a Laurel and Hardy tribute act were it not for the existential, timeless, pitch and spin of the dialogue. There’s that moment, early in Act 1, when Vladimir is telling the story of the two thieves crucified alongside Christ and Estragon is seriously unimpressed by the ‘Saviour’ word. Didi just wants his story listened to and Cox makes light of his exasperation with a gentle, relaxed ‘Come on, Gogo, return the ball, can’t you, once in a way?’ The half crouch and the outstretched hands look to be off the rugby field to me, which is neat (and topical). Funny too how easily Beckett’s language adapts to Scottish performance for there’s a near constant exchange between blethering and ‘discourse’ that is practically endearing and is certainly comic.

This is not bleak end-gamed Beckett. Take Estragon’s sudden ‘Que voulez-vous?’ that arrests another of their little riffs. That could be a surly or desperate, ‘What do you want?’, but actually it’s much more generous and appealing than that. ‘What do you know [of me]?’ is what Mark Thomson, as director, answers and so two preposterous, hopeless down-and-outs from somewhere wasted and foreign, acquire an extraordinary humanity that fetches warm-hearted laughter from their audience. They might have finished themselves off years ago ‘hand in hand off the top of the Eiffel Tower’ but too late for that now. Instead, we hear of Gogo and Didi picking grapes in Burgundy and Didi rescuing his friend from a suicidal dive into the Rhone.

John Bett as Pozzo (l) and Benny Young as Lucky (r)

John Bett as Pozzo (l) and Benny Young as Lucky (r)

So the blaring inhumanity of the nihilist Pozzo (John Bett) towards Lucky (Benny Young) is made all the more pronounced. These two are truly displaced, dispossessed, and bound. The rope between them just gets shorter as they become increasingly helpless and incoherent. As they collapse, Estragon’s spirits rise and he is almost cheerful. Paterson has that wonderful line: ‘We’ll go to the Pyrenees .. I’ve always wanted to wander in the Pyrenees’.

Yes, it is a question of make-believe and tone but this Godot stands in the light at the mouth of the tunnel and turns its back on the darkness beyond. I found it really illuminating.

(And, ‘cos it’s good and relevant, go to the BBC’s Today programme on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p031g8l1 to hear a magisterial Michael Billington explain why Waiting for Godot is not in his list of ‘101 Greatest Plays’. Actor Lisa Dwan will have none of it.)

 

outstanding

StarStarStarStarStar

Reviewer: Alan Brown  (Seen 22 September)

Go to Waiting for Godot at the Lyceum here.

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#Realiti (theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, 24 – 29 Aug : 22.45 : 1 hr)

Posted in 2*, EdFestivals 2015, Other, Theatre by

“The concept is great, and the thought behind it commendable”

Editorial Rating: 2 Stars

#Realiti is a new take on the television programme Big Brother, where we see five housemates get to know each other, while their every move is watched and tweeted about by the world. And of course, one by one they get voted out of the house.

What the actual “prize” is for the winner though, doesn’t become clear right until the end of the piece. On one hand this is frustrating because I spent most of this performance trying to work out what was going on, but on the other hand it was somewhat masterful, as many of the questions I had throughout were resolved in the final moments, and it does stay with you long after leaving the auditorium.

Slowly each character’s reason for being in the house is revealed, and it becomes clear that it isn’t your ordinary big brother house. While for some their backstories and motivations were very apparent, for others we didn’t learn very much at all, so it would have been good to have a structure that allowed for a more comprehensive introduction to each, and a greater sense of their relationship with each other. At no stage was it clear how long any of them had been in the house, or indeed what time period the performance itself covered, but perhaps this was unimportant if the purpose was to get the audience to focus more on the wider concept than the details. If so, unfortunately its subtleties were lost on me.

Indeed, one of the main downfalls of #Realiti is how complicated it is to grasp. A very wordy piece performed by an Italian company in Italian, naturally it is somewhat more difficult to access than it might be for a native audience. There are subtitles on the screen at the back which do help, and perhaps this would have been fine if the concept itself had not also been quite obtuse, but the two together made it quite a strain on the brain.

In saying all that, the acting isn’t bad: there’s a great range of emotion on display and in the sections where each character has a “solo” to camera at the front of the stage we do feel very drawn in to their world and are able to develop an emotional rapport with them. The tensions between some of the characters is palpable, while the final scene where the big reveal happens is also very moving.

The concept of this show is great, and the thought behind it commendable. However, the delivery of it needs much more work to make it accessible to an audience, and a clearer idea of what the audience is supposed to think or feel by the end would help navigate this piece out of obscurity.

 

Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 28 August)

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Cleansed in Blood (Thistle King James Hotel: 20-25, 27-31Aug : 14:00 : 45mins)

Posted in *Ratings, 4*, EdFestivals 2015, Rated: Nae Bad, Theatre by

“Minimalist in it’s set design but wonderfully baroque in it’s storytelling”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars  Nae Bad

In the grand scheme of generally unpleasant tales, the hierarchy usually runs thus: tales of moral downfall a-lá Citizen Kane, ones about the dangers of religious overzealousness, and stories about cancer. Put ‘em together and what have you got? Bippity-Boppity-Cleansed in Blood.

The brainchild of talented writer and actor Thom Jordan, “Cleansed in Blood” tells the story of cancer-survivor-turned-preacher Paul, and his trials and tribulations in his feverish pursuit of glory upon the sanctified stage. Pulling together Jordan’s own experience as the son of a minister and the real-life events surrounding the now infamous Michael Guglielmucci, Cleansed in Blood is a story of ambition, deception and redemption all packed into a dense 45-minute performance.

Presenting the show decked out in a nasal feed, Jordan’s stage gravitas is palpable. With minimal set and near non-existent tech, the show lived or died by his performance – and I was very glad to say it was very much kicking. There’s a very raw, unpleasant realism to Jordan’s performance which had me squirming in my seat for a large majority of the performance – a testament to his skill at inhabiting a character. As he strode around the small stage, you’d be forgiven for thinking Thom Jordan a simple pseudonym for charismatic and fervent Paul.

And that’s helped in large part by Jordan’s skill as a writer. His accolades are well-won: even without the considerable skill with which it’s executed, this is just a good story, with a twist which will leave you reeling in your chair. However, the structure of the play is less vertigo-inducing. Some plot points feel as if they come too late, and there are moments where certain story strands feel oddly wasted as Jordan rattles through to a nevertheless very satisfying ending.

Minimalist in it’s set design but wonderfully baroque in it’s storytelling, Cleansed in Blood makes for an oddly grim yet entertaining way to spend your afternoon. Forceful, provocative and thoughtful, it’s a compelling window into oddly rockstar world of high-profile preachers – and the dangers that lie with fame.

 

nae bad_blue

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Jacob Close (Seen 26 August)

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Charolais (Spotlites: 6 – 30 Aug.’15)

Posted in 5*, EdFestivals 2015, Other, Rated: Unrated, Theatre by

Photo: Sally Anne Kelly

Photo: Sally Anne Kelly

“Where l’amour freely transforms as l’amoooour’”

Editorial Rating:  5 Stars

To invoke an admiring Scot, even though this is an all-Irish production, Charolais is ‘warm-reeking, rich!’ Approach the slurry pit with care and whatever happens do not call your good woman a ‘Silly moo’ or a ‘Daft cow’(and Burns didn’t either). She may not catch the affection in your voice, especially if she’s a pretty heifer.

Siobhan has had enough of coming second to boyfriend Jimmy’s gorgeous cow. Siobhan is heavily pregnant with their child but Jimmy seems only to have eyes for Charolais, whose bright yellow ID tags appear like ‘cheap gold rings’. Such jealousy might be at the extreme end of an hormonal rush but Siobhan is thinking murder. But how? A wild barley feed can result in alcohol poisoning or you could slice the cow in the squeeze chute. As if Charolais’s charms are not enough to contend with, there’s Jimmy’s seriously protective mother, Breda (72), who regards Siobhan as a shameless hussy. Maybe Breda could meet a power surge on the electric fencing?

So it’s a down-on-the-farm love and sex story with writer/actor Noni Stapleton as Siobhan and as Charolais. This is where l’amour freely transforms as l’amoooour’ and back again with a delightful swish of blond hair and a lolling lascivious tongue. The fact that prized Charolais cattle are creamy white and have well developed udders is to invite a cowpat but I hope not. Anyhow, performer and Bigger Picture Projects go further and provide this cow with a husky singing voice. Think Piaf in the byre rather than this reviewer in the mire, please.

It is a sweet treat of a script too, both affectionate and grounded, and steamy with activity in the cowshed and with Siobhan trying to get Jimmy away from his mother. She succeeds, dramatically – even tragically – but not in the way(s) she imagined. And for a townie there’s the added bonus of hearing of calving jacks and herd books and – from Charolais’s point of view – of the ‘indignity of the AI man with the syringe’.

Stapleton’s performance is really good. Yes, in many respects it is a humorous monologue – for woman and cow – but it is also wholesome and generous. For much of the time she’s Siobhan, seven months pregnant and in a bloody apron, but she’s proud and ardent too. I was especially taken by the way Stapleton makes her space her own and looks astonishingly ‘at home’ – in wellies –  just a few feet from her audience.

I have seen a few too many plays recently that put the urban precinct, IT, and the disembodied centre stage. ‘Charolais’ achieves the primary opposite. It’s all heart.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

Reviewer: Alan Brown (Seen 28 August)

Go to Charolais and Bigger Picture Projects here.

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Odd Shaped Balls (theSpace, 17 – 29 Aug : 19.15 : 50 mins)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2015, Other, Theatre by

“Powerful, energetic and frank”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars

The story follows professional rugby player James Hall as he comes to terms with his own sexual identity and deal with getting “outed” in the media. We see him as his club’s star player – someone who really needs rugby in his life – as they get promoted into the Premiership at the start of the play. We follow some very touching relationships he has with various characters – his coach, his father, his girlfriend and his teammates – all played by Matthew Marrs.

It’s a very pacey piece, packed with short scenes and snippets of conversations, which enables the audience to see the range of people in Hall’s life, and their reactions and relationships to him. While in certain sections of the play this works very well in communicating the franticness going on in Hall’s head and not knowing who to turn to, at times it also becomes quite confusing as to who he’s talking to, what scene we’re in, and how much time has lapsed in between them.

It’s certainly a commanding and masterful performance from Matthew Marrs, who manages to convey all the individual characters, as well as drive the performance with passion and vigour. He effortlessly captures the angst of Hall’s dilemma, showing a great range of emotion, while also being very grounded. What I liked about the character was that he seemed very real and that dialogue flowed naturally, without having been over-polished. My favourite of the other characters was Hall’s plain-speaking Welsh teammate who, at one point, very brazenly described “jackpot threesomes”, with hilarious effect.

While a very commendable and powerful concept for a piece, the writing and structure did let it down somewhat, as did, arguably, the decision to make this a one-man show. For almost every conversation throughout this piece, Marrs played both sides, which I feel was a somewhat lazy device in communicating the narrative. I think it would have been more powerful for at least some of these to have been shown from one side only, to allow us to connect more with the character on show, rather than the constant flip between two or three different characters played by the same actor. Alternatively, having one or more supporting actors for Marrs to play off could have simplified some of the scenes where there was a lot of back and forth.

In saying all that, this was a terrific show – powerful, energetic and frank, with a very important message.

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 28 August)

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Submarine (theSpace Niddry Street: 1 – 29 Aug: 20:25 : 1hr 25mins)

Posted in 4*, Comedy, EdFestivals 2015, Other, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

https://i0.wp.com/res.cloudinary.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_fill%2Cf_auto%2Ch_413%2Cw_620/v1430134987/wdfwzatevts68bz9gueq.jpg

“Slick and powerful”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars Outstanding

Go see a stage adaptation of an indie film adaptation of an award-winning book they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Luckily, they were right. Popcorn Theatre’s “Submarine” is an undeniably enjoyable piece of theatre, whether you’ve even seen the original work or not – or even if you’re not a fan of indie movies.

Following the adolescent trials of misfit Oliver Tate, “Submarine” addresses themes of love lost, youth reconsidered and the nature of human emotion in relativity; if that all sounds a bit much, rest assured – it never feels overwrought or artsy for art’s sake, staying firmly rooted in it’s homely welsh drab and expertly weaved soundtrack.

Jonas Moore and Rachel Kelly are a tour-de-force as Oliver and leading female Jordana Bevan. There’s such palpable substance in their characterisation, it’s easy to get lost in their characters. Every physical tic and vocal quirk feels energetic yet realistic, aided hugely by a skilled, slick set of supporting actors. A particular favourite was Tom Titherington as the wonderfully ridiculous Graham, who managed to summon laughs up without fail every time he appeared on stage.

And the comedy really is good. Every punchline is unexpected, driven by the sustained, cerebral oddness of Dunthorne’s characters. But Submarine is also a show which pulls no punches in regard to poignant, emotional drama either. The scenes between Jill and Lloyd Tate (Catherine Prior and Josh Hunter) were often heartbreaking in their portrayal of a marriage falling apart – not with a bang, but with a disappointing slump.

But slump seems the right word to describe parts of this show also. Despite it’s strengths, it’s inescapably “indie”: meaning the often manufactured dramatic turns and heightened energy many theatregoers are used to just isn’t present. It stays at a high but disappointingly constant drone which, though it helps it succeed in imitating real life, also meant that certain scenes felt like they needed a little something more.

However, that does little to diminish the strong performances and time-tested writing underpinning a very slick and powerful show. The clever staging, the wonderfully implemented Super-8 footage and the expertly talented cast pull together what for others may have ended up being a tedious and pretentious spectacle. Taking no prisoners when it comes to left-field humour and commentary on the human state, Submarine is definitely a show with six full miles of depth.

 

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

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Reviewer: Jacob Close (Seen 25 August)

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In His Own Write (The Voodoo Rooms, 8 – 30 Aug : 17.10 : 1hr)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2015, Other, Rated: Outstanding, Theatre by

“A thoroughly enjoyable performance, accessible to adults of all ages”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars: Outstanding

In His Own Write is a delightfully bonkers collection of short stories, written by none other than John Lennon. Last staged at at the National Theatre in 1968, it seems incredulous that it hasn’t been seen since. However, perhaps this version has been given the ok due to its very simple and honest approach to just telling the stories, without any of the pomp, prestige or impersonation that could be associated with adapting such a work.

The show opens with (and indeed each story is preceded by) a short pencil-sketch animation in the style of the illustrations in the original book. Immediately the tone is set as being playful and non-fussy – embodying the spirit of the book perfectly. The trio of performers set straight to it, capturing the innocence of each story with energy and clarity, but at no point going over the top into pantomime.

What makes this collection so enjoyable is the wordplay used by Lennon on selective phrases, often changing just one or two letters to make a new word with a completely different meaning. My favourite came quite early on, in Flies on Trash, where a character is described as “a former beauty queer”, and is portrayed by the actor accordingly. Another character later on is described as “dead and duff”, and another “wandered lonely as a sock”. The deadpan delivery of every line was the perfect accompaniment to the absurdity of the writing in letting it speak for itself.

Of course, for a piece written in 1964, there are bound to be some words and phrases used that today we find a little unsavoury, and use of them could probably get one sacked from the BBC. But given the honest style of the show’s delivery – presenting the work just as it was written without any comment or spin – such phrases ring home very naturally, and don’t seem out of place in the context. If anything, they give an added layer of hilarity.

As a performance it is very slick and professionally put together, and there’s also great variety used in the techniques to share each story. A couple are sung a capella, one or two are delivered solo, some contain a few outlandish props, but all delivered clearly, with great vitality and passion for the craft. It’s well rehearsed and the transitions are smooth, maintaining the level of interest and engagement throughout.

I think for what the company were trying to achieve in the faithful presentation of the book, they succeeded with aplomb. Whether this piece is everyone’s cup of tea, or could have had more dramatic structure or development is another question. Either way, it is a thoroughly enjoyable performance, accessible to adults of all ages.

outstanding

StarStarStarStar

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 24 August)

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Edith in the Dark (Momentum Venues @ St Stephens, 5 – 30 Aug : 16.25 : 1hr 20 mins)

Posted in 4*, EdFestivals 2015, Other, Theatre by

“A truly superb performance from Blue Merrick as the title character”

Editorial Rating: 4 Stars

Edith in the Dark is perhaps one of the most curious adaptations at the Fringe this year, combining a selection of Edith Nesbit’s earlier, and much darker, works, with elements of her real life. From the pen of award-winning and respected playwright Philip Meeks I was expecting a well conceived piece, but could it bring the threads together to be a work of art in its own right?

The concept is very simple: Nesbit escapes to her attic (and study) during one of her husband’s parties. In the adjoining room lies an invalid girl, rescued by Nesbit from the street. A guest (Mr Guasto) joins her, proclaiming to be a fan of her work and to have snuck in having spied her earlier. They have a brief flirtation and Nesbit agrees to read aloud for him. They are interrupted by Nesbit’s maid, Biddy Thricefold, but the reading goes ahead, and soon we are sucked into the world of the ghostly stories.

The script is very natural, and flows well, capturing the mood and period very sympathetically. The twist at the end was certainly effective and well concealed, even if it did leave me a bit confused. The direction is subtle, although there were a couple of moments when Nesbit walked down stage to deliver lines straight forward that did jar from the otherwise very realistic style.

The actors are excellent throughout, playing multiple characters in the reading of the stories, but of special note is the truly superb performance from Blue Merrick as the title character. She enthralls with a commanding stage presence, and performs with enough light and shade to make Nesbit believable but without ever being overly theatrical.

The set and effects were also very impressive, with smoke and lighting used to give atmosphere, and the exposed and expansive wooden set giving a real sense of the bare attic room. Overall, it’s a very solid production, that’s been pulled off well.

However, despite the fact that this performance is an abridged version of the script, it does still feel quite lengthy, and there’s not quite enough drama to keep it completely engaging throughout. Perhaps with more characters, narrative development or interruptions it could have been something really quite spectacular. Still, definitely worth watching.

 

Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)Star (blue)

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Reviewer: Steve Griffin (Seen 23 August)

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