Barnaby Rudge, adapted for the stage and directed by Eileen
Warren Norris: Alchemy Theatre in association with the Kings Theatre,
Portsmouth. 9-11 August 2012.
Tensions
involving religious minorities are running high, demagoguing politicians are
useless or worse than useless, and the urban poor rise up in violent riots,
destroying the property of the innocent and burning themselves out as a
seemingly uncaring government finally stamps out the remains of the upheaval.
That's
the plot of Barnaby Rudge, not a comment
on the recent unrest in Britain's cities. But Eileen Warren Norris's stage
adaptation of the novel at Kings Theatre in Portsmouth was clearly aware of
parallels between 2011's headlines and the riots of 1780. Actors were still
costumed in clothes suggestive of the eighteenth century, the language was
largely that of Dickens, and no characters sported sunglasses or received text
messages on stage, as they sometimes do in other 'updated' classics. That would
have been unnecessary. The play related the action to the present without
having to belabor the point.
One
factor that aided in this respect was the youthfulness of the cast. Simon
Tappertit (played by Aaron Holdaway) and his fellow apprentice hooligans were
age-appropriate. An advantage of drawing much of the cast from young people in
the community was that the riot scenes seemed to burst with youthful
enthusiasm. As teenagers settled old scores and helped themselves to loot, they
put a mirror up to a part of human nature that hasn't changed much in the
twenty-first century.
And
it was the riot scenes that stood out most in this production. The lighting
design by Phil Hanley and set devised by Michael Major helped to create a sense
of anarchy and destruction during these moments. The ensemble, though clearly
mixed in background and training, rose to the occasion and performed admirably
when carrying out complex stage choreography portraying the devastation of
London.
This
adaptation was openly theatrical, including direct address to the audience,
often accompanied by a wink and a nod. This was particularly useful in relating
large chunks of exposition and in introducing who was playing which character.
In the opening and closing, the performers were clearly acknowledged as actors
putting on a show, but in the heart of the play, they were allowed to fully
embody their characters and engage the audience in the story.
In
keeping with this, Barnaby's raven, Grip, began as a very simple puppet that
merely suggested a raven, but later became a more realistic raven puppet. Adam
Brown played Barnaby and supplied the voice of Grip, choosing to perform both
characters in a similar mad manner. Adhering to the theatrical nature of the
production, he did not attempt any ventriloquism.
Roger
Wallsgrove was delightfully pompous as Sir John Chester, and I rather regretted
the duel scene being cut, as it would have been nice to see him get his just
desserts. However, Norris was probably wise to wrap up an already lengthy
production after the climactic riots had ended and Barnaby had been pardoned.
Other
strong performances included that of Kevin Brewer, who played Hugh, and that of
Henry Ostler, who was wonderfully funny as the hangman Dennis. The amateur cast
sometimes lacked polish, but rarely enthusiasm, and it was a pleasure to see
them bring one of the Inimitable's least performed novels to life on the stage.
