Tag Archives: Andrea Hall

“Isolated But Open” from Papatango

Artistic director George Turvey’s quest to find new talent hasn’t stopped during the Covid-19 lockdown. Quick to respond to theatre closures, ten new monologues (plus two from award-winning playwrights) have been filmed by actors working in isolation. Without trying to “rate” this dozen – and apologies to those missed out – the standard is high and there is something for all to enjoy.

Several of the monologues address our current conditions. Arguably Benedict Lombe’s piece, rise from the wreckage, highlights opportunities and problems. The character’s challenge to aim for “something better” after lockdown is commendable. And the technique of dealing with the “one-way conversation” the monologue format has to confront is good – it’s a message to a future self. But the script is a touch self-conscious and the language full of slogans.

Emma Pritchard’s Pythagoras benefits from more imagination. Its subject is a young girl who plans to rescue a horse “as the world is ending”. Touching on teenage lives put on hold by the virus, there’s a quirky sense of humour and an excellent performance from Lucy Bromilow, who even seems to blush on cue. Balcony Bonding by Rachel De-Lahay is perhaps the strongest written: a Facebook Live chat between neighbours who don’t know each other, led by an endearing character in a strong performance from Susan Wokoma (complete with infectious laugh), it is simple but effective.

It’s a personal preference, but I enjoyed the escapism of monologues that had nothing to do with the coronavirus more. William Drew’s Hungry Like has a neat, intriguing premise with a surreal touch, and Angus Harrison’s Guts makes the induction of a newly recruited fishmonger in a supermarket far more interesting than it sounds!

Three plays that touch on grief were my highlights. Martha Watson Allpress’ Wild Swim has a simple premise about a mother and daughter that proved effective: painful but positive, impressively filmed (although the music proved distracting) and expertly performed by Lizzy Watts. Hips by Alex Riddle isn’t quite as focused, but the idea of a father and son who are professional impersonators could easily be developed and Josef Davies’ performance is great. Another short leaving you wishing it was longer comes from Tafline Steen, who manages to quote “existential terror” without coming across as pretentious (thanks to Andrea Hall’s performance, maybe) and who mixes feeling with philosophy in a way I’d like to see more of.

The degree to which these monologues should stand fully formed or show potential to grow is only one starting point for debate that the selection provokes. All involved should be proud of this inspiring project – and to have been included from an amazing 2,063 submissions. That is a lot of talent for Papatango to continue to try and foster, which brings us, deservedly, to the donation button!

www.papatango.co.uk/isolated-but-open

“The Notebook of Trigorin” at the Finborough Theatre

A ‘free adaptation’ by Tennessee Williams of Chekhov might sound like a strange idea. The Russian playwright is, well, Russian, and his works are full of reserved Slav emotions and characters who repress themselves in a manner we don’t associate with Williams. Yet Chekhov’s writing about the ‘interior life’, which made his theatre revolutionary, engaged the American writer. The Finborough Theatre gives us the chance to see his exploration in The Notebook of Trigorin, his version of The Seagull.

You might want to brush up on the original version – it makes for an interesting game of compare and contrast – but it is by no means essential and you’ll probably be enjoying this production too much to bother. Williams tightens what is already a compelling plot, and director Phil Willmott gives the action a lively pace.

The play is set in the family home of Arkadina, the most famous actress in Russia, during her infrequent visits to see her son Constantine who is looked after by her elderly brother Sorin. Accompanied by her younger lover, the writer Trigorin, she walks in on several sets of unrequited love.  Constantine is loved by Masha but adores their neighbour Nina. Masha is followed around by Medvedenko but wants nothing to do with him. Her mother Polina is obsessed by the local doctor Dorn. Arkadina’s arrival doesn’t make the situation simpler – Nina falls in love with Trigorin. In an unnecessary addition from Williams, Trigorin falls for a stable boy who goes swimming a lot. Thankfully, for brevity’s sake, he stays in the lake.

As these situations play themselves out, the characters deal with their dreams and ambitions. Constantine, played with brooding adolescent intensity by Rob Heaps, wants to be a writer. Nina (Samara MacLaren) hopes to become an actress and develops from a shy girl into an impassioned woman. Andrea Hall is wonderful as Masha, who struggles to abandon her unrequited love and marry Medvedenko, played with great charm by Daniel Norford. In a beautifully pitched performance, Lachele Carl’s Polina rails against Morgan James’s Dorn. His Doctor is one to strike from the register, a louche seducer played with great sexual presence whose treatment of Richard Franklin’s movingly vulnerable Sorin is deeply cruel.

Williams’ adaptation of the play is most noticeable with Trigorin. Stephen Billington reads his notebooks as a voiceover. This may have a strange Chandleresque quality but allows a distance between his interior voice and a wonderful performance on stage where we are never quite sure how genuine this man is. Trigorin fits that particularly American role of the flawed narrator. He is an artist first and foremost; keen to scribble down a potential story, to exploit a situation for narrative and quick to judge others.

What Trigorin and Williams share is their interest in Arkadina. Always a great role for an actress, in this version, she is combined with Williams’ other indubitable heroines. Women in genteel poverty are a common trait in his work, as are those who live their lives performing a role. Carolyn Backhouse takes on all this with great aplomb. She performs with humour and power as a woman with a fragile grip on what is precious to her and a ferocious ability to defend it.  She is like Blanche DuBois on steroids, more condemned than she might deserve to be. In the final scene, Willmott exploits this tension especially well, leading towards a dramatic tableau that reaffirms the plays concerns with the necessity and danger of artificiality. The whole of this superb cast are used. Their combined efforts more than make this production worth seeing and the play itself offers fascinating insights into both Chekhov and Williams.

Until 24 April 2010

www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk

Photo by Scott Rylander

Written 1 April 2010 for The London Magazine