|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Review by Jacquie Stedman |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I must begin by saying how
much I enjoyed the production, both from an artistic standpoint and from
an entertainment perspective. After all that is what the audience
pay for and at the end of the day they expect as professional a
performance as you can possibly produce. Having the curtains open as
the audience arrives give them time to study the set and ‘get their
bearings’ with the actual setting of the piece. Good atmospheric
music leading in to the opening scene. When the father raised his
arms on the word ‘angel’ in the lyrics it raised the question
of whether he was real. No eye contact from Catherine led one to believe
that she could only hear him. The stage could have been
darker at the start of the play as it was supposed to be past midnight.
The set was well constructed and solid. It appeared that some
thought had been given to having piles of leaves and unkempt plants,
pointing to neglect of the garden and the security light worked well
when Hal came out of the house. Very good scene after the
funeral – beautifully played between Catherine (Lisa Maule) and Hal
(Dan Cooper). There were excellent characterisations from all the
players to the extent that one felt irritated with the bossiness of
Claire (Emma Middleton) and Catherine’s inability to be firm when the
suggestion of moving came up. During this Act, I was very
unclear where the play was going, particularly after reading the notes
in the programme about genius and madness. However this was a very
watchable Act and one was impatient to see just where the plot would
lead. Careful with facial
expressions (Catherine) and try and make them more defined. Try
not to let it seem as though they are not intentional. When
speaking with passion (Act ll – Robert (Andrew Rogers)) remember not
to rush or shout or the words will become distorted. I think this play was very
well written and well interpreted with an excellent cast of superbly
drawn characters, and good interaction/relationships between them..
Because of the portrayal of the characters the audience actually cares
about them and their past/futures. I felt I wanted to smack the
sister because she was so bossy BUT she had funded Catherine
&Robert’s life for some time so she felt that she had some say in
the future. Act ll answered many of the
questions posed in Act l (and quite rightly) but the comparisons between
life 4 years ago and present day were particularly marked with
well defined differences between the players over the time span.
Everyone was much more upbeat in the earlier time frame and this was
highlighted. However I felt this play posed
as many questions as it answered and we were left wondering: Was this a play about the
proximity of genius and madness? Did Catherine write the proof? Does she go to New York ? Why was Hal interested -
was it for herself or just the proof? Was she going to go the same
way to madness as her father? A play which poses such
questions even after the action is over stays with one, particularly
when several permutations are possible. Congratulations to all
concerned. This production was a joy to watch and a great credit
to the society. I look forward to visiting you again in the
future. |