DON'T LOOK NOW. To 28 August.
Aldeburgh/Southwold
DON'T LOOK NOW
by Daphne du Maurier dramatised by Mark Simpson
Jubilee Hall Aldeburgh To 14 August then St Edmunds Hall Southwold 16-28 August 2004
Mon-Fri 8pm Sat 5pm & 8.15pm
Runs 1hr 45min One interval
TICKETS: 01728 453007 (Mon-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat 11am-2.30pm/
01728 454022 Mon-Fri 5pm-8.30pm Sat 4pm-8.30pm (Aldeburgh)
01502 724441 (Mon-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat 11am-1pm/
01502 722389 Mon-Fri 5pm-9 .30pm; Sat 2pm-9.30pm (Southwold)
Review: Timothy Ramsden 9 August
Visually successful evocation of the dark side of Venice needs more heat in performances.Thunderous applause from a virtually full house greeted the opening night of this new adaptation from Jill Freud and Company. Except from my seat. There are, though, striking aspects to this staging of Daphne du Maurier's supernatural story, set in Venice.
Nicholas Roeg's film emphasised the importance of atmosphere; the dank, dangerous, geographically convoluted city with its sudden silences. Taken direct from du Maurier's tale of a couple on holiday after their daughter's death, meeting a pair of possibly sinister sisters, Mark Simpson's script updates the action (though, if the couple had, as they nowadays most likely would, mobile phones, a lot might be averted).
Mark Sterling's production is strongly atmospheric, Ben Payne's lighting creating only small light areas amid dark, watery surrounds. Three masked Dominoes' push around cages (like over-sized sentry-boxes) which conceal or suddenly reveal, confuse or block the central, nerve-stretched characters.
Sterling opens with a vivid moment. Twice we seem to see the same characters sitting at tables, but become uneasily aware there's a difference. Then there's the urgency of the emotionally-heightened English couple against the slow, routine-bound Venetians (Simon Snashall strong as a Maitre d' whose restaurant is so unfashionably located it rarely sees tourists; relying on English learned in London he misses out on his customer's mood).
But a lot of time's spent with the Dominoes merely scene-shifting. Despite plentiful bursts of Vivaldi to keep energy up, this slows the story. There are lighting and physical theatre techniques available to shift location; such laboured realism is theatrical snail-mail in an e-mail age.
With many complex moves to rehearse there seems to have been little time to develop John and Laura's relationship. Their sexual chemistry's gone awry but that's barely examined. Though, amid the realistic scenes, the action keeps coming back to the pair's huge hotel bed (formed out of the wings of a canal bridge) the bed's oversize symbolic presence is only reflected by some basic canoodles from the performers.
Perhaps more will emerge during the run. For the psycho-resonances to be maximised, and the plot's suspense elements to be intensified, this needs to happen.
John: Richard Gibson
Laura: Eva Marie Bryer
Maureen: Alva Semple
Fay: Jane Evers
Waiter/Maitre d'/Policeman: Simon Snashall
Priest/Concierge/Police Inspector: Clive Flint
Christine: Huw Brentall/Harry Emerson/Patrick Gibson
Dominoes: Hannah Lee, Siobhan MacIntyre, Eleanor Perry
Director: Mark Sterling
Designer: Maurice Rubens
Lighting: Ben Payne
Costume: Richard Handscombe
2004-08-11 14:17:47