Fugue till 9th October
London
Fugue by Rona Munro
Presented by Another Planet Productions
At The Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Road, Camberwell, London, SE5 0XT
21 September 9 October 04
Tues Sat 8pm
1½ hours with no interval
Tickets: 020 7701 0100
www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk
Review: Peter Kinsey 23 September 2004
Gripping combination of the psychological and the supernatural performed with skill, power and conviction."Kay is found in a state of shock wandering a hillside near an isolated cottage wearing only a dressing gown. What made her flee to the hills? A nervous breakdown? Or a haunting? In this intriguing tale a young psychiatrist tries to piece together Kay's jumbled memories, only to find unsettling parallels with her own life.
So goes the publicity synopsis for Rona Munro's play. All's done and dusted. Now that we know the plot, we can sit back in our seats and watch the tale predictably unfold before us. Not a bit of it.
The playwright employs a true storyteller's art, revealing only the shattered fragments of Kay's memories to begin with. We piece them together during the play's first half in a poetic reverie, nightmarish and dreamlike by turns. In the second part, we settle down (or so we think) to a more naturalistic, rational examination of her breakdown. Finally, in the last moments, the two approaches meet, with an unexpected twist. The play grips you both as a modern psychiatric puzzle and a good old-fashioned ghost story (shades of the great M.R.James with its descriptions of an unknown terror).
A lot of the piece's psychological charge depends on the device of Kay being written and played as a split role, in a very flexible and subtle way. Theresa Aldredge and Heather Rayment fulfil the demands of this dual identity with sensitive ease and acute timing. They have a natural, unforced style, but can rise to intensity when needed. Sarah Winterflood is an equal partner in this equation. She completes a well-balanced trio, playing with quiet vulnerable power. The unity is further accentuated by the neat uniformity of Sarah Grange's costume design.
An atmosphere of mystery and fear is created by the versatile set design of Nic Holdridge, the spot on accuracy of Sally Ferguson's lighting, the video of Jay Stewart and the haunting original music of Sean Garland.
Nuria Benet's sympathetic direction liberates the cast's physical acting skills and continually encourages them to possess the whole stage.
Another Planet Productions are on the lookout for a third play to produce in May 2005. Rona Munro couldn't do better than entrust a new piece to this exciting and committed company.
Cast
Kay 1: Theresa Aldredge
Kay 2: Heather Rayment
Ghost/Psychiatrist: Sarah Winterflood
Director: Nuria Benet
Set Design: Nic Holdridge
Costume and Prop Design: Sarah Grange
Lighting Design: Sally Ferguson
Video: Jay Stewart
Original Music: Sean Garland
Sound Design: Jason Jenkins
Stage Management: Liatte Nicole Miller, Elina Kokkonen, Abigail Moreno
Web Design: Edwina Umeyor
Producers: Theresa Aldredge, Sarah Winterflood for Another Planet Productions
Fugue Preview Film (see www.blueelephanttheatre.co.uk): Sean Garland
2004-09-26 09:25:52