HOMAGE TO CATALONIA. To 13 June 2004.
HOMAGE TO CATALONIA
by George Orwell adapted by Pablo Ley and Allan Baker
West Yorkshire Playhouse (Quarry Theatre) To 3 April 2004
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat 1 April 1.30pm, 3 April 2pm
Audio-described 30 March, 1 April 1.30pm
Captioned: 1 April 7.30pm
Runs 2hr 40min One interval
then MC93 Bobigny, Paris 14-16 April, Newcastle Playhouse 22 April-8 May
Tue-Sat 7.30pm And Teatro Romea Barcelona 20 May-13 June
TICKETS: 0113 213 7700
www.wyp.org.uk (Leeds)
0191 230 5151
www.mc93.com (Paris)
www.northernstage.com (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
0034 933 0015 504
www.focus.es (Barcelona)
Review: Timothy Ramsden 27 March
Bold theatricality muffled by busy images and inappropriate speech style.Stylistically, this is most advanced of the three Orwell adaptations in which Northern Stage Ensemble have had a hand. As the source is less well-known, or widely-studied, than Animal Farm or 1984 it will be intriguing to see if it has as wide a stage exposure after this initial circuit (Catalonia's script makes references to both books). If financial resources and performers' stamina allow, the three might play in repertory.
Though this is a co-production with Catalan Teatre Romea, not involved in the previous pieces. The mix of languages causes no problem, surtitles doing a fine job when Catalan lines are not interpreted anyway for the English-speaking volunteers defending the Spanish Republic against Franco's fascism.
There's a brief, embarrassingly naïve attempt at audience participation to fuse audience and comrade-crowd alienating rather than incorporating us in a mass movement. Elsewhere, there's a complementary flow of stage and film images the floor covered in an assortment of shirts and boots, cleared as the troops are marshalled into action apt sign of the hanging around as action's organised. And the mini-barricades of books and tin-cans pick up on the intellectuals' war and basic rations.
The second part moves to a huge cross-piece dining-table behind the lines, notably bearing Orwell's wounded corpse (he survived a bullet in the neck). It's time for such a contrast, caught also in the music- waltzes offsetting accordion troop songs.
Yet stage action often has to struggle for attention against fast-moving, sometimes repeated images of grainy black-and-white documentary film images which carry intrinsic fascination the rush back through these as Orwell's experiences flash before him when shot is ultra-dramatic. Newcastle Playhouse's raised stage may accommodate stage and screen with a better angle than the Quarry's floor-stage provides.
But the main problem's too often the speech a hectoring style which may suggest urgent news and warfare, but doesn't deliver Orwell's reasoned reportage, or transmute it into a focused alternative. It ends up more homage to Northern Stage's production style than to either Catalonia or Orwell. Fortunately, part of this Ensemble's purpose is to develop work over time. We will see.
Cast:
Chantal Aimee, Jane Arnfield, Dani Arrebola, Craig Conway, Alex Elliott, Javier Gamazo, Miquel Gelabert, Tony Neilson, Sasha Pick, Mingo Rafois
Director: Josep Galindo
Designer: Neil Murray
Lighting: Malcolm Rippeth
Sound: Mic Pool
Film maker: Carles Caparros
Voice work: Susan Stern
2004-03-29 14:55:17