JOHN BULL'S OTHER ISLAND. To 25 October.
London
JOHN BULL'S OTHER ISLAND
by George Bernard Shaw
Tricycle Theatre To 25 October 2003
Mon-Sat 8pm Mat Sat 4pm
Runs 2hr 45min One interval
TICKETS: 020 7328 1000
Review: Timothy Ramsden 1 October
Sometimes too modern in playing style, but a rare chance to catch unfamiliar Shaw - and there are plenty of positive aspects.A curious alchemy occurred, seeing this play the night after Manchester Library Theatre's revival of Brian Friel's Translations. Two Irish views of English men in pre-independence, pre-divided Ireland. Both show the English infatuation with the other island'; both show them despoiling it in the name of progress. Shaw, naturally, is the detached joker, Friel more contemplatively involved in the debate.
But there's same mix of Irish myth and English practicality similar to The Cherry Orchard with Ranayevskaya's dreamy attachment to her orchard's beauty and tradition and Lopakhin's pragmatic, unimaginative use of it as solution to financial problems.
John Bull's opens with a delightful comic scene where Charles Edwards' frank and pleasant Broadbent is utterly taken in by Haffigan, the stage Irishman. Giving what he knows the English expect of an Emerald Isler, Haffigan gets what he wants. John Dougall (happier here than with his later clerical role) gives Haffigan a quick-speaking unreliability and shows pointedly the dismay when he discovers Broadbent's partner Doyle is Irish. Slowing and escaping, he knows the real thing will instantly recognise the fake.
So far, fine. But most of the action takes place in Ireland, and while there's a love-scene which stands in parallel, yet contrast to Friel's Catherine Walker's Nora keeps her cool over besotted Broadbent Charles Edwards has to reconcile this aspect of his character with the rapacious speculator, buying land by deviously over-extending local indebtedness then turning the place into a property development and theme park. The reconciliation never quite happens.
Partly because director Dominic Dromgoole's usual success in treating established scripts with the unvarnished freshness of new, leads here to some loss of sense of characters being in their very specific time and place, making the debate at times arid.
Also unusual with Dromgoole, there are some moments of unconvincing staging, like Broadbent's unassertive listening and intrusion into the Irish folks' debate on political candidates. But there's plenty to appreciate in the interplay of ideas and a near-consummate performance from Gerrard McArthur as Broadbent's partner, the local lad who's stepped out and has a foot in both camps. He knows exactly how these people will be exploited by his partner.
Alas, McArthur adopts the current habit of excessive speed of delivery in places. It may intend to give lightness, but Shaw's lines contain arguments that need more time in most minds (or in mine, which may be excessively slow as McArthur most certainly is not).
Hodson: Ewen Cummins
Thomas Broadbent: Charles Edwards
Haffigan/Father Dempsey: John Dougall
Lawrence Doyle: Gerrard McArthur
Keegan: Niall Buggy
Patsy Farrell: Alan Turkington
Nora Reilly: Catherine Walker
Cornelius Doyle: Michael O' Hagan
Aunt Judy: Mary Conlon
Matthew Haffigan: Kieran Ahern
Barney Doran: David ganly
Director: Dominic Dromgoole
Designer: Michael Taylor
Lighting: Matthew Eagland
Sound: Mike Winship
2003-10-15 07:46:46