NATURAL INCLINATIONS. To 12 October.
London
NATURAL INCLINATIONS
by Roger Kirby
Finborough Theatre To 12 October 2002
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Sun 3.30pm
Runs 2hr 5min One interval
TICKETS 020 7373 3842
Review Timothy Ramsden 29 September
An intriguing, dream-like examination of a mind poised between pleasure and fear.This is the first play about 18th century savant Samuel Johnson and his inspired Scottish amanuensis Boswell I've come across since Dusty Hughes' Heaven and Hell in 1980. Kirby focuses more on Boswell and creates at least a purgatory out of his earthly life in a finely-structured and increasingly involving drama.
Simon Muller's Boswell, notebook ever-ready in Dr Johnson's presence, is a fine picture of someone knocked about by his own natural inclinations. He has a reticence in contrast to the colourful portrayals around. Only one of these, his virginal love Margaret Megan Fisher gives her a keen force and determination to stamp out Boswell's animal pants and groping around her is pushing him towards virtue.
On the other side is the corrupting Earl of Eglinton, to whom Oliver Senton gives a profound gravity and aristocratic insolence of authority, and the woman of the world Boswell wins in a wager from Eglinton. There's a fine scene where the poles-apart women meet, Margaret (so often anchored in a chair) showing a sarcasm-tinged cautious defiance, Kristin Milward's red-lipped actress using every intense smile, tilt of the head and probing expression with the eyes to push home her point.
Boswell also faces Ralph Watson's dual father-figures. His natural father's extremely disinclined towards his son. Appearing in judicial scarlet, Auchinleck in life roars furious disapproval and disinheritance, while in two nightmare sequences he teams with the women (in the second coupling with Margaret in Boswell's fevered imagination) to push his son towards the hangman's noose.
As the women contrast Margaret still control, Leonora sweeping command so Watson contrasts Auchinleck's static denunciation with Johnson's perpetual mobility. The body, head and arms even the hands and individual fingers compulsively writhe as their owner wades through philosophic argument to offset Boswell's damnable gloom.
This all takes place on a stage patterned with outlines suggestive of coffins, backed by 18th century hatching that glows red in hellish moments. The dialogue is stimulating, given performances as good as these, and the play is eventually touching as Boswell finally exercises the choice he finds between paternal authority, Doctoral influence and social temptation.
James Boswell: Simon Muller
The Earl of Eglinton: Oliver Senton
Lord Auchinleck/Samuel Johnson: Ralph Watson
Margaret Montgomerie: Megan Fisher
Mrs Leonora Donne: Kristin Milward
Musicians: Lucy Melvin, Jane Watkins
Director: Steven Little
Designer: Nicolai Hart-Hansen
Lighting: Kristina Hjelm
Costume: Mia Flodquist
Music: Lucy Melvin
Dranaturgy: Hanna Slattne
2002-09-30 01:01:46