THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE till 4 October.
Northampton.
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE
by Muriel Spark. Adapted for the stage by Jay Presson Allan
Royal and Derngate Theatre to 4th October.
Mon. to Sat. 7.45 pm
Runs 2hrs 20 mins: one interval.
Tickets: 01604 624811.
www.royalandderngate.co.uk
Review: Ian Spiby,17 September 2008.
Another triumph for Laurie Sansom at Northampton’s RoyalandDerngate.
In his intelligent production, the RoyalandDerngate’s Artistic Director, Laurie Sansom, breathes new life into an old play. He does this by eschewing the realistic approach of the original and instead, uses the purely theatrical resources available to him. In this way he is able to bring elements such as the genuine danger of Miss Brodie’s love of Fascism to the fore.
The set, ingeniously conceived by Neil Irish manages to combine the stark utilitarianism of a public school with a sense of monumentalism, redolent of Fascist architecture. A steep set of narrow steps leading up to the back becomes the place where Miss Brodie stands more frequently as the play progresses and where she delivers a ranting speech to her girls which could have been straight from a Nuremberg rally. Scene changes are danced by the girls according to the mood required at the time, whether to reflect the romantic sentimentalism of La Traviata (a reference in the play itself) or the Dalcrozian eurhythmics popular in schools in the 1920s and 30s. This is aided by the excellent sound score of Jon Nicholls and the atmospheric lighting and projections of Chris Davey.
But of course, the play stands or falls by the eponymous protagonist. It must have been a daunting task for Anna Francolini to scale the mountain climbed by such as Vanessa Redgrave and Maggie Smith. But she does it gloriously, bringing dimensions only hinted at in earlier versions. True, her character is magnificent, but she is also vulnerable and her desperation is never very far from the surface. We are left with the feeling of a rather pathetic woman, trying to live her life through her pupils.
Supporting characters are well cast, particularly Sarah Moyle as Miss Mackay who plays her as a frumpy but in a way, rather decent headmistress heading up a school which she thinks is the best in Edinburgh but which to us is most decidedly second rate and provincial. And finally, congratulations must be awarded to Madrigalis, the choir from a local girl’s school who provided very convincing portrayals of the schoolgirls in Miss Brodie’s class.
Cast: Jean Brodie: Anna Francolini, Miss Mackay: Sarah Moyle, Sandy/Helena: Jodie Taibi, Mary McGregor: Davina Anderson, Jenny: Natalie Burt, Monica: Katie Foster-Barnes, Gordon Lowther: John Killoran, Teddy Lloyd: Hywel Simons, Schoolgirls: Madrigalis.
Director: Laurie Sansom, Designer: Neil Irish, Lighting Designer: Chris Davey, Composer/Sound Designer: Jon Nicholls, Movement Director: Georgina Lamb, Dialect Coach: David Carey, Assistant Director: Adele Thomas, Hair and Make Up: Jacky Atkins, Company Stage Manager: Meryl Couper.
2008-09-24 16:04:19