To Reach the Clouds. To 8 July.
Nottingham
TO REACH THE CLOUDS
by Nick Drake adapted from the book by Philippe Petit
Nottingham Playhouse to Saturday 8 July 2006
Tue-Sat 7.45pm. Mat 1 July 2.30pm
Audio-described Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 July.
BSL Signed Friday 7 July.
Runs 2hr 20min. One interval
TICKETS: 0115 941 9419
www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Review: Jen Mitchell 21 June 2006
A brave staging of the renowned French maverick’s book, this story makes breathtaking theatre;
if the story were not true it would be almost impossible to believe.
By his own admission, director Giles Croft has a fascination with strong characters, "who dream seemingly impossible dreams and square up to monumental tasks". Philippe Petit is a remarkable example. After reading an article, in his dentist's waiting-room, about the construction of the World Trade Centre Twin Towers in New York Petit dreams about illegally rig a high-wire between them walking across it.
The play takes us from that waiting room to the days following his remarkable achievement. Told in a mainly linear plot, but with visits back to his youth and the excitement of his first wire walk, it tells of the six years' planning and plotting between conception and carrying out the feat. Dodger Phillips is remarkable as Petit, carrying out wire walks effortlessly and juggling with dexterity and skill. His accent is impossible to place (Petit himself speaks Spanish, German, Russian and English - self-taught - and has performed on five continents).
No less of an achievement is the support Petit receives from friends and partners in crime, an unlikely band, some from his past and others met on his journey, from the serious Jean-Louis (Hywel Morgan), to the downright unlikely Barry Greenhouse (Matthew Rixon).
Staging the play is a remarkable feat; recreating the dazzling heights of the World Trade Centre rooftop takes some doing. Designer Mark Bailey creates a beautifully simple set, a rooftop, a blank backdrop scrawled on by Petit, with a simple door cut into it onto which various images are projected. When the clouds are behind the lit rooftop and the breeze catches the actors’ clothes, we can begin to imagine the attraction, the sheer dazzling beauty that such heights offer.
The question is always there: is Philippe Petit mad or a remarkably brave man who will go to any lengths to achieve his dream? I know which decision I reached at the end – not enough to inspire me to take up high- wire walking, but certainly enough to make sure I read the book to try and understand in a more depth what makes such a man.
Customs Officer/Spanish Worker/Blue Overalls Man/Jean-François/District Attorney/Ensemble: David Beckford
Engineer/Architect/Donald/Ensemble: Matthew Cullum
Papa Rudy/Jean-Pierre/Ensemble: Richard Ely
Annie/Ensemble: Sally Evans
Jean-Louis/Dustin Hoffman/Ensemble: Hywel Morgan
Philippe Petit: Dodger Phillips
Antoine/Mark/Barry Greenhouse/Foreman/Ensemble: Matthew Rixon
Customs Officer/PR Woman/Melba Tulliver/Graphic Designer/Ensemble: Sally Siner
Policeman/Russian Worker/Chester/Albert/Shrink/Ensemble: Jonathan Wright
Director: Giles Croft
Designer/Costumer: Mark Bailey
Lighting: Jeanine Davies
Sound/Composer/Movement: Matthew Bugg
Projection Design: Paul Stear
Voice coach: Sally Hague
2006-06-25 15:40:25