“a richly poignant and artistically cinematographic production”
In a richly poignant and artistically cinematographic production, Arrows and Traps Theatre Company presents the sad, courageous story of Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans who, with like-minded friends, formed the pacifist, anti-Nazi group, The White Rose. Together they wrote propaganda leaflets against Hitler and his regime and secretly distributed them all over Germany. In the company’s first original play, Ross McGregor, as writer and director, uses diaries, court and interrogation documents and first-hand accounts to bring to light the strength and sacrifice made by these young people. It is comforting that, although their bravery is little known in Britain, the members of the group are national heroes in Germany.
Projections of Hitler’s brutally powerful speeches introduce both halves of the play, setting a tone of oppression. We switch from Sophie’s cross-examination to the group meetings and more personal friendships but with the prominent shadow of the Gestapo cleverly present almost throughout. Lucy Ioannou, as Sophie, steps in and out of these two worlds with ease, from spirited student to shocked detainee, becoming cornered by imposing Gestapo officer Robert Mohr (Christopher Tester). Excellent performances all round create a feeling of the life which both stimulates and contrasts their fight. Fittingly similar in appearance to their subjects they each bring a well-drawn character to the group.
The filmic effect runs through the work. The red of Sophie’s cardigan against an otherwise sombre background echoes the 2005 film ‘Sophie Scholl. The Final Days’; interspersed scenes of the past and passages of abstract movement paint a broader picture of their lives. The set by Odin Corie combines a traditional, central table and period props, with gauze side-screens, effectively used for off-stage action. Ben Jacobs’ lighting is stunningly dramatic. It conjures up the atmosphere of the many scenes and marks the changes, perfectly coordinated with Alistair Lax’s sound. There is a practically non-stop selection of atmospheric music and effects yet the significance of the words could be enhanced with less. And although there are some very imaginative movement sequences, certain gas-masked Gestapo routines undermine the tone of the play.
‘The White Rose’ is an eye-catching production with an important message of remembrance. Careful, thoughtful direction builds the intensity but rather than peaking at one climactic point it holds its breath while we hear their last moments and imagine what their lives could have been, absorbing it through the drama and taking it away with us.
“as the physical theatre of the misfiring affections became a bawdy, raucous spectacle the audience is utterly won over”
With lighting rigs exposed, no scenery but a looming fabric moon overhead, the stripped back stage at Wilton’s Music Hall provides the perfect setting for The Faction’s stripped back Midsummer Night’s Dream. Disposing of the customary prettiness, director Mark Leipacher aims to expose new textual truths within the play, namely that the war-ravaged Athenians of the period would have been willingly distracted by the aristocratic nuptials of the plot, just as (he claims) we’re happily diverted by Royal events in the midst of looming climate change.
So it is that the four young lovers are drawn into the Athenian woods to be engulfed by the magic and mayhem of fairies and artisan players, similarly attracted to promised festivities. With only the bare text, everyday clothes, a few accents and their own physicality (great credit here to The Faction’s movement director, Richard James Neale) the ensemble take on the characters’ conflicting desires. Demetrius (Christopher York) expects to marry Hermia (Lowri Izzard), who prefers Lysander (Jeremy Ang Jones) while Helena (Laura Evelyn) pursues Demetrius. With the introduction of Oberon’s magical herbs, desires turn upside down with the Fairy Queen Titania lusting after an oafishly braying Bottom (Christopher Hughes) and Helena is distressed to find herself now pursued by both Lysander and Demetrius.
For such a complex plot, the idea of stripping back to the bare text is an interesting one, it unveils the darker side of the play as, divested of finery, the actions seem more lustful and even boorish, perhaps a truer reflection of many romantic experiences. The movement is brilliant in places, creating scene and mood through background dance, replacing the traditional entrances and exits. However, the most important motif in the play is contrast, something this production didn’t really have, at least between the groups of characters. Men wore floral shirts, but aside from that the cast wore much the same as the audience. If Egeus can become Puck through the simple application of a backwards baseball cap, something similar could have helped others.
Sound and lighting design (Yaiza Varona and Ben Jacobs) strain hard to guide the audience through the changes and good use is made of Wilton’s split level stage to delineate roles. There are also some fascinating interpretations from the cast. Lowri Izzard is crystal clear vocally but also in her characterisations of Hermia, Starveling and Cobweb. Linda Marlowe’s degenerate Puck is ingenious, malevolent, yet likeable against the odds. In any case, by the second half, as the physical theatre of the misfiring affections became a bawdy, raucous spectacle the audience is utterly won over. Whether it was The Faction, the Music Hall or the comedy itself that does the winning, it hardly matters.
Reviewed by Dominic Gettins
Photography by The Other Richard
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Wilton’s Music Hall until 30th June
Related
Previously reviewed productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream
