Tag Archives: Catherine Russell

Habeas Corpus

Habeas Corpus

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Menier Chocolate Factory

Habeas Corpus

Habeas Corpus

Menier Chocolate Factory

Reviewed – 14th December 2021

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“some of the laughs are misplaced today, but with a nod to its self-mocking humour, there is no doubt it is entertaining”

 

There is a jet-black coffin centre stage throughout Patrick Marber’s staging of Alan Bennett’s seminal seventies farce, β€œHabeas Corpus”. Symbolic or not of whether this revival will survive the kiss of life Marber smothers it with, its prominence is a distraction rather than a subtle reminder of Bennett’s underlying themes of mortality. β€œHabeas Corpus” is a play with two personalities; at once naturalistic, even touching the human chord, yet at the same time, a farce. The quiet, introverted musings on life are nearly always drowned out by the brash energy and seaside naughtiness of the comedy.

And energy is what this production certainly has, the key ingredient of farce – along with the extra marital shenanigans, mistaken identities, absurd situations, challenged respectability, and characters without their trousers. We are in GP Arthur Wicksteed’s home surgery in Hove. Richard Hudson’s blank, stark set allow us to imagine the draping of misogyny and sexism with which the doctor has furnished his house. We are introduced to the players by Ria Jones’ Mrs Swabb. Wicksteed would be a far more successful physician if he pursued his career as diligently as he pursues women. His wife, Muriel, is more assertive while his son is a timid hypochondriac who uses a fake terminal illness as a chat up line. Enter Connie, who has ordered a false pair of breasts to boost her confidence. Lady Rumpus is an expatriate, colonial figure, protective of her daughter Felicity while Canon Throbbing is a frustrated celibate who… well – his name says it all. Then there is Mr Shanks who arrives to fit Connie’s breasts, Sir Percy Shorter, a leading light in the medical profession out for revenge and Mr Purdue, a sick man who hangs over the proceedings like (and sometimes in) a noose.

Jasper Britton adds a bit of charm to his dated salaciousness. There is enough irony there to forgive him (the actor rather than the character). Catherine Russell’s Muriel has a light-hearted sparkle that occasionally flickers to reveal a more profound hurting. Kirsty Besterman is a joy to watch as the β€˜spinster’ who believes the only way to a man’s heart is through her body; a tenet that is constantly reinforced by the men in the piece. Mercifully the entire cast play on the dated perceptions and, again, we forgive. The sheer entertainment value carries us along.

The sensation is like revisiting, after many years, a favourite pub that has since been refurbished. The new dΓ©cor clashes with the fondness of memory. Marber has added a few twists that jar. Occasionally the poetic language bizarrely morphs into surreal song routines. The sadness and the cruelty behind the comedy are more hidden than they should be. Yet nostalgia is unreliable. Perhaps Bennett’s text was flawed back in the seventies. Perhaps not. Perhaps it still isn’t, and it is the times we live in that force us to judge it unfavourably. But that is another debate. If β€œHabeas Corpus” is a farce it certainly fulfils its purpose. Yes, some of the laughs are misplaced today, but with a nod to its self-mocking humour, there is no doubt it is entertaining. We just need to avoid politicisation for a couple of hours, be aware that all concerned have their tongue in their cheek, and enjoy.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Manuel Harlan

 


Habeas Corpus

Menier Chocolate Factory until 27th February

 

Previously reviewed at this venue this year:
Brian and Roger | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | November 2021

 

Click here to see our most recent reviews

 

Little Wars

Little Wars

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Online

Little Wars

Little Wars

Online via www.littlewars.co.uk

Reviewed – 2nd November 2020

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“The formidable characters displayed are certainly matched by the starry cast”

 

The dinner party has always offered food for thought for playwrights and, over the years, many fine examples have been dished up in our theatres. Neil Simon’s β€˜The Dinner Party’ (obviously), Moira Buffini’s β€˜Dinner’, David Eldridge’s β€˜Festen’, Mike Leigh’s β€˜Abigail’s Party’ and, of course, Alan Ayckbourn whose β€˜Absurd Person Singular’ and β€˜The Norman Conquests’ stand out. There is no place like the dinner table for drama, grudges, arguments, feuds and even a little crazy affection to surface.

Steven Carl McCasland has taken this formula and garnished it with a generous blend of fact and fiction. And plenty of friction. β€œLittle Wars” brings together some of the most extraordinary and noted women in modern literature. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas are the hosts entertaining none other than Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Agatha Christie. They are in France, tensions are high, the booze is flowing, and war is coming. Together they drink, and face a demon or two. Everyone has a confession and a secret and as the evening wears on their hard exteriors wear down.

The play is split into two halves. Initially the bickering and sharp-witted banter dominates and the personalities clash with subtle, though bitchy, humour. The presence of the only non-writer guest shifts the conversation into an impassioned discussion of the plight of Jews in the looming shadow of World War II. There is a real depth to the dialogue which also draws in the German, Jewish housemaid whose backstory certainly throws gas on the fire.

The formidable characters displayed are certainly matched by the starry cast. Linda Bassett dominates as Gertrude Stein with a swaggering petulance that eventually cracks to reveal a softer centre. Catherine Russell gives a richness to her lover, Alice Toklas; teasing her out from under the shadow of the presiding Stein. Juliet Stevenson bursts in with prickly invective which you both delight in and are repulsed by. Stevenson’s masterful performance renders the unattractive appealing and her eventual moral sea change quite moving. Debbie Chazen’s gin-soaked Dorothy Parker is forever teetering on the edge while, in contrast, Sophie Thompson’s Agatha Christie rounds everyone together with her outside eye, like one of Christie’s own detectives, probing and trying to understand. But the unsung heroines of the piece are the two characters who exist on the edges of this literary β€˜salon’. Natasha Karp’s Bernadette, the housemaid, has the most harrowing story to tell. And it is fundamentally her story we are being told. Hers, and the plight of countless other Jews during the Nazi invasion of France. Crucial to the story too is Sarah Solemani’s Muriel Gardiner who is not afraid to challenge the women’s self-belief and prejudices, and who is just as fearless in the face of the Occupation.

The themes addressed in β€œLittle Wars” are compelling. It possibly helps to have some background knowledge of the real-life personalities portrayed, but McCasland’s skill, meticulous research and flamboyant imagination leave you enthralled throughout. Almost. By necessity this production is a rehearsed reading and the limitations of Zoom, despite Hannah Chissick’s dynamic direction, are sometimes all too noticeable. The lack of reaction and interaction inherent in the format emphasises the need and the longing for theatre to return to its true home.

 

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by John Brannoch

 

Little Wars

Online via www.littlewars.co.uk until 8th November

 

Recently reviewed by Jonathan:
The Understudy | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | May 2020
Godspell Online in Concert | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | August 2020
Henry V | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | The Maltings | August 2020
St Anne Comes Home | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | St Paul’s Church Covent Garden | August 2020
A Hero Of Our Time | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Stone Nest | September 2020
Buyer and Cellar | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Above the Stag | October 2020
The Great Gatsby | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Immersive LDN | October 2020
The Last Five Years | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Southwark Playhouse | October 2020
The Off Key | β˜…β˜…β˜… | White Bear Theatre | October 2020
What a Carve Up! | β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜… | Online | October 2020

 

Click here to see our most recent reviews