“struggles to create sufficient drama for a truly magical atmosphere”
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of his death, Jarek Adams’ clever and engaging play, The Mysterious Gentleman, tells the story of controversial Victorian magician, J.N. Maskelyne. In a golden age of belief in the supernatural, his notoriety began when his analytical mind inspired him to reveal the fraudulent spiritualists of his time. He recreated their shows as well as challenging many of them in court, meanwhile astounding audiences with his own spectacular illusions. Yet his personal struggle to determine the existence of the afterlife leads him to believe he is being aided – or haunted – by a man in black.
Kasia Różycki’s production has original ideas – onstage magic, audience participation, the mysterious man in black – but struggles to create sufficient drama for a truly magical atmosphere. The set is simple and period, and the lighting enhances the play’s Victorian theme, but could be better deployed, for example, to heighten tension during the well-incorporated magic tricks. And while the musical motif punctuating each scene gives continuity throughout, the pre-performance music was not of the period. With such a simple stage set, a few music hall ballads would have been a good way to build the Victorian atmosphere.
The play emphasises the two important relationships Maskelyne had, with his ‘partner in mischief’, George Cooke, and with his son, Nevil. I therefore felt I was experiencing his backstage life rather than seeing him as the showman he obviously was. However, Andrew Thorn’s Maskelyne was strong, with a couple of genuinely dramatic moments, conveying determination, innovation and emotion. George Cooke was Maskelyne’s close friend and partner in business. Dave Short gives an empathetic performance as George, ever playing second fiddle to the showman, and maybe never realising his importance to him. In the second half, we meet Nevil Maskelyne. Convincing and confident, Josh Harper brings a welcome change of pace and intensity, as his character’s dreams and ideas are stifled by his admiration for his father.
The man in black character represents Maskelyne’s overhanging doubts about spiritualism. The concept was interesting and gave a physical presence to the play’s themes. There were places, perhaps, where his role needed more attention to detail, for example, at times he acted as stage manager, at others his costume made him appear more as a burglar than a mystery.
Overall it was an entertaining production but lacked the lustre of the magic itself.
