Tag Archives: Etcetera Theatre

Dead Souls

★★½

Etcetera Theatre

DEAD SOULS at the Etcetera Theatre

★★½

Dead Souls

“seventy minutes is simply not enough time to do Dead Souls justice”

This production of Gogol’s Dead Souls, adapted for the stage by Mikhail Bulgakov, and newly translated into English by Illya Khodosh, does not serve the great inventor of the Russian novel well. It is extraordinarily difficult to take a classic novel with a vast panorama of memorable characters, and turn it into a play with only three actors. So one has to admire the gutsiness of a company of recently graduated students from the United States on taking on Gogol, even with Bulgakov’s help. Hamzah Jhaveri, Dominic Sullivan and Nico Taylor, with Leo Egger as director, do their best to pack Gogol’s panorama into a carryon sized presentation suitable for the small stage at the Etcetera Theatre. But seventy minutes is simply not enough time to do Dead Souls justice.

The material for a good drama in Dead Souls is all there. Much like another of Gogol’s classic works, The Government Inspector, there is a con man at the heart of this satirical story. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is, like Khalestakov, an insignificant character in his own right. But when Chichikov descends on a small town, it soon becomes apparent that he, like Khalestakov, is just the most convincing con artist among an incredible assembly of con artists and gullible fools. Chichikov’s con gives the story its title, Dead Souls. The “dead souls” refer to the serfs, no longer living, but who are still a tax burden for landowners to whom they were bound. Chichikov visits each landowner, proposing that he buy up the dead souls, and take on the tax burden, as a favor. Chichikov’s plan is to buy up as many dead souls as he can, mortgage them to a bank, and so buy his way into society with an estate with its own (living) serfs. What could possibly go wrong?

In Gogol’s novel, this set up becomes a kind of picaresque journey in which Chichikov visits each landowner in turn, and proposes his swindle. It’s a leisurely trip where we get to know the characters intimately, and where we can take a little break before heading onto the next destination. In the seventy minute, three hander drama presented by Eno River Players and the Yale Bookends, we have no such luxury. Actors Jhaveri, Sullivan and Taylor proceed at a breakneck speed because they have to. There’s also a lot of set design bits and pieces for them to manoeuvre around on stage, and rearrange, while performing. This is distracting, particularly as one has to pay close attention to keep track of which character which actor has just switched into. Jhaveri, for all his versatility, plays all his characters, male and female, as some version of American camp. All that is Russian about them are their names. Nico Taylor’s Chichikov is not camp, but seems meek, apologetic even, in spite of the overreaching con man he is supposed to be. Dominic Sullivan backs up his fellow actors with a smaller number of roles, switching between a British or American accent with impressive, though inexplicable, accuracy. Each character, with the exception of Chichikov, lacks definition, which is a shame, as there are so many opportunities for rich, comic invention in each one. If the cast has time while still in London, I’d recommend a visit to Accidental Death of an Anarchist at the Haymarket, to see how it can be done.

Theatre goers short on time and curious about adaptations of Russian novels may be interested in this production of Dead Souls. It’s always worth making Gogol’s acquaintance. But for those with more time, settling down in a comfortable chair with a good translation of the original novel is highly recommended.


DEAD SOULS at the Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd August 2023

by Dominica Plummer,

 


 

 

Recently reviewed at this venue:

Flamenco: Origenes | ★★★★ | August 2023

 

Dead Souls

Dead Souls

Click here to read all our latest reviews

 

Flamenco: Origenes

★★★★

Etcetera Theatre

FLAMENCO: ORIGENES at the Etcetera Theatre

★★★★

Flamenco: Origenes

“The costumes are dazzling and thoroughly authentic”

 

It’s been a particularly wet and cool summer so far in London, and if you’ve not had a chance to escape the rain, let me suggest a trip to Flamenco/Orígenes. This show is currently playing at the Etcetera Theatre as part of the 2023 Camden Fringe Festival. There, for a brief hour, you can sit and imagine yourself, without much difficulty, in Seville, perhaps, or any other Spanish city fa-mous for its small dark spaces where you can crowd in to see authentic flamenco. It’s a treat to climb the steep stairs at the Etcetera Theatre, and be part of an enthusiastic sold out house that knows how to appreciate good music and good dancing.

Flamenco/Orígenes, presented by the Lourdes Fernandez Flamenco Company based here in London, is not just about the dancing. There’s a story attached to the seven pieces performed in this show as well. Each dance, or palos, presents a piece of the history of flamenco. From its earliest origins in India and North Africa, the Company moves through the contributions of the indigenous peoples who gave us what we now recognize as flamenco. There’s even several changes of costume to emphasize the visual component. It’s quite a feat to pull this off in such a small space (and there is a moment when a spinning shawl catches a music stand and it goes flying) but the Company manages the whole show with style and confidence. By the time the show ends with a bravura presentation of modern day flamenco, it is not just the dancers and musicians who are clapping and stamping their feet with enthusiasm. The audience has caught the energy as well, leaping to their feet with applause and cries of “Olé!”

“You are about to be transported to the warmth of another world”

This talented company consists of two dancers including Lourdes Fernandez herself, and a very accomplished band of singer, drummer, violinist and guitar. Singer Mónica García in particular captures the unique sound of flamenco, and she is very ably supported by the other musicians. The costumes are dazzling and thoroughly authentic, including the brightly coloured shawls that the dancers manage so adroitly. In short, there’s plenty of feast the eyes and ears in this show, even if it’s sometimes hard to see the footwork when seated more than a couple of rows back. I suggest sitting in the front rows, and as Lourdes herself recommends, placing your drink well back under your seat so it doesn’t get upset in all the excitement.

Flamenco/Orígenes is well worth sixty minutes of your time. It’s a welcome escape from Lon-don’s shivery summer, for an absolute bargain of a price. You may need an umbrella to get to the 2023 Camden Town Fringe Festival, but once you are inside the Etcetera Theatre, fold it up. You are about to be transported to the warmth of another world that is the unforgettable beauty of flamenco!


FLAMENCO: ORIGENES at the Etcetera Theatre

Reviewed on 2nd August 2023

by Dominica Plummer

Photography – Lourdes Fernández Flamenco Company



 

 

More shows reviewed by Dominica:

 

Caligula And The Sea | ★★½ | VAULT Festival 2023 | March 2023
Dance Of Death | ★★★★★ | The Coronet Theatre | March 2023
Farm Hall | ★★★★ | Jermyn Street Theatre | March 2023
The Net Kill | ★★★★★ | VAULT Festival 2023 | March 2023
666 Hell Lane | ★★★★★ | The Vaults | February 2023
Dance Me | ★★★★★ | Sadler’s Wells Theatre | February 2023
Oklahoma! | ★★★★ | Wyndham’s Theatre | February 2023
Police Cops: Badass Be Thy Name | ★★★★★ | The Vaults | February 2023
Women, Beware The Devil | ★★★★ | Almeida Theatre | February 2023
Intruder | ★★★★ | VAULT Festival 2023 | January 2023

Flamenco: Origenes

Flamenco: Origenes

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