“feels creatively alive, tender and hopeful; it leaves a lasting artistic shimmer and sprinkles a touch of magic”
C-o-n-t-a-c-t is an outdoor immersive promenade production, that takes place on the edge of the river, five minutes from Monument tube (other locations are available). Plugged into headphones, through a previously downloaded app (all very simple, and efficiently handled by the facilitator, who we meet 10 minutes before the production begins), the audience hears the thoughts and conversation of the two characters, one of whom we are instructed to follow.
The concept is a simple one, and reminiscent of Wim Wenders’ masterwork Wings of Desire: a guardian angel is on earth in human form, and he has appeared in order to help a young, lost and grieving woman get over the death of her father. Written by Eric Chantelauze, it is a delicate 50 minute reflection on grief. In Quentin Bruno’s English adaptation, the writing is predominantly colloquial and straightforward, with occasional excursions into a slightly more meditative realm, and for the most part works well, though an unfortunate last minute detour into Latin does feel hackneyed and unnecessary. Max Gold, as the angel Raphael, fails to convince in this instance, and the grandeur of the language reduces, rather than enhances, his angelic aura.
This was a rare jarring moment however. Samuel Sené (director and creator of the original production, along with Gabrielle Jourdain) has put some lovely subtle movement sequences in place within the characters’ walk together, and there are many moments of gentle beauty, particularly in Laura White’s performance as Sarah, which seamlessly embodies Aoife Kennan’s spoken narrative. The atmosphere is also hugely enhanced by Cyril Barbessol’s contemplative, melodic piano, which is a continuous musical thread throughout the piece, and works brilliantly under a London sky and against the grand, ceaseless flow of the Thames.
In these strange and pretty desperate times for live theatre, C-o-n-t-a-c-t feels creatively alive, tender and hopeful; it leaves a lasting artistic shimmer and sprinkles a touch of magic on a September evening. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw
Photography by Pamela Raith
C-O-N-T-A-C-T
Various London locations until 4th October see www.contactshow.co.uk for full details
“Maitland’s vocal control in particular is quite staggering, bringing a coiled strength to the small auditorium.”
Often described as the sequel to ‘Fiddler On the Roof’, ‘Rags’, originally written by Joseph Stein (who did also write ‘Fiddler’) enjoyed only four days on Broadway in its 1987 debut. Regardless, it was nominated for five Tony awards that year. But, more baffling still, it has never been brought back to the stage, that is, until now.
Revised by David Thompson and directed by Bronagh Lagan, ‘Rags’ tells the story of Jewish immigrants making their way to America at the turn of the twentieth century. Among the boatloads of hopefuls is Rebecca (Carolyn Maitland), with her son David (as played by Jude Muir for this performance), who, without any family or a nickel to her name, is determined to succeed in this new promised land.
As with most sequels, ‘Rags’ has loosely the same narrative arc as its predecessor: A community of traditional Jews fights off the outside world on multiple fronts, be it via assimilation, persecution or modernisation. Certain familiar characters re-appear as well. Ben (Oisin Nolan-Power) for example, a nice but nerdy tailor seeks the affections of Bella (Martha Kirby) whose father, Avram (Dave Willetts) disapproves of the union. I mean, why not just call them Motel and Tzeitel and have done with it.
But ‘Rags’ does depart from ‘Fiddler’ in its sheer volume of historical content, including everything from the 1909 Shirtwaist strikes and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to the emergence of feminism, the rising popularity of Yiddish theatre and song writing, and culture clashes, not only between different ethnicities and religions, but also first and second-wave immigrants. In order to include all of this, every character symbolises a school of thought, be it capitalism or communism, traditionalism or modernisation. And this leaves little room for any of the characters to have any, well, character. The older generation – aunt, uncle and father – bring a little Yiddish flavour from the old country, but aside from that everyone is a bit bland.
The soundtrack (Charles Strouse/Stephen Schwartz) flits between a klezmer-ragtime fusion, and modern musical numbers. The former is accompanied by a swaggering Klezmer band wondering the stage, playing various bit-parts as they go. The small ensemble brings a tonne of humour and spirit to the production. Clarinettist Natasha Karp is a particular joy to watch, her constant facial expressions a kind of running commentary on the story’s goings-on.
The more modern numbers, however, are generally forgettable and feel mismatched with the themes of the plot.
The set (Gregor Donnelly), consisting of a wall of suitcases, and sparse furniture, provides an atmosphere of transition; of both hope and hardship. Whilst Rebecca, Bella and David have just arrived, the small apartment has been the home of multiple immigrant families before this one, and will no doubt go on to house many more after, and the set succeeds in keeping this feeling of flux throughout.
The cast themselves are gloriously talented, doing their best to inject colour and excitement to a story that drags on at least a half hour too long. Maitland’s vocal control in particular is quite staggering, bringing a coiled strength to the small auditorium.
But whilst ‘Rags’ was not intended as a direct sequel for ‘Fiddler’, it’s hard not to consider it as such and, as is often the case with sequels, it doesn’t stand up to comparison. Yes, there are a couple of catchy numbers, a couple of funny scenes, and a couple of moments of heartfelt reflection. But not enough on any count, and unfortunately this revival is less a story of rags to riches, and more rags to run-of-the-mill.
