Ghosts |
| LONDON CLASSIC THEATRE , CLWYD THEATR CYMRU, MOLD , May 22, 2011 |
| It might be thought that a production on a good but basic touring set on which characters stand or sit in almost immobility while delivering their lines would come across as wooden and stilted. Not so. In Michael Cabot's astonishingly powerful production, which uses no tricks, not even music, the surface calm hides seething emotions, feelings and thoughts. The other thing that the stillness does is to allow total concentration on the words. Frank McGuinness' 2007 version lets the language live freshly, sometimes with an Irish lilt, without ever removing it from the context of stifling small town Norwegian morality. And by this total concentration on the words I realised just how shocking the play must have seemed to its first audiences. We could properly hear and feel every piece of past behaviour that had led to the appalling plights of the two youngest members of the household. Hasan Dixon's Oswald is not dying melodramatically from the moment he appears so the revelation that his brain is being eaten away is a true shock, even though I knew it was coming. Equally when we first learn the truth about the maid Regine, played with the perfect balance of respect and liveliness by Abby Leamon, and her father Engstrand, played robustly but never too robustly by Peter Cadden, it's revealed so quietly that it's a moment before the impact fully hits us. Brendan Fleming is a ramrod of moral certainties as Pastor Manders, visibly reeling inside at each revelation but never allowing himself to give in to the blows. Pauline Whitaker's Mrs Alving is the true moral centre of the play and hers is a magnificent performance. Relieved after so many years to be able to tell her truths she finally has to face up to the appalling results of doing so when she is alone with her beloved Oswald, devastatingly preparing to comply with his final request. The other still aspect of this play was the audience. Not a sound was to be heard throughout, except for a couple of moments where McGuinness had found ironic humour in it. Not only that but at the end there was utter silence until the actors came to take their bow. I thought I knew Ghosts but this truly excellent production made me feel I was experiencing it for the first time. |
Reviewed by: Victor Hallett |
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