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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Carver
Verdict: Humdrum lives
London - Arcola Theatre - 6 July to 6 Aug 05 – 20:00 (M-Sa)
Carver is five short stories by Raymond Carver (1938-1988), dramatised by director William Gaskill. They are What’s In Alaska? , Fat, Cathedral, Intimacy, Put Yourself in My Shoes. There is a cast of ten (5F, 5M).
Carver introduces a world of forgettable locations, ineffectual characters, and their day-to-day humdrum. Carver’s apt and gifted writing sneaks a look at moments in other people’s lives - the experience is almost voyeuristic. He’s been compared to Chekhov. Both create interest and intrigue out of what others would consider grey. They find something in the nothing.
The set design, which acts as a constant throughout the five stories, is instantly striking. Road pylons digress into the distance, introducing wide spaces and encounters. A thin blue neon wire runs from one of the pylon-tops, out across the edge of the stage and into the back wall. This very effectively conjures up 3D perspective. The electric blue line is a zone of tension which - like the characters’ lives - could at any moment snap.
What’s In Alaska keeps a perfect pace. Two typically uncommunicative couples spend an evening together getting stoned. They attempt to chat - plans for the future and what’s in the fridge. All actors hold the moments, producing a rhythm of hazy reflection.
Fat is like John Kennedy Toole’s Confederacy of Dunces without the humour. Carver’s writing here is simple. He paints a portrait of a fat man, by allowing his inner state to come through subtext. Andrew Buckley’s subtle nuances and the use of ‘we’ creates an emphatically pathetic and emotional character. Towards the end of this story, Annika Boras movingly portrays the waitress’s depression, revealing more than the obvious.
The remaining three playlets are less successful. Cathedral, for example, loses momentum and interest. It draws out the moments between wife, husband and blind man. What is initially poignant becomes tedious.
Overall, Carver is a satisfying production. Although there are some less engaging moments (and loss of accents), William Gakill’s precise direction instantly plants the audience in an Edward-Hopper-esque zone. From this apt place, we can take on the conditions that follow.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Paul Albertson, Bruce Alexander, Annika Boras, Andrew Buckley, Mark Carroll, Melisande Cook, Kelli Kerslake, Jack Klaff, Rosemary McHale, Kathryn Pogson. Play by Play (cast alpha order): What’s In Alaska?: Carl - Paul Albertson. Jack - Mark Carroll. Mary - Melisande Cook. Helen - Kelli Kerslake. Fat: Rudy - Paul Albertson. Waitress - Annika Boras. Fat Man - Andrew Buckley. Joanne - Melisande Cook. Rita - Kelli Kerslake. Cathedral: Man - Bruce Alexander. Wife - Rosemary McHale. Blind Man - Jack Klaff. Intimacy: Man - Jack Klaff. Wife - Kathryn Pogson. Put Yourself in My Shoes: Edgar Morgan - Bruce Alexander. Narrator - Andrew Buckley. Myers - Mark Carroll. Paula Myers - Melisande Cook. Hilda Morgan - Rosemary McHale.
Company Credits: Writer - Raymond Carver. Dramatised and directed by - William Gaskill. Designer - Jon Bausor. Lighting Designer - Neil Fraser. Sound Designer - Claire Jowett & Leon Marks. Costume Supervisor - Sallyann Dicksee. Stage Manager - Sara Macleod. Assistant Director - James Hammond. Associate Designer - Patrick Burnier. Assistant Lighting - Jack Williams. Assistant Producer - Dan Barnard. Production Manager - Cat Totty. Assistant Stage Manager - Chloe Stephens. Production Photographer - Alessandro Evangelista. Design Assistants (alpha order) - Amy Ditchfield, Isabel Munoz-Newsome, Rebecca Pugh. Casting - Jayne Collins Casting. Assistant Casting - Juliet Gallagher. Special thanks to - Tess Gallagher, Jennifer Wallace, Ali Smith. Producer - Philip Arditti. Arcola Theatre: Artistic Director - Mahmet Ergen. Theatre Manager - Leyla Nazli. Co-Manager - Ben Todd. Front Of House - David Luff. Literary Associate - Alyson Wetston. Press and Publicity - Dan Pursey at Mobius Industries. Accounts - Lynne McKenzie.
END
(c) Lara Apponyi 2005
reviewed Friday 8 July / Arcola Theatre
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
