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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
By Parties Unknown
Verdict: Echoes of the crypt
London - St Andrews Church, Holborn - 13 March to 1 April 06 - 19:00
By Parties Unknown, The Crypt Project, is a site-specific piece set in St Andrews Church, Holborn. The crypt, exhumed in 2002, was previously stacked floor-to-ceiling with coffins dating back to the 14th Century. About 3,000 bodies were removed.
By Parties Unknown is inspired by the history surrounding the crypt, and weaves together a cast of intriguing and credible characters.
It starts in the 21st Century. An archaeological doctor - played fairly competently by Holly Burn - conducts a tour of the site.
The play is narrated by an Exhumator (Alex Robertson). He shows intense passion for the project, and overflows with data. He picks out historical poignancies and powerful images with a simple contemplative wonder, injecting the character with an approachable warmth and easygoing sense of humour. The information given out could easily be a dull archaeological tutorial, but Alex Robertson delivers it as a fascinating romp through the hidden layers of London beneath today's Holborn.
The storyline shifts to the Victorian era, and weaves together the lives of many of the people buried in the crypt. These include Henry Sacheverell - a rector of St Andrews Church - whose towering, brooding aloofness is brought to life with a confident performance by Jack Fortescue. The cheeky Cockney tones of William Bilby, gravedigger and apothecary, are captured with a gritty upbeat manner by Robert Stocks.
Kezia Burrows embraces the hoarse brashness of actress and courtesan Sally Salisbury - with an upfront sassiness far from Clare Andreadis's interpretation of the more fragile and innocent orphan, Sarah Green. Clare Andreadis's portrayal is strongly convincing, from the anxious body language and uncertain vocal tones, to the street-urchin-like upturned nose.
Antony Eden delivers Thomas Chatterton - 18th Century Bristol poet come to London to fulfil his romantic fantasies - in an aptly light-hearted way. His recital of Chatterton's verse is well-grounded. Antony Eden and Robert Stocks have some great moments together - including a scene where Chatterton goes to Bilby looking for a cure for clap.
James French plays Sir Edward Coke, an ambitious Attorney General; Alison Jean Baker is his 'difficult' wife Lady Elizabeth Hatton. James French and Alison Jean Baker create the fiery sparks between the characters with ease, spitting out bitter asides and loaded comments that seethe with resentment.
Overlaid is the more modern account of Phyllis Pearsall, a young woman who has recently lost her mother, and who overcomes her feeling of loss by mapping the streets of London and creating the A-Z. Miranda Nolan finds an admirable, gutsy, 1930s edge to Pearsall. Although her story is generally separate from the other cast members and relies heavily on monologue, Miranda Nolan delivers a strong performance.
By Parties Unknown uses the church crypt's many crevices imaginatively. The audience is led through dark tunnels to confront visceral fears promenade-style. Spaces are re-used and transformed so effectively - and so quickly - by Sara Perks's design that there's the disorientating feeling of being led through an intricate maze.
Lee Stevens compiles a soundtrack of church bells, street sounds, and crowd scenes that helps to thicken the atmosphere in the cold, raw brickwork of the crypt. He uses the offstage elements effectively, evoking the feel of another era.
Gari Jones's direction is exciting and engaging. He moulds the devised piece into what is - at best - an accessibly comprehensive structure. At times, the pace does drag a bit. Sometimes the story loses clarity, making it hard to track the multi-layered agendas of the characters. Instead there's a bombardment of a few too many poetic images and, in places, a feeling of overindulgence.
Under Gari Jones's direction, Sincera Productions have sifted through what must have been an overwhelming pile of material. The result is a varied commentary on the 'crazy, lonely, beautiful London' that lies embedded below the streets, and remains above.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Claire Andreadis Sarah Green. Holly Burn A Doctor. Alison Jean Baker Lady Elizabeth Hatton. Kezia Burrows Sally Salisbury. Antony Eden Thomas Chatterton. Jack Fortescue Henry Sacheverell. James French Sir Edward Coke. Miranda Nolan Phyllis Pearsall. Alex Robertson An Exhumator. Robert Stocks William Bilby.
Company Credits: Director Gari Jones. Designer Sara Perks. Technical Director Nicki Brown. Sound Designer Lee Stevens. Assistant Designer Christina Sterglos. Sound Operator Daniel Grant. Production Sound Engineer Marcus Christensen. Fit Up Carpenter Rupert Barth Von Wehrenalp. Producer Alistair Gillyatt. Associate Producer Philip Desmeules. Assistant Producer - Holly Burn. Thanks:
All At St Andrews Church, The Rev Dr Lyle Dennen, Danny Gallagher, Steven Anderson, Della Cahill, Tim Meehan, Almeida Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester, English Touring Theatre, Emily Chugg, Sarah Jane Wolverson, Piers Nimmo, Dylan Lowthian, Lacuna, Matthew Hellyer, Yorkshire Grey pub, Mr & Mrs Desmeules, Mr & Mrs Macdonald. Annelisse Cooper Blake, Liam Jarvis, Wallingotn Library, Tonay Gustar, Mr & Mrs Burn, Sparks Theatrical Hire, Kelli Marston, Celia Powell, COCO, Gillman Services, Orsini, Orbital Sound Ltd, Toma MartonSmith Camden Council, Caroline Dawes, Luke Child, Jim Woods, Richard Wilson, Artistic Endevours Trust, Mr & Mrs Wolverson, Mr & Mrs Barrit, Mr & Mrs Eden, The Davies Family, Jason Flemyng, Nick Earlam, Harold Sanditen.
END
(c) Hannah Dee 2006
reviewed March 06 / St Andrews Church, Holborn
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2011
