The Bad One, loosely based on The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, deals with control and emotion, repression and freedom - from a squarely female viewpoint. It seems apt that Women & Theatre Company should look at this - close to many women's hearts as they battle between the ideas of motherhood and career, between being a wife and a person. A lot of women sadly have to deal with domination and oppression. Unfortunately in The Bad One, this very powerful subject is simplified into a production which is as obvious as its title - using thick, heavy-handed brushstrokes which bury it under a lot of unnecessary fairytale covering.

It tells the story of Jackie (Jekyll), a quiet and well-behaved 'Swiss-pigtailed' orphan living with her grandmother, Gwen. Slowly Jackie's world starts to fracture. The importance of balancing wild and sane is underlined as Gwen's fearful, tragic and repressive actions burst out unchecked - as Jackie's feral opposite Heidi (Hyde).

This is a tender story of a mother's love for her daughter which leads to misguided actions and a granddaughter's tragedy - which results from the idea that 'everything must fit into its right place'. But Janice Connolly's sporadically comic script, which combines modern references with fairytale lore, somehow misses a trick. Where it could have been illuminating, it is constricting and simplified - which results in a slightly ridiculous version of a real topic.

Frances Rice's production design falls into the same trap, with the set reflecting this constriction. Large and heavy, it represents a living room and bedroom in a stone cottage with a dense detail that smothers the space. Although this helps to indicate the presence of the repressive secrets of Gwen and the small world of Jackie, in a touring set it seems needless. Chris Cuthbert's disturbingly ghostly projections are used only at the beginning and slightly towards the end. They create much more atmosphere than this setting but with half the construction - leaving the question of why these were not used to greater effect with a simpler, more symbolic set.

Terina Talbot's direction, although strong, does nothing to break through the heavily 'Brothers Grimm' feel. Pace suffers as a result. Although at times the cast shows real heart, this restriction is mirrored in the performances of the actors. They don't seem able to get to the true emotional life of their characters, caged by the stylised and simplified children's tale environment.

Laurence Saunders is an impressive Jack-the-lad, all winks and lewd eyebrows. Janice Connolly shows expert comic timing as the down-to-earth grandmother. But although they are both charming performances, these are presentational 'characters' not breathing people. This is a pity and again seems needless as is shown when Janice Connolly's 'character' façade cracks once towards the end, and there is a sudden glimpse of feeling, direct emotion. It highlights the missed potential of this show and its performers and underlines the mistake of making these protagonists speak like two-dimensional fairytale stereotypes.

Heather Pilkington's comic performance is of particular note for her truthful and joyful portrayal of the wild vulgarity and innocence of Heidi. Some of the most poignant moments are between Heather Pilkington' Heidi and Susie Riddell's Jackie. As they play games together and giggle like school-girls, they fill in the gaps of their compartmentalised lives. For one moment they become one whole person, as the true tragic power of the play is revealed.

The Bad One is clearly saying that it is essential for every happy human being to combine both sides, the emotional and the logical, the wild and the sane, the right and left sides of the brain, to be happy and healthy. But it simplifies these divides down into 'the good and the bad'. There are touching flashes of imagination: the projections and Mike Aduwali's haunting sound design are particularly moving. But overall The Bad One is a production where vital questions could have been posed and explored - and sadly it only presents instructional picture-book answers.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Janice Connolly - Grandmother. Heather Pilkington - Heidi. Susie Riddell - Jackie. Laurence Saunders - Laurence.

Company Credits: Writer (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (1850-1894). Writer - Janice Connolly. Director - Terina Talbot. Production Designer - Frances Rice. Original Set & Costumes (2004) - Helen Davies. Sound Design - Mike Aduwali. Projection Designer - Chris Cuthbert. Technical Stage Manager - Penny Gaize. Set Construction - Andy Martin, Frances Rice, Penny Gaize. Costume Maker - Kay Wilton. Scenic Artist - Claire White, Emma Thompson, assisted by Stephen Burke. Dramaturgy / Script Development: (Original Production-2004) - Theresa Heskins ; (2008 Production) - Jill Norman, Alison Carney . Direction Assistance: (Original Production-2004) - Gwenda Hughes; (2008Production) - Jill Norman. Script Research - Alison Carney, Janice Connolly. Magical Consultant - Robert Ormester. Vocals - Jill Norman. Assistant Producers - Hannah Brewer, Margaret Anderson. Marketing - Kat Bailey, SJ Watkinson. PR Consultant - Kim Morgan PR. Publicity Design - Blind Mice Design. Publicity Model / Ruby Red - Lydia Burke. Producer - Ruth Richardson. Company - Women & Theatre. Website - www.womenandtheatre.co.uk.

END

(c) Honour Jane Bayes 2008

reviewed Wednesday 29 October 08 / Tara Studio London

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com