'Murder after Murder, the Golem is at work' cry the people as the appearance of The Golem brings terror once more to the Jewish ghetto. Originally a mystical creature created out of clay by a rabbi for the protection of the Jews of Prague, it has run wild, and misfortune turns upon the very ones it was meant to protect. With tales of infidelity, greed and despair, Broken Glass Theatre Company's adaptation of the novel The Golem (1913-14) by Gustav Meyrink (1868-1932) is both accomplished and atmospheric.

Stories of Prague's Jewish quarter unfold prompted by Zwakh, the master puppeteer - each story marked by the grim hand of the Golem. The main protagonist, Athanasius Penarth, sensitively played by Steve King, listens intently; superstition inflames his troubled mind and accelerates his nightly sleepwalking. This endangers him to the Golem and the ghetto's suspicion. Penarth hears stories of tragic love and violent crimes, while receiving nightly visitations from 'a beardless face with slanting cheekbones and eyes'. Penarth's doom awaits. Friends and neighbours question his mental stability. Are his visitations of the Golem dreams, hallucinations or an extension of himself?

With simple staging, the actors strike tableau compositions. The live mandolin soundtrack creates a hypnotic beat, successfully integrating voices with vivid poetic language. Vicky Flood's adaptation has a deliberate, disjointed effect. The actors echo the stilted walk of the Golem, which in pivotal moments appears as a shadow projected on the background. With staccato body movements, the players become Golem-like people of clay. When an enlightened Penarth offers help to young self-sacrificing Miriam and her Kabalist father, her alarmed reply is 'Say you'll never try to help us – you would be robbing us of a miracle' - so shackled is she in her own perpetuation of miserable self-perception. This begs Penarth to ask the question: Miriam how do you live? Themes of conformism, the envied, the outcasts and the daily struggle to survive punctuate the plot. Desperate fevered minds need a scapegoat, a way to release the tension of their daily drudgery and the reappearance of the shady Golem represents the ghetto's own spirit.

There is solid characterisation from Louise Coward, who gives a menacing performance as the vengeful Charousek, the student full of hatred for the junk dealer Wassertrum; and from Imogen Goodman who deftly switches between her two characters of the virginal Miriam and whore Rosina. But the overall effect is one that appeals to the mind rather the heart. The cultural references often may assume too much knowledge of the original and can render the script somewhat impenetrable. The play's technical execution is well-balanced yet at odds with engagement - at moments, the full expression of the text lulls. The magic of storytelling is universal and while Penarth's journey through madness and mysticism is understandable disconnected, the opportunity to express these violent emotions present within the play just misses its mark. This production of The Golem invites reflection on whether it is 'a form we give him by giving him a name'. The creature looms less than sinister and instead becomes an inquiring intellectual monster - posing the question: does the Golem reside in everyone?

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Daniel Binham - Zottman, the Freemason / The Host of Salon Loisitscheck / Dr Wassory, an opthamologist. Iain Blackwell - Hillel, a Kabalist / Wassertrum, a junk-dealer. Louisa Coward - Zwakh, the master puppeteer / Charousek, an impoverished student. Imogen Goodman - Miriam, the Kabalist's daughter / Rosina, a prostitute. Steve King - Athanasius Penarth, the protagonist. Luke Surl - Prokop, an elderly puppeteer / Loisa, a beggar. Rachel Thorpe - Vrieslander, a puppeteer / Jaromir, Loisa’s mute and deaf twin brother. The Golem - (as himself).

Company Credits: Writer (of The Golem (1913-14)) - Gustav Meyrink (1868-1932). Adapted By - Vicky Flood. Director - Alex Buckingham & Vicky Flood. Set Designer - Alex Buckingham. Music Composed and Performed By - Alex Buckingham & Thomas Ward. Lighting Designer - uncredited. Sound Designer - uncredited. Lighting Technician - Jayne Allen. Set Constructors - Andrew Buckingham & Terry Buckingham. Publicity - Jo Trigg. Web Designer - Thomas Ward. Original Artwork - Andrew Buckingham. Producer - Alex Buckingham & Vicky Flood. Company - Broken Glass Theatre Company. Venue Website - www.roundhouse.org.uk. Company Website - www.brokenglassplay.co.uk.

END

(c) Alana Pryce 2009

reviewed Friday 14 August 09 / Studio Theatre, The Roundhouse, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2010

www.fringereport.com