The Caucasian Chalk Circle a fresh, rich rewarding two-and-a-half-hours of slick storytelling. It's a thrilling harmony of inventive ensemble acting, imaginative staging and detailed, coherent design. Barely a minute goes by that doesn't engage or surprise.

Set in the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), the play begins with a dispute between two farming communes over who is to own land left vacant by the now retreated Nazis. In order to shed light on the dispute, the locals gather with a famous singer to play out a parable: 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle'.

In the parable, a Governor of a city is overthrown and beheaded by a Fat Prince in a military coup. The wife of the Governor flees the burning city and in doing so, inadvertently leaves her baby son behind, remembering instead her cases of fine clothes. Grusha, a maid, is left with the baby and resolves to take care of him.

What ensues is a tale of Grusha's terrible hardship in bringing up the baby. She sacrifices much and by the time the baby is a boy, she has formed a profound motherly bond. At the end of the fable, the governess returns to find her son. An argument breaks out over who should have custody of the child. A rascal judge Adzak devises a test with a circle drawn in chalk, to see who the true mother is.

It's an epic undertaking - and every member of this phenomenal company, both cast and crew, embraces their role wholeheartedly.

Throughout the play, the narrative is driven and strung together by a succession of musical interludes (a superb original score composed by Ilona Sekacz and performed by actor / musicians Katherine Toy and Tim Farmer). In these, Arkady Chaidze, the singer, tunefully describes the time passed between scenes or characters' inner mental states. At the back of the stage, a chorus of singers dressed in black give weight to particular phrases or words.

Designer Colin Richmond imbues the production with a delicious brand of shabby kitsch and grimy dilapidation. A ramshackle wooden mini-grandstand, cobbled together with dark mis-matched planks lies at the back of the stage with a suspended gangway and descending steps extending to one side. This playful, multi-levelled frame, as well as seating the 60-strong chorus, provides the actors with a sort of elaborate tree-house from which to assume the many and varied locations throughout the play. The costumes are an eclectic mix of Eastern Bloc, gaudy gowns, and sleeveless flak vests, all of them speckled with filth to differing degrees. Mention too should be made of the child puppet which figures half-way through. The soft, innocent planes of its face and its delicate handling elicit coos of adoration.

Nancy Mackler's direction is masterful, never allowing the pace to waver or dip, always playing with perspectives and expectations. The cast do her great justice in a display that really defines ensemble acting. There are over fifty different characters throughout the piece, each memorably defined by accurate accent, strong vocal character and distinctive movement. Particularly notable in the more minor roles are the efforts of Nicholas Asbury as a lascivious seargeant, Steven Meo as a drunken monk, Clare Perkins as a farmer's wife, Christian Patterson as Grusha's simple, hen-pecked brother. In the major roles, James Clyde is excellent as both Arkady Chaidze the singer and as the louche judge Azdak, strutting around the stage. Matti Houghton, as the maid Grusha, carries the formidable weight of the central role with ease and assurance. One of the closing scenes, in which she visibly shakes with maternal passion, is tear-inducing.

Without question however, it is Alistair Beaton's translation which forms the firm backbone of this fine production. The Caucasian Chalk Circle was written in 1944 but doesn't feel dated at all: it's swift, accessible, humorous and contemporary all the way through.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Nicholas Asbury - Governor / Seargeant / Jussup. Jed Aukin - Horseman / Nephew / Bandit. Peter Bankolé - Simon / Doctor. Josephine Butler - Governor's Wife / Aniko. James Clyde - Arkady Chaidze the Singer / Azdak. Tim Farmer - Percussion / Performance Musical Director. Matti Houghton - Grusha. Steven Meo - Adjutant / Monk / Shauva. Christian Patterson - Fat Prince / Lavrenti / Innkeeper. Clare Perkins - Cook /Jussop's Mother / Farmer's Wife. Katherine Toy - Musician / Lodovica.

Company Credits: Writer - Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). Translator - Alistair Beaton. Director - Nancy Meckler. Designer - Colin Richmond. Original Music - Ilona Sekacz. Company Movement - Liz Ranken. Lighting Designer - Chris Davey. Sound Designer - Mic Pool. Fight Director - Kate Waters. Chorus Director - Derek Barnes. Performance MD - Tim Farmer. Deputy Stage Manager - Linsey Hall. Associate Lighting Designer - Tim Lutkin. Puppet Maker - Scott Thompson. Puppet Trainer - Liz Walker. Literary Consultant - Martin Hennig. Assistant Director - Eleanor While. Casting - Sam Jones. Voice - Annemette Verspeak. Dialect - Majella Hurley. Producer - uncredited. Joint Artistic Director, Shared Experience - Nancy Meckler. Company - West Yorkshire Playhouse (www.wyp.org.uk). Company - Nottingham Playhouse (www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk). Company - Shared Experience (www.sharedexperience.org.uk).

END

(c) Jonny Lodge 2009

reviewed Wednesday 30 September 2009 / West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com