“We’ve got our heads down and we’re dancing and drinking as fast as we can. The Enemy is on its way but this time it doesn’t have guns and gas, it has storms and earthquakes” – yep, pretty much!
It was my second time of making the pilgrimage up to Preston this month, this time to see the Third Year Actors of UCLAN tread the boards in their production of Mike Bartlett’s ‘Earthquakes In London’, directed by Terence Mann.
This play, premiered in 2010, which was a co-production with Headlong (so we know it’s in safe hands) centres on the trilogy of three sisters, estranged from their proclaimed scientist father who’s predicted an environmental apocalypse. This misanthropic father, challenging with demons of his past pronouncements, details just how self-indulgence and neglect can disfigure the family micro-climate. This performance, largely following the conventions of Epic Theatre, in a typical non-linear fashion, raced us forwards and backwards from the 1960s to the 2520s with episodes exploring social breakdown, and population explosion. Spliced with film and an impressive underscore, this version of Bartlett’s work was successful.
Hats must go off to the creative team for this production. The sceneography was excellent and, epic in its design, the staging challenged me throughout - exploring a real sense of total theatre when collided with the text, sound and lighting. I loved the traverse and use of, almost, light boxes allowing us to really become voyeuristic and examine the play’s content. Though I was sat still, the craft employed here to transform the beautiful, yet spatially unforgiving, St Peter’s Art Centre felt like promenade theatre as vignettes were performed some 40 feet apart at diametric ends of the stage. Lighting was effective and fit the conventions of this style perfectly, teamed with creative use of projection, gauze screening, and alienating states, it really enhanced this performance. I must admit, the ambitious set and staging of this production did become slightly ill-fated as some transitions and set changes became noisy, poorly executed and adverse to the pace and rhythm of the performance. As we reached the climax of the third act, that of a suicide scene, we were otherwise concerned with shadow-show of actors moving and scaffolding towers clunking… However, this is a three hour show on opening night working in complex parameters… I was almost totally fine with it…
There was an impressive array of acting craft on offer here, and it was lovely to see a diverse mix of styles and characterisation that really did the text justice. The three lead female characters (something I find myself not writing enough) were executed with talent and diligence to the author’s intention. Lydia McCudden played an excellent Sarah and showed an excellent level of maturity and authority within the role, I must admit I preferred her acting towards the beginning of the play and she could have much more ‘fun’ towards the end as we uncover her once mischievous and rebellious nature in a, what became slighting awkward, scene between Tish, Carter and herself. Tattianna Haslam’s portrayal of Freya was, in my opinion, excellent. I instantly connected with her characterisation and she really did an excellent job exploring the weltschmerz of her character. Excellent catharsis and effective evocation of pathos though a pallet of subtle tone and shade within her acting with exceptional expression. Gabriella Bouchier injected exactly what this play needed, some fun, carelessness and energy. Well cast, she managed to pitch the tone right in her carefully place episodes of chaos and liberty juxtaposing the seriousness of others. Matt Robair was another stand out performer for me. His portrayal of Robert was excellent. He really showed a level as skill and gave the performance an altogether feel of professionalism. He had moments of excellent comic timing and though I feel he could do a little more with the comic elements of his role, skilfully handled the complexity and gravity in the denouement of the play. The role of Colin was in good hands with Nicholas Snowdon. He managed to get across the awkwardness of his character without over-cooking it and disabling his ability to let go and explode in the Arcade Fire episode – which I loved. Joshua Besso played Steve very well, again an actor very comfortable with evoking pathos and I really
enjoyed him in the final moments of the play. Rasheda Boyd in the role of Tish was great. I thought she was excellent in the aforementioned scene with Sarah and Carter and I do feel that she could go a little further hammering that social message of the play.
As for the rest of the cast, they also deserve credit, this is an extremely long play – too long in my opinion – but the whole cast did well to keep it together for so long. I urge them to enjoy the rest of their run and really capitalise on every opportunity for comedy and well as forcing the audience to think critically.
Reviewer - Nick Hill
on - 6/2/19
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