Inkbrew Production’s latest work, written by producer Stephen M Hornby, is a period drama set in the late 19th century and tells the story of how John Wallace from Bolton struck up a transatlantic friendship with the poet Walt Whitman, often regarded as the greatest poet America ever produced, and in doing so realises that “there is more than life to books, you know,” to borrow a lyric from The Smiths. The play is a thoroughly researched mediation on loss, love, and literature.
The play commences with Wallace (Connor Ledger) mourning the death of his mother, to whom he was especially close. Together with his close friend Dr Johnston (Gareth George), Wallace seeks to find a physical and spiritual diagnosis for his malaise and is seen first by a phrenologist. Phrenology was a popular ‘science’ in the 19th century which sought to measure bumps on the head to predict behaviour. It has been dismissed as a pseudoscience and there were many even in the 19th century who saw it held no strong scientific basis, as Dr Johnston did. The phrenologist examines Wallace’s head and declares that Wallace has a strong capacity for “adhesive love,” which essentially becomes a codeword for homosexuality. In the society Wallace was from, male homosexuality was illegal and not to be openly discussed – the phrenologist goes on to elaborate that females who suffer from a strong adhesive love capacity seek passionate companionship with others of their sex (as lesbianism was never made illegal in the UK due, so the story goes, to the fact that Queen Victoria couldn’t believe such a thing was possible between two women) whereas in males it is, according to the phrenologist, linked with love of animals. From here, a visit to a doctor with an interest in examining stool samples (with a very convincing looking sample smear appearing from a chamber pot onstage providing both amusement and revulsion) leads to no answers, so Wallace and Johnston see a medium who imparts to Wallace a message that his departed mother has printed – “W.W.” – and the image of lavender. From these words, Wallace and Johnston conclude that there is a link to Walt Whitman, whose work both men admire, and they write to the great poet, not expecting any response. To their surprise, they do and so begins a correspondence which then leads to the two men travelling to see the poet on separate occasions.
Wallace and Johnston are members of Bolton’s Eagle Street College, based in Wallace’s home, where they and other like-minded literary (and physical) lovers meet to discuss the poetry of Whitman. Wallace, clearly closeted by the repressive nature of Victorian society, uses the meetings to get mill-worker Charles Sixsmith to read Whitman’s poems which Wallace has chosen as a way of expressing his feelings for Sixsmith. Wallace, however, does not fully understand his feelings and impulses and it is only when he accepts an invitation from one of Whitman’s biographers, Dr Bucke, to visit Whitman himself that Wallace experiences ‘adhesive love’ for himself and begins to realise his true feelings and sexuality and enjoys the freedom which being around the “cosmic consciousness” minded Whitman, who himself was either homosexual or bisexual (he was known to love men but had been in relationships with women). Upon his return to Bolton, Wallace begins to feel the stern values of Victorian society crushing his new spirit and tries to find a way to continue with his loves of literature and fellow men.
The production has a very minimalist set, which presumably makes it easier to transport as part of its tour. Several wooden armchairs are used, as are a bed and a desk and chair which are covered for most of the play and only revealed when the play’s action gets to Whitman’s home. The spartan furnishing does contrast with the superb costumes which the actors wear which are very evocative of the period. The performances from the cast are, for the most part strong, with Ledger proving to be an engaging lead as Wallace, speaking as he does with a Lancashire accent with more ‘well-spoken’ overtones to indicate Wallace’s more educated nature. George gives Dr Johnston a ‘posh Scots’ accent which he maintains well throughout and proves to be as equally an engaging narrator as Wallace as the story moves on.
Aside from these two performers, and the actor playing Walt Whitman, the rest of the cast take on multiple roles: Christy Matthews provides a very extravagant performance first as the spiritualist at the start of the play and then gives it everything he has got as Philip Dalmas, an associate of Whitman who is very much aware of his sexual desires and ready to act on them. Matthews also provides live music on a ukulele to cover scene changes. Dean Michael Gregory gives mill-worker Charles Sixsmith a very rough edge – especially in the scene where Wallace speaks of poetical love while Sixsmith describes the various sexual activities he has engaged in with other workers at the mill – although his second role as Traubel isn’t quite as effective (his Sixsmith voice kept trying to break through). Macaulay Cooper got to tell some quality literary based ‘knock knock’ jokes as Wild, a member of the Eagle Street College, and then provided a strong performance as Warry, another associate of Whitman’s. John Smeathers spent most of the play as Dr Bucke and give a gutsy performance, although his brief appearance as the publisher Stoddard did come across as Bucke in a different coat (the similar accent to Bucke probably didn’t help). The most surprising performance of the production, however, came from Billie Meredith as Walt Whitman. Director Helen Parry and Hornby have taken the rather bold decision to have Whitman – an old, white man – played by a young, BAME [black, asian, minority ethnic] woman. Meredith simply shines as Whitman, completely engaging throughout. It’s a clever move, one where the audience can feel the transcendental power which Whitman exuded through Meredith’s warm performance.
Hornby’s script itself is also clever, as noted earlier it is well researched and seeks to offer a look into LGBT history via the ‘metahistory’ theory advocated by historian Hayden White, which sought to open accounts of history by recognising that “historical accounts are nothing but interpretations.” In The Adhesion Of Love, Hornby offers us his interpretation of the diaries and writings of Wallace and Johnston when they met Whitman and it is a very fascinating, polished, well written one; a work which moves quickly (perhaps at times maybe too quickly), and deftly combines moments of comedy with moments of poignant intimacy. One could argue that the references to Hornby as the playwright through the narration of Johnston and Wallace is a tad too clever for its own good, however it does reinforce the idea that this play is Hornby’s interpretation of events.
Overall, The Adhesion Of Love is a strongly written work with good performances, and in the case of Meredith a revelatory one. Parry’s direction keeps the action ticking along and the production is engaging. It’s not perfect – the play did feel slightly overlong and some of the characters from the actors playing multiple roles were not quite as well defined from one another as they could have been – but it is educational, entertaining, and genuinely sincere and heartfelt.
Reviewer - Andrew Marsden
on - 28/2/19
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