“A violation of basic rights of free speech” - Varsity

26THEATrEFriday February 5th 2010www.varsity.co.ukTheatre Editor: Abigail Deantheatre@varsity.co.ukView from theGroundlingsCambridge TheatreIt’s an interesting one, this.I’m not easily phased. I candeal with vaginas. I candeal with witchcraft. I like myMacbeths bloody and bold. I amshocked and awed, however, atthe arrival of Silent Canonfire,the world’s first silentpiratical adventure. Storminginto the Larkum Studio comeWednesday, it arrives with thedisclaimer: “This is not a joke!”Really? Really? We’re alsopromised “silent facial hair”. I’dbe more excited about the vocalvariety.Witches are pretty abundantthis week. Good conversationpost-last orders in the CollegeBar: name your favourites.Hermione’s too nouveau. ThinkSabrina. The Worst Witch.Samantha. Macbeth’s trio areup there. Double double toiland trouble... They created thealternative Halloween verse,the lines geeky kids regurgitatewhen trick-or-treating. Probablydestined-to-be CambridgeEnglish students. The batchoccupying The Crucible area more ambiguous case, ofcourse; the kind of case whichmight leave you longing forcaricatures of broomsticks andwarts. It’s looking as bleak andbeautiful as the eerie publicityfluttering about town, whichalways brings to mind WisconsinDeath Trip.When such publicity acquiresa vocabulary of its own, you’rein for a treat. Look out for‘pussy posters’ and ‘gash stash’in your p’lodge, because TheVagina Monologues are coming.All profits from the BATS lateshow are going to Women’sCharities, and it’s a better betthan RAG Blind Date, so headover to Queens’ with a bottle ofwine and a male friend you don’tmind losing. Their first runwent with ‘much hilarity’, but ifimprovisation’s more your thing,Alcock are shaking up the ADCLateshow and making comedyout of randomosity. PLATY-PUS. JESUS. Spontaneity.Comedians should check outThe Chortle Student ComedyAwards, who’ve added aCambridge leg to their competition.If you’re funny and fancya grand in prize money, applypronto at www.chortle.co.uk/student10. abigail deanThe Relapsehoward theatre, downing collegenot so wise an age,but your own follies“Tismay supply the stage”.Whatever the age, of course,people stay the same. We lie andcheat, vow to improve and thenrelapse, prey to our vanity orthe seductions of others – and itmakes for some wonderful theatre.Alex Lass’ production of JohnVanbrugh’s The Relapse combinesbiting satire, uproarious fun andsparkling wit to probe beneath finemanners and even finer clothes,revealing the seamy underbelly ofthe 17 th century.The choice of the inaugural playfor the brand new Howard Theatrecouldn’t have been better, exquisiteclassical architecture complementingThe Relapse’s opulent periodstyle. The relapse of the titlebelongs to Loveless (Josh Walker),a reformed rake who soon collapsesinto the arms of the beautifulBerinthia (Kate Mason). She inturn urges Loveless’ wife, Amanda(Sophie Rixon), to avenge herselfon her husband by succumbingto suitor Worthy (Phill Howe).Meanwhile, penniless YoungFashion (Edwin Ashcroft) hasanother scheme in mind: stealingthe fiancée of his rich beau brother,Lord Foppington (Andrew Brock).The Relapse’s main targetis the 17 th century beau, whosecloying manners and ridiculousclothes were exactly embodied byBrock. His affected accent neverfaltered; his ridiculous gesturesComedic timingis elusive;pause too longand you’re labouringthe point. Tooshort – the audienceoverlook the joke. Unfortunately,during Pale Horse, I often missedthe comedy in what is undoubtedlya brilliant script.Charles (Laurie Coldwell)runs a pub, and his wife hasdied. He convenes with variousbizarre individuals, including anand repeated exclamations of ‘stabmy vitals’ always raised a laugh.Ashcroft was the ideal foil as hisoutrageous brother. Nervous atfirst, he soon grew into his role, hishonesty believable despite somepretty doubtful conduct. By thescenes at Sir Clumsy’s countryhouse Ashcroft was coolly orderingFoppington to be bound by ariotous posse of country bumpkins.The plan was masterminded bysinister old lecher Coupler, playedin grotesque contortion by JamesSwanton; the concept of the‘sub-plot’ was crushed by bawdyaction and flawless acting.In the spotlight, then, Lovelesspaled slightly in comparison:less outrageously funny, morethought-provoking. Rixon playedhis long-suffering wife to perfection;the play’s lonely figure of coolgrace. Mason’s Berinthia cut a nicecontrast with her vivacious expressions,deepened by a tarnish of theworld-weary. When carried off tobed by Loveless, her tiny cry ofhelp was a great comedic moment.Walker seemed more strained inhis acting: the seducer, after all,has to appear comfortable in hisrole of libertine.The production was gorgeousto look at and to hear. WonderfulPale Horsecorpus playroomsophia zhang“We lie, cheat,improve, relapse- and it makesfor wonderfultheatre.”unintentionallycamp ‘ard man.He also buriesa body and fallsin love. Busynight. Coldwellwas fantastic: he loped acrossthe stage with real presence, andhis monologues ranged from thehilarious to the moving. It waswhen other characters were introducedthat it went a bit downhill.An embalmer’s affected mannercould have worked, if it were, well,funnier. This held true for mostencounters; I was calculating comicpotential, rather than laughing.And the reverse case scenario wasworse: wanting to laugh at thingsthat were not meant to be funny.There were moments of respite.Giulia Galastro was compellingas Lucy, Charles’ lover, moreirresistible with every arrogantthrust of her chin. Their love scene– complete with clothes removal –was neither trite nor awkward. Nomean feat in student theatre.Still, the leads’ performancescouldn’t redeem those missedchances for comedy. Go for somebeautiful moments between Galastroand Coldwell, but be preparedto laugh in all the wrong places.kiran millwood-hargraveperiod costumes were complementedby an orchestra showcasingthe original composition ofJonathan Williams from the wings.Still, no amplification could havebeen used to hide the creakingof the curtain, and the HowardTheatre might have mastered moreimpressive lighting. Minor flawsdidn’t detract from show’s splendour,but for all of the glamourEver tried acigaretteandchocolate intandem? Don’tbother: it’s prettyhorrific. Cigarettes and Chocolate,Anthony Minghella’s meditationupon silence, is more exquisiteencounter, dealing with thoughtprovokingpost-absurdist notions ofhuman interaction. To summarise:the play focuses on the varyingreactions of Gemma’s friends toher sudden and mysterious vowof silence. Giving up speech is,apparently, better than giving upcigarettes and chocolate, and as wesoon realise, casts the protagonistas a blank slate upon which peopleare able to ruthlessly project theirown personalities.Tamzin Merchant was a fragileand fierce Gemma, whose silenceseemed continuously precarious,and yet in her theft of theshow, other actors were exposedto falter. There was a certaindesperation in their creation ofself-absorbed stereotypes, eachwildly different in the endeavor fora different reaction to be elicitedfrom Gemma’s silence. Lines wereoften splurged out erratically; Iwasn’t persuaded that they hadn’tCigarettes andChocolateadc lateshowof the theatre’s opening, thereremained the feeling that in minoraspects it’s still twitching its limbs.Amidst a hilarious script deliveredto perfection, and the mostimpressive wardrobe you’re likelyto witness, technical gripes seemrather irrelevant. The Relapse isa tour de force; the next productionto hit the Howard walks in anoutstanding shadow. ruth halkonguide to star ratings: loveless coupler worthy young fashion london lothariojoe pitt-rashidrebecca pittjust spent acouple monthslearning how torecite at highspeed. Perhapsit was a nod tothe value of the things that areleft unsaid in human contact, butmy impression was that they allneeded to relax into their roles,and shake off the visible awarenessthat they were giving a performancein a play sceptical of speech.Only “rich and pregnant” silences,we are told, pierce through modernsociety’s excessive verbiage, andit was in such silences upon stagethat the magic of this productionemerged.Three distinct spaces uponthe stage (a trattoria, an office,an armchair) provided a triad oftensions, exacerbated by Gemma,stoic in the chair throughout.She posed a poignant and wittyreflection to the silent and watchingaudience, and such subtletiesslotted well with the ambiguitiesof Minghella’s script, in whichGemma’s silence is never entirelyjustified: whispers of an Italianholiday and a young child give theplay a dreamlike texture. If onlythe performances were as sweet asthe silences. nick chapman