PASSION and DEMO
The
Young
Company
at
the
New
Wolsey
Studio,
Ipswich
02.12.2011
Edward Bond's
short play – Passion – written forty years ago for the CND is a
pretty unsubtle piece of agit-prop. Green Shield stamps show its age,
but otherwise it remains sharp and pertinent as soldiers continue to
die in wars they barely understand.
It's a mythic
tale of a mother who cannot accept the death of her innocent soldier
son. I felt the piece lost its way slightly with the appearance of
the Buddha and the Christ [both despair of bringing peace to mankind]
and with the sacrificed soldier's poem from the grave, tellingly
delivered though it was by Liam Cadzow Webb.
An all-male cast,
directed, at least initially, by Rob Salmon, gave a performance of
impressive maturity and style, bringing a very physical, aggressive
approach to the piece, with cynical shots of cabaret. The
ventriloquist grieving mother – an excellent Sam Hume, naively
trusting in her monarch – and the badinage between Queen [Jack
Brett, in a brilliantly sustained performance of physical and vocal
dexterity] and PM [a beaming, Blairish Calum Bateman] was skilfully
handled, especially the delete-as-appropriate synonyms in HMQ's
speeches.
The Passion of
the title – a crucified pig [made by Sam Hadcraft] retains its
power to shock, just as the play retains its power to provoke.
The idea of Demo,
the companion piece, was to provide a contemporary response to that
provocation. What we got was an honest, searching exploration of
freedom, and what it meant to the thirteen young actors who stood
before us, dressed in jeans and jumpers, and bared their souls.
Freedom's
road,
for
them,
was
broad
and
wide-ranging.
Laura
Norman's
direction
of
this
devised
piece
had
some
eloquent
touches
– the
forest
of
microphones,
and
the
powerful
juxtaposition
of
discussion
of
freedom,
in
Saudi
Arabia
say,
with
physical
restraint.
The
movement
– ebb
and
flow,
a
wave
of
attack
perhaps,
the
hands
stretched
achingly
into
the
air
– was
often
effective.
The
words
perhaps
less
so,
but
polish
would
have
dulled
the
raw
expression
of
hopes
and
fears
which
characterized
the
piece.
And
the
"performances",
if
that's
the
word,
were
all
strong.
Sometimes
it
felt
like
a
group
exercise
-
"
I
felt
most
free
when
…"
-
but
there
were
great
contributions
from
some
individuals:
Steve's
"B-Tech"
self-expression,
the
extended
riff
on
the
freedom
to
enjoy
ice-cream.
They
ended
with
Chaplin's
closing
speech
from
The
Great
Dictator
["Soldiers,
in
the
name
of
democracy,
let
us
all
unite!"].
As
they
explained
in a
brief
post-show
talk-out,
they were
striving
for honesty
and
integrity,
and many
ideas were
rejected
[the bear
dressed as
Stalin I
would like
to have
survived,
though].
The result was unexpectedly moving, a poignant reminder of
what it's like to be caught in the turbulent uncertainties of youth.
"Passion" of course might have provoked many responses –
what has replaced the very real fear of nuclear war, for instance, or
the changing role of religion.
An
air
of
innocent
naivety,
perhaps,
but
heart-felt
and
sincere.
In
that
at
least
it
chimes
with
the
Bond.
this piece first appeared on The Public Reviews
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