Like Teddington Theatre Club's tenacious
Director, Sally Halsey, I too, was lucky enough to witness David
Eldridge's sublime, and disturbing, Festen (adapted from Thomas
Vinterberg's award-winning film) at the Lyric in 2004; a special night
of gripping and creative West End theatre that doesn't come around
every day.
Halsey was so moved by the piece that she
consequently set out on a marathon quest to not only track down, but to
convince Producer, Marla Rubin, to allow her the amateur rights to
produce the work at The Hampton Hill Playhouse.
Rubin, understandably, took some convincing that
an amateur society would have the strength in depth as well as the
all-round acting skill to do the play justice. However, Halsey
obviously presented her case well and the result was the UK's
première by an amateur theatre company.
And what of our West End Producer's concerns? She
needn't have worried. To their credit, TTC pulled off the challenge
superbly, immersing its packed audience into a shocking world where the
worst kind of revelations brazenly tear into the heart of the family
unit. Every bit a tragedy, Festen demonstrates how not only do deep and
dark secrets never stay hidden, but the longer they remain locked away,
the further reaching the consequences of their appearance will
inevitably be.
There were a couple of early scenes that could
have been a little more effective but, as a production, the impact of
this powerful piece on its audience was never in doubt and TTC should
be extremely proud of their handling of the evening's drama.
Set in Denmark in an affluent family home, Helge
(Helga) is celebrating his 60th Birthday with his wife and his three
grown-up visiting children, family and friends.
The plot revolves around Helge's elder son,
Christian - brilliantly played by David Brickwood - whose twin sister
Linda has recently committed suicide. During the dinner-party Christian
reads a specially prepared speech and proceeds to disclose how he and
Linda, as small children, were repeatedly raped by their father! The
claim - that also points to Helge's actions as being the reason behind
Linda's death - incredibly seems to fall on deaf ears until the climax
of the play when Helene, the surviving daughter, reads out a recently
discovered suicide letter left by Linda confirming Christian's
accusations.
Brickwood was well-cast as Christian and
controlled his performance wonderfully. His delivery of Christian's
pivotal 'rape speech' was done with a fine mix of calculated anger,
revenge and grief for the lost twin. You naturally felt for him when it
looked as if his plan to expose his father could fold when initially
nobody took him seriously. A powerful performance from a talented
actor.
Any members of the audience that unwittingly
nestled into their seats all set for a nice and relaxing evening of
theatre were given a sample of the hard-hitting night of drama to come
as early as the first minute (long before the emergence of any dark
secrets) as we were slapped and shaken awake by an opening scene where
the f-word stole centre stage. A stark and deliberate opening scene
designed to grab our attention (a technique also employed directly
after the interval) as Helge's uninvited other son, Michael,
gatecrashes the proceedings prior to the celebrations. Michael, played
by Ashley Munson, is the loose cannon of the family and is in disgrace
after missing Linda's funeral.
Munson produced a fine character in Michael;
always unpredictable, as was demonstrated at the outset of Act Two when
Helene's black boyfriend, Gbatokai, turns up (played by Dennis Ducane)
only for Michael to direct a truly shocking tirade of racial abuse
toward him which brought more than just a few gasps from the audience.
Now I don’t really like doing this bit with
a production of such a high standard, but let's get the negative
section out of the way now. It would be wrong to brush over the parts
that could have worked better when there is also so much praise to be
heaped on this fine production...
Unfortunately, the first section of the play, in
performance, was the weakest, which was a shame. It looked like the
opening must have taken the actors by surprise just as much as the
audience as cues were slow and the action looked a little
uncomfortable. Throughout these important first scenes, we meet the children,
understand their relationships and how the house is run (two servants and a chef,
no less).
Christian has a past with the family's maid, Pia,
played by Angela Francis. Michael has brought his wife (and their
daughter), Mette, played by Kate Munson, with whom he is always either
fighting or having sex with. The boys surviving sister, Helene,
played by Amanda-Jade Tyler is awaiting the arrival of her latest
boyfriend.
One of the highlights of Act One is a stylish
bedroom scene where we see the three siblings acting out three separate
scenes simultaneously around one double-bed: Christian is deep in
thought, and oblivious to Pia's attempted seduction (unlike half the
audience!) as she takes a bath in his room; Michael and Mette are, of
course, rowing only to make up and have rampant sex on the bed; Helene
cannot relax in Linda's old bedroom and chances across clues to a
soon-to-be-discovered suicide note.
This three-way scene needs high energy with fast
co-ordinated cues with the action swiftly moving between the
protagonists as we understand how the different members of the family
are dealing with their circumstances. It ought to be funny, touching
and intriguing but instead became stilted although everyone was waiting
for someone else to make the next move. Ironically, a farce-like energy
was probably needed to make the scene more effective. However,
Amanda-Jade Tyler’s abundant supply of sensuality and a degree of
sexual tension albeit the fastest 'shag' in theatre history between
Michael and Mette (real-life married couple Ashley and Kate Munson)
kept the audience's attention sufficiently.
Charles A. Halford played Helge; a tough,
challenging role for any actor. To play these parts, you have to
possess a natural on-stage presence. It's Miller's Willy Loman or Joe
Keller, you need to be able to own the stage, and Halford did this.
Helge's silent, controlled terror was brilliantly played out as he
quickly realises Christian is about to reveal all with his "When daddy takes a bath" story.
As with the role of Christian, Halford's
successful portrayal of Helge was paramount to the success of this
production. Helge refuses to accept the allegations, even when - in a
powerful scene - left alone with Christian. A predictable denial that
finally collapses towards the emotional climax of the play with Helge's
words: "It's all you were good
for" after the revealing
suicide note has been read.
Helge, now a finished man even loses the support
of his dutiful wife, Else, played by Mandy Stenhouse. Else knew of the
awful abuse her young children were suffering at the hands of their
father but stood by her husband over the years keeping her silence. A
painfully real reflection on society.
The staging was perfectly stylish and I loved the
way we watched the staff preparing the long table for the evening's
'last supper' style celebration. Just as amazing was an incredible seven-minute
scene where we were left watching the ensemble silently eating their
dinner accompanied only by the sound of cutlery on plates. You could
cut the tension with one of those dinner knives; a glorious scene using
and demonstrating the power of silent acting with each actor playing
their respective characters wonderfully; squirming in discomfort after
Christian has just dealt his hammer-blow accusation to his father.
The three members of staff were very nicely played
and were always believable. This production required a high standard
all round and Marc Batten (butler), Angela Francis (maid) and Dave
Dadwell (chef) are to be congratulated. Amanda-Jade Tyler had a
difficult role with Helene, but played the part very well. She did a
fine job in conveying Helene's strong spirit as she did with her
support for her grieving brother, Christian. Other notable performances
came from Chris Hurles as Helge's brother, Poul, and Jim Tickle as the
Grandfather. Both roles, played with subtlety and experience, provided us with lighter
moments, most often in the darkest parts of the play; a further
reminder of the highest standard of writing on show.
It’s impossible to mention absolutely
everyone in a review but the ensemble nature of Festen means
congratulations must go to all of Sally Halsey’s cast and crew
for a memorable night by the Thames in Hampton Hill. Well done to all.
Review by Paul Johnson
