Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre,
Chester
(This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub)
Following last week’s opening production of ‘Romeo
& Juliet’ in Chester’s majestic Grosvenor Park, the annual Storyhouse Open
Air summer season continues with the perennial coming-of-age classic ‘Little
Women’ by Louisa May Alcott. But what a contrast! Last weekend we were baking
in temperatures rarely seen before. Tonight, it was rain, rain, rain. The cast continued,
however, and valiantly defied the elements to deliver a first-rate show,
despite the many empty seats and the constant downpour. Departing from the
novel’s original American Civil War setting, this brand-new version occurs
during the first world war, and takes place in Chester itself.
The Marchs are a close-knit family, the father has
gone off to fight in the war, and the quartet of energetic teen-age sisters simply
want to love life. Jo is the feisty intellectual one, desiring to be a writer,
and railing against the subjugation of women in society. Opening with a suffragette
rally, the theme is set – Live Your Dream!
Paislie Reid’s Jo is a whirlwind of energy, striding
about in often ‘manly’ attire, and refusing to conform. Slight of stature, but
fierce and bold; a match for any man. She is complimented perfectly by Haylie
Jones’ Meg, who gives as equally strong a performance as she did playing
Mercutio a week ago. Molly Madigan (with one arm in a sling) breaks the
audience’s heart as the tragic Beth, and gives a simply beautiful speech at one
point, with the actor soaked to the skin by the downpour. She also excelled in
a gentle, delicately emotional scene where she is taught to play piano by the repressed
and melancholic Mr Lawrence. Unfortunately, in a different scene, she slipped
heavily on the rain-sodden set, causing the audience to gasp in horror. Such
are the risks of open-air theatre. Completing the foursome was the excellent
Joelle Brabban as the temperamental Amy.
Samuel Awoyo was sweet-natured, and comically awkward
as the shy Laurie Lawrence, with Robert Maskell giving a beautifully
understated performance as the grief-stricken Mr Lawrence. Eddy Payne, who easily
stole the show last week as Benvolio, threatened to do so again as the put-upon
German schoolteacher Mr Bahaer. Payne seemed on fire, and revelled in
additional smaller roles, including a supremely nervous and terrified soldier,
and a horrendous spoilt rich brat; he even played the part of a giant bumble
bee, whilst making surreal buzzing sounds with the help of a kazoo! Nicola
Blackman, so hugely impressive and hilarious as Juliet’s nurse last week, was
equally outstanding as the monstrous Aunt March, and a karate-chopping nun! Alice
Keedwell was an understated, loving Mrs March. Oliver Nazareth Aston as the
sensitive and loveable post man, John Brooke, and Samantha McIlwaine as the
snooty and awful Sally completed the cast.
This adaptation by Anne Odeke may upset a few purists,
but works well in making the characters and settings more relatable to a modern
audience. Women are still suffering under a patriarchal society, teen-agers are
still battling with the emotional and physical turmoil of becoming young
adults, and we still try to shut out the never-ending news of far-off wars
whilst living our lives as well as we can. Director Natasha Rickman addressed
all these issues, whilst keeping the pace buoyant and entertaining, and allowed
the inner lives of the characters to break through. Following the cast ‘curtain
call’, the sight of a giant teddy bear sitting sadly, in the heavy rain, seemed
to sum up the all too melancholic nature of life.
https://www.thereviewshub.com/little-women-grosvenor-park-open-air-theatre-chester/
Photographs: Mark McNulty
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