Extra!_Extra!_Theatre_Review_M_Drew_The_Bald_Saprano_Oval_House_Theatre

Presented by: The Oval House Youth Theatre Company

THE BALD SOPRANO

by Eugene Ionesco

Directed by Nicholai LaBarrie and Jorge Balca

Downstairs Theatre

Oval House Theatre

23 Jan - 2 Feb

This play is the first offering for the '33% London' celebration of theatre and film by and for young Londoners at this warm, buzzy theatre, and if this production is anything to go by, it's going to be a good season!

The Bald Soprano, Ionesco's first play, first performed in 1950, is an absurdist farce concerned primarily with human behaviour as it is mediated through language.

During the course of the play, language begins, right from the first, to slip away from us and deteriorate into half-baked nonsense and trite formulaic phrases, ending eventually in completely disjointed expressions and fragments of words. It leaves us wondering whether in fact we do understand language which is in reality our own invention, and which should therefore make perfect sense, but which absolutely, in Ionesco's hands, does not.

In his foreword to this production, director Jorge Balca says that it is "ultimately up to us whether we see the variety of languages and dialects spoken in our (London) streets as something foreign or an intrinsic quality of our own cultural identity." This play makes us listen as carefully as if we are indeed all foreigners, and makes us feel strangely disconnected, wondering who we are.

If you are looking for a plot, you won't find it here, the action unfolding in a world dislocated from logic and even common sense, yet in Ionesco's bizarre, swirling world of language there is great humour. He shows us that language is indeed a slippery thing, giving us endless scope for misunderstanding and yet connecting us in very humorous and often tragic ways.

The set for this production is immediately striking, brightly lit flat black and white, alluding to the printed page while simultaneously enhancing the surreal quality of the play. This was echoed by black and white costumes with the occasional very effective splash of red in a lipstick or a neck tie. Charlie Cridlan, the set and costume designer, I think successfully avoided the temptation to play up visual absurdity and thus created for us a stylish nonsensical world within which language, both verbal and non-verbal, took centre stage.

The lighting (Frances Watson) was bold and stark, giving an intensity to the clean, simple set, and the use of ultraviolet light during the poem The Fire was a beautiful touch. Equally bold was the carefully chosen accompanying contemporary music and particularly enjoyable was the jazzy violin cover of the James Bond theme.

This was a beautifully directed play, the actions and gestures tightly choreographed and impeccably at odds with each other. The grander gestures contrasted with the more subtle but equally effective smallest of facial expressions; a wink at the audience, a raised eyebrow, all well executed by this young, talented cast.

These gestures really came into their own in the multi-lingual 'station' scene which was performed at a cracking pace with good timing and infectious enthusiasm. Equally enjoyable was the scene with the fireman at the door, the two couples and the very engaging fireman delivering their lines perfectly and warming to their roles.

The large cast was skillfully used, cleverly interchanging Mr. and Mrs. Smiths and Martins, and Mary the maid was present both in a voice over track and live. However, there were also some outstanding performances from actors playing more constant roles. The 'original' Mr. Smith was excellent throughout, skillfully finding the balance between the macabre and the absurd. The fireman delivered the wonderful 'story' of The Head Cold, giving us a charming rapping almost Idi Amin-type character, bringing to mind both the absurdity of the world of politicians and that of the celebrity culture we currently find ourselves immersed in. The cast as a whole, under the directorship of Nicholai LaBarrie and Jorge Balca breathed youthful life into the play, underscoring for us its temporary relevance.

Also skillfully manipulated were parts of the script, the director taking interesting liberties with actors delivering lines other than those in the original, and leaving out some parts altogether. This worked especially well for the powerful ending.

All in all, the script, the physical action and gestures, the set and the lighting came together in a tightly-knit production that provided an intelligently entertaining, very funny and thought provoking evening. This was a clearly well rehearsed production carried off with an impressive maturity, and it certainly bodes well for the rest of the youthful '33% London' season.