REVIEW: The Elephant Man
- Posted on April 12, 2007 3:17 PM
- 1 comment
The Elephant Man
By Bernard Pomerance
Creative First
Trafalgar Studios 2
Review by Katie Spain
You know you've seen a good piece of theatre when you walk out onto the street in a daze. Your watering eyes aren’t a result of adjusting to the bright lights of the outside world - rather, of the emotional rollercoaster you've just sat through. The Elephant Man at Trafalgar Studios is one such ride; an essential and moving insight into the life of a severely deformed young man.
Reviewing theatre is a highly personal business - some performances 'do it' for one person and don't for another. My theatre-buddy and I often disagree about the creative work we see. When I am gripped by a production, he is often bored. This time however, we both walked out with praise rolling off our tongues and 'Marc Pickering' on our brains. The tube ride home was a mere blur and I can only imagine what our fellow passengers thought of our forty-five minute 'Elephant Man' dissection.
The story of the severely deformed John Merrick is well known and, in the past has been popular on the stage circuit as well as on screen. This production packs the particularly heavy punch that only an intimate venue and moving performances can. Studio 2 at Trafalgar Studios is fast becoming one of my favourite theatre spots. When the cast is so close you can feel the brush of fabric as they move past, there's a feeling of connection you just can't escape. When the play is good that is. Bad acting cannot be masked by distance and lighting – luckily the standard of acting wasn’t an issue we had to contend with.
Earlier this month, when I spoke to lead actor Marc Pickering, during rehearsals, he spoke with frank honesty about the challenges of portraying the story of such a well-known man with severe deformities. He told me the aim was to create a feeling of great vulnerability - without the use of fancy prosthetics or make-up. Despite our world of whiz-bang special effects, 3D projections and make-up artist wizardry, director Bruce Guthrie opted for the use of raw movement, slide projection and stellar acting. Pickering has a set of eyes that tell a story in a way that Shakespeare would be jealous of. As a result, we delved beyond Merrick’s deformity, straight into the inner layers of the man within. It's hard to empathise with someone who has suffered so severely at the hands of nature and society, but Pickering certainly managed it; and for ninety minutes, so did we.
With all the highly publicised nudity going on in the West End lately, it was refreshing to see a performance that stripped the audience bare. Okay, we didn't get our kit of when Pickering did... but our emotions were ripped down to their core. As we followed The Elephant Man on his journey from the ridicule-packed 19th century freak shows to life at the Royal London Hospital - his first ever 'home', we witness a man's struggle to live the 'real' life that we all take for granted. A regular bath, the touch of a woman, a friend and respect were all new experiences for the man who was beautiful inside but not on the outside.
Ayden Callaghan played the convincingly kind role of the doctor Treves, though I found myself wanting to see his character let his guard down. Jennifer Taylor had no problem flipping between sensitive, inquisitive and delightfully amusing. Her more serious sexual scenes particularly hit a nerve. Most of us remember our sexual awakening with a touch of embarrassment, followed by a succession of equally forgettable 'encounters'. Through Merrick, we were reminded that by no choice of their own, some people don't even get the chance.
As my tough companion wiped a tear from his eye, I wondered how I would have reacted to John Merrick. Later, as I walked through the streets of central London, I pondered how I treat the Merricks of today. For this reason 'The Elephant Man' is an essential viewing experience.
Want to hear more from Marc Pickering? Check out our exclusive interview with the man behind the hessian mask.
Have you seen the play? Did you shed a tear? We want to hear about it... post your views in our comment section.
Comments (1)
Adam Walker
I went to see this play last night and couldn't agree more with this review. It was the most powerful and engaging piece of theatre I have seen all year. Marc Pickering is inspiring as Merrick and his performance both tragic and mesmerising. It goes to show that you don't need the million-pound set pieces and prosthetics to produce a powerful show.
Go see this immediately.
Posted on April 12, 2007 4:46 PM
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