Emma Rice’s Blue Beard, UK Tour Review
Emma Rice’s Blue Beard production image. Photo by Steve TannerReviewed by Eliott for Theatre and Tonic.
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Weaving the whimsical with fairytales, Wise Children’s theatrical adaptation of Blue Beard, an old French folk tale, holds the auditorium in an eerie disposition, with an unknowing and slightly unsettling feeling filling you throughout. The idea to bring this tale to life in a modern export as is the theatre, evidently reveals itself as a timely reminder to the world that we live in, as foreshadowing across the two acts cements our horrors and ideas of what the show hurtles towards.
In keeping with many previous Wise Children productions, Stu Barker’s composition plays a pivotal role in giving the characters in this piece an ensemble feeling with a witty chant and song that reoccurs throughout, and which never fails to give us a chuckle. Underscoring throughout also leans into the twinkling of ultra-realism, that counterbalances the direction on stage, along with the great use of depth on stage with Vicki Mortimer’s Set and Costume Design, that encapsulates moments of past fairy tales that are fun to spot and piece together. The use of a truss and a swiping track of curtain reminded me of how Punch and Judy used to be set up, and here gives a definitive playground for the actors to work with.
As an ensemble of players, whilst not all members of the company share dialogue, the way they share the stage has an electrifying current that bounces between them all, as they merge and multi-role in ways that further elevate the costume choices in the show, and repeated motifs of music. Tristan Sturrock physically and emotionally commands the stage as the pompous, arrogant Blue Beard, who is introduced to us as a magician, with some fantastic sequences experienced in front of our eyes, but under the pretence, you already feel weary of his presence. Katy Owen’s Mother Superior knows how to interact with the audience, as Bumble, Jamie Oliver, and many other modern references divides the world on stage, to us in the auditorium, and becomes at times the gateway for us to immerse ourselves in the world created by the company.
As a family; Stephanie Hockley, Patrycja Kujawska, and Robyn Sinclair sizzle in the quick-witted dialogue and movement bestowed upon them, and has us rooting for them as a unit throughout, as they bond in keeping each other going through the darkest moments; Sinclair especially shows a level of nuance with her change in emotion that is tremendous to watch, and on repeat viewings of the show, it would be nice to catch the foreshadowing between her portrayal of Lucky, when comparing that to Mirabelle Gremaud’s Lost Sister, who floats with ambiguity until the moment that rug is pulled away from us in the climax of the show, that gives Adam Mirsky’s Lost Brother a defining moment of clarity, that we have long through in the two hours spent with him on stage.
Blue Beard won’t be to everyone’s liking, and those who struggle with themes of death and misogyny that continues to be a present topic in the news almost every day, may wish to sit this production out. But if you are one of the advocates for what Wise Children have presented in the past, and see a world where theatre can be a voice for change that tackles the world’s most dreadful stories, Blue Beard is the perfect reminder. This is a production that shows how theatre can enrage us in a way that makes us want to do our part and put a stop to the hate in the world.
On a UK Tour until 18 May.
