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Amateur Theatre Reviews |
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A Clockwork OrangeBy Anthony Burgess Reviewer: Roger Harding (2004) Alex and his vicious gang revel in horrific violence, muggings and rape. Alex also revels in Beethoven. When a drug-fuelled night ends in murder, Alex is finally caught and imprisoned, where he faces a choice: be brain washed into being a good citizen or face a life behind bars. This is a play with music, by the author of the original 1962 novel. Advertised as "Insightful and prophetic - the real play the film got wrong", the Loft Theatre's production seeks to overcome the preconceptions of middle aged, middle class theatre goers and bring Anthony Burgess' own play version of the novel to the stage. There seems to be some resistance among this category of audience to the concept of ultra-violence - and violence there is; it is essential to an understanding of Alex. It is graphically depicted, well choreographed and convincing. On entering the auditorium, the audience is confronted with an apparently simple set - a high central illuminated throne with built-in flashing lights - and pulsating music or sounds that signal the start of an uncomfortable and tense evening. Plain vertical screens either side of the throne become backdrops upon which the shadows of the players fall, projected by ground level lighting. The movable screens become prison bars or prison hospital walls, with the cast positioning them with precision for maximum lighting effect. Video projections on to the cyclorama depict violent attacks and rape by Alex's gang, with replays of recent attacks appearing to play in the head of Alex, as he apparently mulls over recent conquests. The Kubrick film has, perhaps, concentrated minds too much on the sheer violence of the piece, to the impoverishment of the more serious philosophical questions posed by Burgess. Burgess looks at two interesting philosophical concepts - free will and freedom of choice. I had not really thought of the differences between the two before. Alex in prison still has free will, but little freedom of choice. Yet when he exercises what little freedom of choice he has (to go through a form of Pavlovian aversion therapy and conditioning as a way of escaping imprisonment) he ends up losing his free will. It raises the question of whether complete freedom of choice is a good thing, or whether the state should have a role in restricting it. Are people prepared to put up with the infringements to their liberty that zero tolerance policies may bring, in return for a more ordered and peaceful existence ? The Loft's production is technically very demanding, with a heavy workload for the stage manager and sound and lighting team. A soundscape designed by Darren Scott keeps the audience on edge the whole time. Even in the priest's soliloquy, there is a backdrop of slamming doors in a big prison space. The constant, almost unnoticed and yet intrusive sound means that the silences are just as unnerving. Very effective. Scott has also given Beethoven's music a futuristic makeover and composed music for the short sung interludes. The lighting design was no less striking, but I was in two minds about the positioning of the video projector. Sometimes it was annoying to have the throne in the way of the cyclorama, at other times it was great to see the images projected on to the actors - especially Alex. Overall, I thought the ensemble playing and physical characterisation was splendid, but the text was carried by a small sub-set of the cast. In particular, Craig Shelton as Alex, Michael Rayns as the priest and Graham Pollard and Nick James in a variety of roles were very convincing. Fine casting, imaginative set design and direction by David Hankins make this a tense, tight and exciting production to experience.
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