Paradise
Lost
Royal Theatre, Northampton
Fri
30 January to Sat 14 February, 2004
Tickets: £6.00 to £28.00
Box Office: 624811 |
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| Reviewer's
rating: |
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| Adam
(Christian Bradley) |
This
is one of the most imaginative shows you'll have seen in the theatre.
Paradise
Lost is an epic journey as Satan is banished from Heaven, descends
to Hell and finally arrives in the Garden of Eden where he plots
the downfall of Mankind.
The
story comes from John Milton's poem which was written more than
three and a half centuries ago. It's been adapted for the stage
by Ben Power as a new play for the Royal Theatre. The language is
old fashioned and requires concentration, but it's worth it.
Macabre
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| Sin
(Caroline Faber) |
The
first half is a fast-moving voyage through the cosmos with Satan
and his macabre cronies.
Scene
designer Ben Stones cleverly plays with theatrical conventions.
At first there appears to be no scenery at all, apart from a few
strewn chairs. But the stage is turned into Hell, a golden ladder
becomes Jacob's ladder, and the fire door at the back of the stage
is the gateway to the Garden of Eden. There are plenty of surprises
along the way.
All
along, the feeling is one of brutality and decay.
The
second half is in the Garden of Eden. The play slows down here as
Adam and Eve (suitably naked) moralise about eating the forbidden
fruit. It's here that my concentration began to slip.
Repulsive
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| Beelzebub
(Antony Bunsee) |
But
don't let that put you off. Paradise Lost has some fantastic acting.
Darrell D'Silva plays Satan who turns on the charm to get his evil
way. Jonjo O'Neill is hooded as The Son with his hands bound like
a boxer's. Caroline Faber is serene and soothing as Raphael but
repulsive when she doubles up as Sin. But Antony Bunsee is frightening
and grotesque as the squirming Death - a sort of Gollum figure without
the need for special effects.
There's
a strong use of music and sound effects throughout the production
which gives it a cinematic feel. And the use of dance and movement
was extremely effective.
Rupert
Goold's productions rightly attract attention from the national
press. Paradise Lost is going even further in establishing Northampton's
Royal as one of Britain's leading regional theatres. Paradise Lost
is not perfect as a production but it's a theatrical event well
worth going out of your way to see.
Pictures by Robert Day
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us your own short review of this show. Please use the form
below to send us your comments.
Lee
I thought this was an extremely bold and challenging piece of theatre although slightly flawed in some aspects. The best thinng about this production was that it put the focus on the provincial theatre rather than the west end ones. This is of paramount importance if provincial theatre is to survive.
Chris
I attend theatres regularly, but was completely overwhelmed by the brilliance of this production. Everthing about it was complete, except perhaps Adam who was in need of a foreskin for complete accuracy.
Gertrude smithe
One might say that the production was positively delightful i found tha nakedness particually fandabidosy
Kate
i thort this was a production with spectacular visuals and as soon as i saw 'the son' with bandaged hands, i knew he was jesus!!!! the acting was superb and i had a great evening, thanks to everyone who contributed!!!!
Alison Foster
News of your success Mr Power is even reaching New Zealand nowadays!!! Well done to everyone associated with the show.
Scal
bon
tel me location of the lost paradise and i will reveal the secreet of lost paradise
Janet
Wow! Stunning performances. Everyone theatre lover should see it!
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