DOLORES 8th August 2020
Both structurally and thematically, Dolores is in many ways very similar to North Of Providence. Again we are presented with warring working-class siblings, one unexpectedly visiting the other and being made very unwelcome. Again there are blazing rows interspersed with moments of tender reminiscence, and again the climax involves a confession and some kind of reconciliation. There are also striking similarities in characterisation, with one sibling appearing to have made a complete mess of things, and the other seeming to be much more sensible and sorted. In these short two-handers, Edward Allan Baker appears to be seeking to find the perfect way to express the familiar idea that family life can be both hell and a blessing, with the emphasis upon hell. His vision is bleak.
In Dolores the protagonists are sisters, and the first one we meet is Sandra, busily taking clothes from the washing line. She appears to be very content with her domestic routine, happily dancing along to ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ on the radio. Her sister Dolores bursts in, flailing about in panic. She is terrified of her violent husband and appears to want Sandra to help her hide from him, though she seems so mentally frail it is not clear how much of her story is true. Sandra demands that Dolores leaves, for this kind of situation has happened many times in the past and has always ended disastrously: ‘Whenever I help you it turns into a horror show.’
Dolores is played by Chanel Waddock, an actor whose comedic skills I enjoyed greatly in The Snow Queen. Here too, there are times when she is very funny, not least when she claims that she is ‘trying to be normal like everyone else’ while frantically scoffing all of Sandra’s homemade cupcakes. But we also see that Dolores is a deeply disturbed, unhappy woman, with a tendency to marry appalling men. Waddock’s performance is a wild roller-coaster ride of emotional highs and lows, but it has subtlety, too. Dolores may be a candidate for the ‘nuthouse’, but she is no fool, and she has sufficient insight to guess that her sister’s marriage is not all that it appears to be.
In contrast, Esmée Cook’s performance as Sandra is initially far more restrained, reflecting that character’s apparent homely contentment. But the orderliness of Sandra’s life is a consequence of having a controlling husband: ‘Vinny likes things in straight lines.’ Cook is an actor whose work I’ve admired in the past, particularly in To Provide All People, where she gave a very touching portrayal of a young mum with a sick child. Here she gradually reveals that, like her sister, she is no stranger to domestic abuse. In a very touching sequence, she tells of a very brief encounter with a good-looking motorcyclist who gave her a smile and a wink. When he rode off, he seemed to take the possibility of a happier life with him. Vinny has progressed from hitting the dog to punching her in the face.
Of these two plays by Edward Allan Baker, this is the weaker. The denouement is rather contrived, and the characters’ backstories are less well thought through than they are in North Of Providence. As with that play, the setting has been shifted from the USA to the UK, and again that has left some Americanisms looking out of place in a Sheffield setting. ‘Shrink’ is not a common term for ‘psychiatrist’ in the Midlands, and it is unlikely that anyone there would refer to therapy costing ‘a buck’. Characters who are very familiar with handguns also seem out of place. Nevertheless, there is much to admire in this production of Dolores, not the least being the magnetic performances of the two talented actors. The skills and creativity displayed in this live-streamed BOVTS Directors Cuts season has shown that the future of live theatre is in good hands. Let us hope that all those involved will soon have the opportunity to display their abilities before live audiences. ★★★☆☆ Mike Whitton 9th August 2020
NORTH OF PROVIDENCE 7th August 2020
The government’s recent easing of Covid-related restrictions has enabled the ever-innovative Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to present filmed live theatre, with actors performing together in the same space. North Of Providence was performed last night in a converted soundstage provided by Bristol-based Urban Creation, using multi-camera live-stream technology provided by IT specialists Mavis. It is now available on the BOVTS website.
In its original form this one act play is set in a working-class area of Rhode Island. As writer Edward Allan Baker has said, it exposes some of ‘the less refined aspects of the human condition.’ He has collaborated with the BOVTS, and the location has been shifted to Sheffield. This transfer from Rhode Island to the UK is not entirely successful, for there are some minor elements which do not ring true for Sheffield, but they do not detract greatly from the overall effectiveness of the production. The play is a two-hander, depicting a domestic crisis painfully negotiated by a dissolute brother, Bobbie (James Burman), and his much more purposeful sister, Carol (Nancy Farino).
We first meet Bobbie in a silent pre-title sequence depicting sordid transactions for sex and drugs. The action proper begins in his squalid home, where the grim realities of his existence contrast sharply with the schmaltzy chat of a DJ on the radio. It is Valentine’s day, but romance is most certainly not in the air. Bobbie falls into a deep sleep. Carol enters, and her neat appearance and busy attempts to tidy up the place tell how very different she is from her brother. She sees there is a gun by his side, and she slips it into her handbag. After kicking Bobbie awake, Carol tells him that their father is at death’s door and that he should get to the hospital before it is too late. He angrily refuses to go.
In a cleverly nuanced performance, Nancy Farino reveals that beneath all of Carol’s bitter exasperation with her brother’s aimless lifestyle, there remain some glimmers of affection for him. They argue noisily, even violently, but there are moments of tenderness when they recall more pleasant times. Farino handles these shifts in mood adroitly. We learn that Carol is making a determined attempt to recover from a deeply traumatic experience from twelve years ago, and her brave positivity makes her brother’s nihilism seem unforgivable.
James Burman conveys Bobbie’s angry outbursts and apparent hostility towards his sister with convincing forcefulness, but he also allows us to suspect that his aggression is driven by a deep self-loathing. There is a deadness behind his eyes that speaks of despair. In the climax of the play his anguish can no longer be hidden, and Bobbie makes a confession. Burman is deeply moving in this sequence, as all of Bobbie’s defences collapse, and he tearfully reveals his guilty secret. It is a moment of catharsis. Carol had come to persuade him to visit a dying man, but in doing so she has succeeded in bringing her brother back to life.
Director Victor Lirio and Designer Carly Brownbridge have created a North Of Providence that features splendid performances in both main roles and which packs a very considerable emotional punch. ★★★★☆ Mike Whitton 8th August 2020
