Curve,
Leicester
11th
October 2021
‘Maybe if I loved you less
Maybe you would love me more’
A new piece from Matthew Bourne is
always a talking point and a treat to get dance fans excited. I’ve been a fan
for around a decade now, having seen several of his shows at Curve, and his
latest venture, The Midnight Bell,
proves that Bourne has lost none of his choreographic innovation, verve and
heart that has made him a legend of the British theatre scene.
Bourne has teamed up with frequent
collaborators, Terry Davies (composer), Lez Brotherston (design), and Paule
Constable (Lighting), to put the New Adventures signature spin on working class
life in 1930’s London. What may seem an incongruous source material, the novels
of Patrick Hamilton, turns out to lend itself well to Bourne’s lyrical style.
Blending stories and characters from Hamilton’s oeuvre, the piece follows a disparate
group of people as they traverse the streets and social mores of the Great
Depression era. A young prostitute struggles with the affections of a fanciful
bartender; a middle-aged spinster gets revenge on her cheating lover; an
awkward marriage proposal unsettles the local barmaid – the place that links
them all is The Midnight Bell pub, where lonely hearts congregate to drink away
their sorrows.
There were some aspects of the plot
that I found problematic, namely the resolution of the thread linking George, a
schizophrenic, and flighty actress, Netta – the portrayal of mental health
issues is not the most constructive – this seems to be a ‘Hangover’ (excuse the
pun) from the source material. More successful is Bourne’s addition of a gay
relationship between pub regular, Albert, and policeman, Frank. Bourne
choreographs some beautiful pas de deux for them, in which the purity of
feeling is pitted against the social attitudes of the time.
Brotherston’s set design conjures
the pea-souper atmosphere of the smog-leaden, dingy streets of London; a world
of mists, shadows and dark corners, the stage evokes a seductive seediness.
Davies’ original score complements the setting without becoming a pastiche of
the ‘olden days’. The music is strikingly modern in places, often accompanying
the frenetic, hurly-burly of the ensemble set pieces, becoming thunderously percussive
during the more dramatic scenes, and offering flashes of sumptuousness in the
soaring strings that are suggestive of the high-romance films of the time. One
of the most playful aspects of The
Midnight Bell is Davies' frequent segueing into 1930s' popular music. Lip synced
soundbites from classics by the Gershwins, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter
transport us into the fantasies of the characters, creating ironic contrasts
with the scenes playing out around them. It’s a lovely, knowing way to draw the
disparities between art and reality.
The cast succeed in creating highly
empathetic characters, and I found that I got sucked into their lives as the
show progressed. Michela Meazza is particularly memorable as the brittle,
lonely spinster, and the clandestine relationship between Albert and Frank is
touchingly played out by Liam Mower and Andrew Monaghan. Bourne has assembled a
tight ensemble in which every person gets their individual moment to shine,
creating an intimacy that can sometimes be missed from his more large scale
shows.
The Midnight Bell is well worth a visit for fans of Bourne’s work. There
is much to entertain and enthral, namely Davies' playful score, Brotherston’s
evocative design and the exquisite performances from the New Adventures company.
Bourne remains one of the most talented and intriguing theatre-makers and I am
consistently in awe of his storytelling prowess.
The
Midnight Bell tours the UK until 27th November. For all venues
and dates please visit https://new-adventures.net/the-midnight-bell#overview
 |
| The cast of The Midnight Bell Credit: Johan Persson |
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