Cruel and Tender - Preview
Location: Drama Barn
Date: 22nd - 24th February
Starring: Jodie Morrison, Lucy Farrett, Emma Charnley
If you are not familiar with the Sophocles’ ‘Trachiniae’ then Martin Crimps modern retelling of the tragic tale proves to be quite a confusing script.
The play tells the story of Amelia, a restless woman whose husband is away at war. He’s a great general who seems to have won a decisive victory. But when his motives are revealed, his wife is driven to desperate measures to protect him and hold on to his love.
Jodie Morrison, playing the lead Amelia, has the difficult task of carrying most of the drama single handed in lengthy narrations, yet engages the audience well through her emotive accounts. Her strong voice is used particularly well during a haunting solo.
Emma Charnley and Lucy Farrett play housekeepers convincingly with consistent, thick Polish accents. The two interact well together during the long speeches keeping the audience entertained with their eye-rolling and sarcastic smirks.
The producers have been original in their use of lighting and scene change creating an unsettled ambience appropriate to the narrative. The play is in essence a tragedy, so don’t expect a bundle of laughs but you can expect to be well engaged in what is by nature a complex story.
Cruel and Tender runs Friday through Sunday at 7.30pm in the Drama Barn.
