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Josie Lawrence as Madeleine and Trevor Fox as Amédée. Picture: Ellie Kurttz Amédée
Birmingham Rep Studio
**** AMÉDÉE was originally written by Eugene
Ionesco for the French stage in 1954 based on his earlier short story
Oriflamme. Sixty three years on this is a production freely
adapted by writer Sean Foley and directed by Rep artistic director
Roxanna Silbert in a world premier for the British stage. Ionesco is a beacon for
the genre of Theatre of the Absurd and in
Amédée he
paints a post-war picture of everyday life showing that war and politics
is indeed, absurd. In today’s political climate, Foley makes sure to
capture the feelings and confusions in our own time, in an interesting
crossover with universal themes of relationships. The play looks at the
way in which external factors shape our daily lives and habits and tells
us the story of a couple trying to make the best of their given
situation. The play’s central characters are Amédée and his
wife Madeleine. They live and work in their small and reclusive flat,
perhaps in Birmingham. Amédée is a writer and for fifteen years, he has
been working on a masterpiece. Throughout the years of Amédée’s artistic
endeavours, Madeleine has become the sole earner within the relationship
as a switchboard operator, her office being a small room in their flat.
The play focuses on Amédée’s artistic frustrations and Madeleine’s
troubles of keeping the unit together. Trevor Fox plays Amédée to a terrific degree.
With Foley’s stylised and metaphorical script adapted from Ionesco’s
original French, Fox perfectly shows the audience what an absurdist
performance should look like. He makes the script his own and adds a beautiful
and playful rhythm to Foley’s words, giving a poetic depth to the
script. Fox uses inflections and pauses in unique and interesting ways
that keeps his delivery fresh and exciting. His mesmerising use of
language gives a new and artistic meaning behind the character of Amédée
and what his relationship and life stands for. Josie Lawrence is a local actor and Doctor of
Arts, hailing from Old Hill. She is well established in theatre,
television and improvisation. With an extensive and varying background,
Lawrence’s performance is incredibly strong and together with Fox, they
do well to present the conflicts within a relationship when faced with
times of struggle. Lawrence delivers a touching performance as the
caring, but resilient Madeleine. She also knows exactly where to place
moments of humour, with the ability to provoke huge empathy with
emotional characteristics. Foley gives a testament to the city of Birmingham
within his adaptation and celebrates the place of the show’s world
premiere. Without explicitly stating that the play is set in the city,
it is highly suggested with references to its canal’s, local places and
with the supporting cast’s highly stylised Brummy accents. Local actor
Duane Hannibal as the Bar Owner is particularly humorous. Perhaps the third most important character in
this piece is the secret that Madeleine and Amédée are trying to hide
for the majority of the play. During the first half, references are made
towards what, or who, is in the room next door. It is the cause of most
their arguments and because we are not introduced to ‘him’ until half
way through the play, a glorious anticipation is set up until we finally
see Craig Denston’s phenomenal giant puppet. This strikingly obvious
image could be a metaphorical representation for many things, and it is
the main reason for Amédée’s and Madeleine’s conflict. The puppet is the
main feature in the second half, giving way to funny and slightly
bizarre sequences when they find that it can no longer belong in their
tiny flat. The style and plot of the piece is definitely
unusual. Of course, with the given genre, the audience must tune in to
Foley’s playful and metaphorical script to make up their minds as to
what the ambiguous images actually represent. With striking images and
hidden meanings, it is a treat to watch classic absurdist and stylised
theatre, taking classic themes from the genre’s birth in the twentieth
century, with a new breath of life from our own experiences of the
political climates of today. To 11-03-17 Elizabeth Halpin 28-02-17 |
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