February 26, 2008
A new adaptation of Michael Frayn’s 2002 novel of the same name, Spies is a story of British suburbia; a quiet, leafy cul-de-sac with its own social codes and petty intrigues seen through the eyes of a small boy. Against the backdrop of the Second World War, an atmosphere of low-level tension and make-do spirit subtly compromises the rules of genteel repression which govern this small community. Infected with a sense of new possibility and childish patriotism, Stephen (Benjamin Warren) and his best friend Keith (John-Paul Macleod) abandon model train tracks for the far more topical entertainment of hunting German spies. From the vantage point of their privet hedge hideout, they focus their attention on the suspicious behaviour of Keith’s mother, and unwittingly stumble upon rather more than they bargained for. The watchers themselves are in their turn observed, from the point of view of the adult Stephen/Stefan (Derek Frood) in the present day, as he relives the past and tries to fathom the motivations of his younger self.
Theatre Alibi is a company that prides itself on staging the unstageable, and the use of space in this production is certainly inventive, accommodating domestic rooms, a railway line, and the crawl-space leading to the children’s hideout. Much is required of the audience’s imagination, which works very well in a context of childhood make-believe, and allows for some good visual gags: the immaculate Mrs Hayward sticking her bottom in the air to crawl under an invisible hedge; the children, and Stefan, cramming themselves into unexpected places to hide from the grown-ups. The individual performances are great – particularly Benjamin Warren as the droopy-socked, scary-haired urchin Stephen, monosyllabic in the presence of adults (and girls) but possessed of a desperate desire to do the right thing. Jordan Whyte also excels as the sophisticated but flawed adult Mrs Hayward, whose veneer of domestic poise masks an ordinary well of need and unhappiness. The interplay between the adult Stefan and the boy Stephen is also a delight, as the old man echoes the emotions, and the actions, of the child.
It’s usually long-standing fans of a book who are disappointed at its adaptation, but even without having read Spies I have a faint sense that this isn’t really a novel that should have been dramatised. Michael Frayn is an undeniably accomplished storyteller, and, as good a job as Theatre Alibi do, they can’t hope to explore fully all the story’s themes, nor to maintain a feeling of suspense without drawing the audience more deeply into the world of 1940s suburbia than seems possible in a stage production. As a friend rather wistfully summed it up: “I bet it makes a great novel”.
But it's still a very good play. Surprisingly demanding, it takes the audience in unexpected directions, raising questions of innocence and accountability through a very authentic portrayal of childhood (as I remember it, anyway), and a dark, poignant, and familiar take on adulthood.
Theatre Alibi is a company that prides itself on staging the unstageable, and the use of space in this production is certainly inventive, accommodating domestic rooms, a railway line, and the crawl-space leading to the children’s hideout. Much is required of the audience’s imagination, which works very well in a context of childhood make-believe, and allows for some good visual gags: the immaculate Mrs Hayward sticking her bottom in the air to crawl under an invisible hedge; the children, and Stefan, cramming themselves into unexpected places to hide from the grown-ups. The individual performances are great – particularly Benjamin Warren as the droopy-socked, scary-haired urchin Stephen, monosyllabic in the presence of adults (and girls) but possessed of a desperate desire to do the right thing. Jordan Whyte also excels as the sophisticated but flawed adult Mrs Hayward, whose veneer of domestic poise masks an ordinary well of need and unhappiness. The interplay between the adult Stefan and the boy Stephen is also a delight, as the old man echoes the emotions, and the actions, of the child.
It’s usually long-standing fans of a book who are disappointed at its adaptation, but even without having read Spies I have a faint sense that this isn’t really a novel that should have been dramatised. Michael Frayn is an undeniably accomplished storyteller, and, as good a job as Theatre Alibi do, they can’t hope to explore fully all the story’s themes, nor to maintain a feeling of suspense without drawing the audience more deeply into the world of 1940s suburbia than seems possible in a stage production. As a friend rather wistfully summed it up: “I bet it makes a great novel”.
But it's still a very good play. Surprisingly demanding, it takes the audience in unexpected directions, raising questions of innocence and accountability through a very authentic portrayal of childhood (as I remember it, anyway), and a dark, poignant, and familiar take on adulthood.