April 29, 2009
We came away feeling like we'd been reading a really good book. Nicholas Wright's adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is triumphant and fun, and strangely literary for a piece of drama. That's not in any way a criticism - it's well-staged, well-ordered, well-acted and visually spectacular. It's well-lit as well as having good, subtle sound effects, and yet it feels in some way like a radio play. Either this is because the characters danced in Pullman's mind exactly the way they would dance on stage (and indeed daemons could be a theatrical device to show inner thoughts externally) or its because of the way many elements are portrayed subtely and by suggestion - leaving room for one's imagination to make that all important leap. In this way I think the play triumphs over any film adaptation.
I wondered how they would do the daemons. It's simple, and works perfectly. The daemons are puppets, small and realistic, without being fully-formed. They're the suggestion of animals, and they rely on the skill of the puppeteers and other actors to bring them to life. Pantalaimon often shows the pain or joy underneath Lyra's hard-as-nails facade. And a lot of research has gone into animal movements. Roger's terrier daemon Salcilia, for example, is a delight to watch.
The programme lists 17 actors plus a "young ensemble" of 7. The 17 play over 70 named characters while the ensemble become crowds, dancers, onlookers, shifting not only scenery but their shapes, it seems. Everyone except Amy McAllister as Lyra play more than one part, with most actors also puppeteering, singing and some of them flying too. At times all the scenery seems to be moving, as the play ranges through worlds, boats, Oxfords, balloons and countries as if in a dream sequence. It's a pacy and breathless parade.
Wright describes the difficulty of adapting a book like this - you have "two different audiences" of those who've read and love the book, and those that don't know it. One will be worrying what's been left out while the other will be wondering what daemons are. My companion and I were the perfect test audiences, being one of each! We found that the plot is so busy and still so intricate there's little time to worry what's missing, while being clear enough for a novice to follow. I'd be less concerned about people who don't know the books than I would about children - there are moments of brutality that made me glad the audience was vastly composed of adults.
Most performances of this play take place with Part 1 as a matinee an Part 2 in the evening; we have to wait nearly 48 hours for the resolution! I'm really looking forward to it, and I can't give the play a higher endorsement than that. It's long, it's pretty serious, it's not a laugh a minute, but it's a terrific story, epic in all the right ways, and beautifully told. Go and see it!
I wondered how they would do the daemons. It's simple, and works perfectly. The daemons are puppets, small and realistic, without being fully-formed. They're the suggestion of animals, and they rely on the skill of the puppeteers and other actors to bring them to life. Pantalaimon often shows the pain or joy underneath Lyra's hard-as-nails facade. And a lot of research has gone into animal movements. Roger's terrier daemon Salcilia, for example, is a delight to watch.
The programme lists 17 actors plus a "young ensemble" of 7. The 17 play over 70 named characters while the ensemble become crowds, dancers, onlookers, shifting not only scenery but their shapes, it seems. Everyone except Amy McAllister as Lyra play more than one part, with most actors also puppeteering, singing and some of them flying too. At times all the scenery seems to be moving, as the play ranges through worlds, boats, Oxfords, balloons and countries as if in a dream sequence. It's a pacy and breathless parade.
Wright describes the difficulty of adapting a book like this - you have "two different audiences" of those who've read and love the book, and those that don't know it. One will be worrying what's been left out while the other will be wondering what daemons are. My companion and I were the perfect test audiences, being one of each! We found that the plot is so busy and still so intricate there's little time to worry what's missing, while being clear enough for a novice to follow. I'd be less concerned about people who don't know the books than I would about children - there are moments of brutality that made me glad the audience was vastly composed of adults.
Most performances of this play take place with Part 1 as a matinee an Part 2 in the evening; we have to wait nearly 48 hours for the resolution! I'm really looking forward to it, and I can't give the play a higher endorsement than that. It's long, it's pretty serious, it's not a laugh a minute, but it's a terrific story, epic in all the right ways, and beautifully told. Go and see it!