The Innocents
Mar 9 2007
Charles Cryer Studio Theatre, Carshalton

No sooner does Miss Giddens arrive than Miles is dismissed from school -- ''an injury to the others,'' the headmaster's letter says. By then the undulating curtains behind the parted drapes in the drawing room have already revealed a male apparition, the same one with ''bold, insolent eyes'' who was staring at Miss Giddens near the woods that begin where the gardens end. He is the late Peter Quint, valet, groundskeeper and, presumably, murder victim. And he inhabits Miles, body and soul.

To many, ''The Innocents,'' William Archibald's adaptation of ''The Turn of the Screw,'' by Henry James is more than a tale of two ghosts, his and hers. Much analysis has been published about its ambiguities. The apparitions may be the hallucinations of Miss Giddens, a symbol of sexual repression, it has been theorised. Do the children really see them? Is the story about the guilt that consumes a life, or the evil that lives after?

While the anxiety that fuels the story may seem tame by today's standards, the psychological horrors that comprise the story's "dark secret" are given full expression in a play that brilliantly clouds the boundary between tragic reality and frightful imagination.

Chase Theatre company were back to a genre of theatre that they appear to be very comfortable in, the period costume drama. In particular an affinity with the work of Henry James having previously performed "The Heiress", an adaptation of "Washington Square". It never fails to amaze me what a high quality set is presented by Chase. Attention to detail is meticulous and all props, furniture and costumes are carefully considered. No more so than in this production. The effort is clear to see and I'm sure that it is consistently remarked upon by your patrons. In this production a grandfather clock (sinisterly the time was moved between each scene by crew or was a ghost?) was in evidence as well as a chaise with a satin throw (at a slightly incorrect angle in my opinion, writing desk, the master's portrait and leather armchair. All sumptuous to use a word I've stated previously. The patio doors with net curtains creating the right amount of atmosphere for what was to come.

We all love a good ghost story and there is also something additionally chilling when children are involved. As the title suggests they have innocence so how can horror emanate from something so pure. One thinks of films such as 'Poltergeist', 'Children of the Corn' and even 'The Omen' where evil is projected through the body of children, it somehow has more impact. While this play is not gruesome as those mentioned it still raises goose pimples in places. This is in no more small part due to the role of the Director, Denis Steer. It is for me sometimes difficult to see what a Director actually brings to a production. On some occasions it appears to be more of a producer role, an arranger if you will. Someone who collates scenery, scripts, sound, lights, costumes etc and then tells the cast where to come on from / exit to and that is about it. I get the feeling that Denis takes a much more hands on approach to his actors and the script. His wealth of experience allied to a fondness for the piece comes across in his productions. Thrillers in amateur productions can come across laughable at times if due care and attention is not shown. No chance of that here. What helped Denis and the cast in this production was strong technical back up. Graham Weymouth's atmospheric Lighting Plot, operated by Philip Moore was just right as it had to be to create tension. Primary colours created mood and the front red lights created a nice warm fire effect. When the ghostly apparitions appeared at the patio doors the white back light, added to a breeze, created a genuinely sinister effect. Sound was in the capable hands of Barry Gollop. Birds singing added realism to the country feel and there was a nice mixture of classical scene change music. Some lengthy scene changes were necessary to effect costume changes so this music keep the atmosphere alive during these breaks in the action. Costumes from Avalon Theatre Company were superb, in particular, 'Flora' had a very pretty white dress and booties.

We are introduced early on to 'Miss Giddons', a devout and somewhat repressed spinster who happily accepts the position of governess for two orphaned children whose uncle readily admits to having no interest in being tied down by two "brats." So 'Miss Giddons' is dispatched to Bly House in 1880, the lavish, shadowy estate where young 'Flora' and her brother 'Miles' live with a good-natured housekeeper. At first, life at Bly House seems splendidly idyllic, but as 'Miss Giddons' learns the horrible truth about the estate's now-deceased groundskeeper and previous governess, she begins to suspect that her young charges are ensnared in a devious plot from beyond the grave. Clare Gollop in the role of 'Miss Giddons' is very assured and totally believable in the role showing just the right amount of tenderness and where appropriate paranoia. Mo Lawton as the housekeeper 'Mrs Grose' embodied what we assume of a rural housekeeper. Mo was suitably matronly and her west country accent proved that she was from the lower classes. The children 'Flora' and 'Miles' were played by two very good looking children, Charlotte Gollop and Sam Goldsmith respectively. Charlotte's projection was excellent and she was confident in front of an audience. Sam had a sparkle in his eye which accentuated in many ways the sinister feel of the drama. The spectres were played by Sarah Lazar and Michel De Dadelson. Well done to all.

Congratulations to all members of the cast, production team and the technical team who created a very entertaining evening.

It was a shame for me that there was a relatively sparse audience on the last night. Selling tickets these days with the amount of competition for people's time is hard work and with a cast of only four (plus spectres) this is doubly difficult. It may be that you have to consider expanding the size of your cast for some future productions. Just a thought!

The programme was informative but I wonder if it needed to be A4 in size, A5 is easier to handle and would save you a few pounds. It would be nice to add biographies, it is nice to see what the actors etc have done previously. Also it was a nice touch to include other society productions, hopefully in turn they will do the same.

Once again thank you for inviting me to the Charles Cryer Studio and best wishes for your autumn production, the interesting sounding "Dad's Army” in October.

I looking forward to seeing you again soon and if I can be of any assistance at any time, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kindest Regards
Stephen Macvicar