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Write Angle
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David & Sarah Futcher raffle prize winners of two pairs of tickets to see ‘Rattigan’s Nijinsky’ and ‘The Deep Blue Sea’
Having risen to the challenge of two plays in one day these are their thoughts on the performances
The Deep Blue Sea
Set in the gloom of the post war years The Deep Blue Sea is a familiar story of well-spoken ‘posh’ people falling in love with the most unsuitable partners.
We thought the three acts was going to be tough to get through but the story picked up pace and became compelling viewing by Acts two and three.
Set in dull north London an attractive, educated yet fragile woman, Hester Collyer is stuck in the rut of a loveless marriage. She leaves her husband, a high court judge,
and falls stupidly in love with a former RAF wartime pilot with disastrous consequences.
The play was dated which was perhaps its charm, however the story was still relevant to today. Hester tries to make a go of things but realises her boyfriend pilot is not
emotionally equipped to take on this complex but fragile obsessive lover.
The play examines a bad situation that’s does not get any better. All the characters in play - from the well-meaning landlady to nosey young marrieds downstairs - are all
in their own way lost souls. Hester’s estranged husband, desperately still in love with her, will do anything to have her back and as the play develops Hester is tempted.
The pivotal point of the play comes with the older German doctor who, despite being as flawed as everyone else and unable to legally practice medicine, manages to
dispense wisdom and understanding to all those who are affected by the futility of the situation.
I know this may sound too gloomy to be entertaining but it really was. We couldn’t help feeling sorry for Hester, who despite her obvious bad choice, finds out what real
emotional love is all about.
Rattigan’s Nijinsky
A clever mix of witty script and sharp dialogue between the main characters of Terrance Rattigan and Diaghilev brings the play to life. Rattigan shows us what Nijinsky
gave to the world of dance in the early years of the 20th century.
Nijinsky’s flawed genius and ‘wired to God’ approach, hell-bent on self destruction as a rock star of his times, is taken under the wing of Diaghilev who exploits his talents
to the world. Rattigan, who in the final years of his cancer, takes strong a pain killing potion and, in the moments of relief, communicates with his characters from the
screen play to give their side of the reality of the life of the dancer.
The premise of this story is a ‘what might have been’. Nijinsky’s widow, Romola, visits Rattigan to enforce her will on the final draft of the script denying Nijinsky’s
homosexual relationship with his mentor Diaghilev. She threatens to expose Rattigan as a homosexual too, therefore effectively blocking the screenplay and it’s
production for the small screen.
The characters in the meantime work their magic throughout the story and take us through the world of bankrupt productions, intrigue and the whole somewhat risky
business of making money through art.
The play will undoubtedly have its critics, but as a piece of true professional theatre we believe that it takes some beating. The stage at Chichester is the best 3D ever
and requires no silly glasses to achieve the effect and see something this good.
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