While on holiday in Prague, I noticed a number of theatres in the city center offering performances in “Black Theatre” or more specifically, “Black Light Theatre.” Clearly aimed at the large tourist crowds in the city, it advertises itself as a “nonverbal performance” (so no language barrier), using dance, music, mime, comedy, acting, and puppets. Having never seen this type of performance before, I thought it would be an interesting cultural experience. And oh boy was it interesting!

This particular show was an homage to the Beatles and their music, and to their film Yellow Submarine. The story centered around two characters, who begin the play as an elderly couple. We are quickly pulled back into time, where the story of their early years is told. What is amazing is that there is a clear story being told. Missed connections, then eventually getting together, only to be separated when the boy goes off to war, and then reunion. It was surprisingly political, actually. Fundamentally a romantic tale, all told with the aid of music and visuals.

The music is an ethereal mix of synthesizer background sounds, and classic Beatles tunes. The actors never speak or sing, but use movement and dance alone to tell their story. This particular production transports you to the psychedelic world of the 1960s with its trippy visuals. Almost everything on the stage has been painted with black light glow paint, which the actors also wear on their bodies (painted on their costumes). Puppeteers, wearing head to toe blacks, manipulate everything on stage so everything springs to life. They create a trippy visual experience. For example, a huge, neon butterfly gracefully flies across the stage and lands on an actresses shoulder. What you don’t see is the puppeteer in black, manipulating the puppet behind her. Everything is oversized, neon colored, and cartooney. Every once in a great while, you could tell that there was someone back there, but most of the time they were totally invisible. Another cool trick was when the lead actress appeared to be floating and flying through the air. She was actually sitting (or harnessed?) to a see-saw contraption behind her that was being manipulated by the puppeteers. They were incredibly busy throughout - constantly moving things around the stage; props, signs, furniture, and creepy Beatles marionettes.

This is definitely one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in my life. But I loved the experience! The actors did a really nice job, and were clearly trained in dance and physical comedy. The ensemble dancers weren’t the best I’ve ever seen but they were very committed to the show. The puppetters had the hardest job of all, and were great. The concept is very simple yet very effective, and creates a visual experience that’s accessible to people from all over the world. Very smart, Czech theatre makers!

Trying to squeeze in as much theatre as possible before leaving London, I decided to duck into the Donmar this Saturday afternoon to take in a quick show. Not knowing anything about the show you’re seeing is exciting, yet risky. I’m glad I saw this show, but unfortunately it didn’t ‘wow’ me.

The character of Phaedra first appeared in Euripides‘ drama about a queen who falls madly in love with her stepson. Jean Racine, the French playwright, adapted the story, and the production I saw today was adapted from that by the Irish playwright Frank McGuiness. So, clearly a story that has universal themes and is still relevant today, after many centuries. The title character is a shattered woman. Full of self-loathing and guilt, she rants and raves and prays for death to come and take her out of her misery. Hearing of her husband’s death, her servant convinces her that this is the time to rise to power, arm in arm with her stepson/new husband. She takes this advice, attempts to woo the young Hippolytus, to disastrous conclusions. It’s really the story of a woman who surrenders herself to emotion and ignores logic.

Claire Higgins is nothing short of magnificent in the title role. What an amazing performance. Fresh from her Olivier win for last year’s Hecuba, she plays Phaedra as well as I could imagine anyone could. We sympathize with her, hate her, become disgusted by her, and pity her all at the same time. Emotional intensity and complexity color the role throughout, and she is captivating. The rest of the cast pale in comparison, and they really seem to serve as set pieces that make her perfomance look better.

Speaking of set pieces, I’m glad the acting was good - because this is officially the worst set I’ve ever seen on a stage. This includes high school productions. Tom Cairns directs the piece, and directs it quite well. It’s confusing, therefore, why he doesn’t just stick to his strengths, and decides to be the set designer as well. The set consists of a metal-looking gray bench on a fake stone floor. I think the bench is supposed to be “stone”, but it has clearly been plastered and painted and is trying to blend in with the floor on which it sits, even though they’re two completely different colors and textures. Then, behind the bench is a screen that separates the stage into two distinct areas - so sometimes scenes just happen behind this random, needless partition. There is also a Greek statue and fire pit area, neither of which are used and both of which are almost impossible to see from where I was sitting. The design concept is clearly for a proscenium stage, and fails in the 3 quarter round Donmar.

The lighting seems to have two settings; on, or off. That doesn’t work. So much could have been done with light and dark, in this play that is so dark by nature! The sound is equally inane and pointless. Making matters worse, there are occasional video projections on the partition. There’s little reason for these to be in the show besides having video projections and following what all trendy British shows seem to be doing nowadays. And worse, from the side seats (2/3 of the audience) you can’t tell at all what they are. I think they are supposed to be birds chirping, or horses riding, or rain, or other such things. Again, pointless.

The show is worth seeing simply for Higgins’ performance. And the writing and directing are both excellent. Unfortunately, there are so many technical flaws that just can’t be ignored.

The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s classic play about the Salem witch trials is, surprisingly, one I’ve never seen on stage. It’s one of those plays which is studied and performed to death, so much so that it sounds more like school reading than something you’d choose to devote three hours of your life to. However, this particular production had gotten such good reviews (and was right down the street from my flat) that I decided to check it out.

Note to potential audience members of the Gielgud theatre: unless you’re willing to spend a lot on tickets, you’re not going to be able to see very well. The circle tickets were all too expensive, so I opted for a balcony seat, which would normally be fine, as most West End theatres are small enough that you still get an ok view from up in the cheap seats. Unfortunately, the first couple rows of the balcony are obstructed by a large safety rail. We decided to be in the first row of the balcony (16 pounds) instead of the last rows (11 pounds). Leaning forward over the safety rail completely obstructs the view of anyone behind you (or so we were told by the people behind us as the lights dimmed), so I watched the entire show slunk down as far as I could in my chair, peering through the two-foot gap between the balcony edge and the safety rail.

Despite the viewing difficulty, the show kept me rapt at attention for the full three hours. This production is actually a transplant from the RSC, where it ran earlier in the year. It’s the first Miller play the RSC has every fully staged, and they do it well. The story is familar to Americans; it’s the tale of women in the town of Salem, MA, who are all accused of witchcraft. They are given two choices: admit your guilt and live, but with a shamed name, excommunication from your church, and separation from your community, or deny your guilt and be hanged. The actors portray the anguish and despair of their destroyed lives very effectively, and it is so sad to watch them fall at the hands of an insane “justice” system.

I find this play extremely difficult to watch. It’s just so hard to believe that so many powerful, intelligent men could have been so gullible and stupid! Allowing themselves to be led by a manipulative mob of young girls just because of their own fear. It seems that their own insatiable desire to believe in a higher power is the impetus in their paranoic fear of the devil, and thus their ability to execute hundreds of innocents. What’s even harder to believe is that this actually happened. And that it happened again (sort of) in the 1950’s in the McCarthy era. This horrible era in American history is what Miller is responding to in writing The Crucible.

Heavy and intensely emotional performances carry this show. Notable stand-out performances are Iain Glen as John Proctor, Helen Schlesinger as Elizabeth Proctor, Robert Bowman as Reverend Hale, and Elaine Cassidy as the evil Abigail (the only character wearing any color - red). It’s a wonder these actors maintain such a level of deep anguish — and make it look real — eight times a week! Such a challenge for actors, and so well done. My only complaint is with Glen as Proctor. At the end, after he’s been beaten and his will has been destroyed, his choice of how to play this is odd. It seems more like he’s aged 50 years and less like he’s been abused - his voice takes on a very old man King Lear-ish quality. I would have expected him to to play it more fragile and sad, and feel his choice there is a bit too overdone.

The production is a well oiled machine. It works. It’s as flawless a production as I could imagine. However, it does lack heart. That magic, or creative spark, I can’t quite describe it, but it’s the thing that makes theatre so special - there needed to be more of it. The problem might be with the fact that the actors are so well trained and they know their craft so well, that they lack freshness. Not a big complaint, but even so, it was almost like watching a film, every detail was so perfect. I wanted some line flubs! That’s what makes theatre so great: witnessing the humanity of it.