Orpheus Descending | Cockpit Theatre

Orpheus Descending is an adaptation of the play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Anna Barkan, this adaptation brings Williams' powerful play to life, brimming with dramatic tension that seeps into modern life. Performed by the company of Conjure Productions (a theatre company set up by recent LAMDA graduates), the play is an excellent and haunting adaptation. 

Orpheus Descending is heavily inspired by the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice; one of the most well known tales from Greek Mythology. Orpheus, a poor musician walks through the underworld to guide his love, Eurydice, back from the Hades' reign where she is trapped. However, the tale ends tragically when Orpheus, unable to help himself, fails in his mission to bring her back. 

Tennessee Williams' novel takes the premise from this tale, yet places it in contemporary America. Val, a young handsome musician, comes to a small town, looking for work and shelter. Lady, a small store owner, provides Val with both, leading to the couple becoming close acquaintances. In a subplot, Lady's loveless marriage to Jabe, an older violent man, ties her to a society that she doesn't fit in with. Jabe's past sins and secrets burn through the play as a steady fire. Val's own past, including the mysterious and strange Carol Cutrere, clouds his presence in the town. Like the original myth, the play's ending too, is shrouded in sorrow. 

Williams has created a magnificent landscape of the American society, culture and beliefs of the time, and this production honours that original intention. Audiences are transported back in time, placing them right in the center of the action. Barkan interestingly shies away from using the Cockpit Theatre's in the round layout, opting instead to optimise half of the room to immerse audiences further into Williams' world. The result is a resounding success. Whilst the play is one of Williams' less popular plays due to several issues with the script, this production, nevertheless, is still hauntingly beautiful. 

The play, as Williams' plays often are, is dialogue heavy, with emphasis on accuracy of the time period and theatrical language that can feel distracting. Yet this production takes it in its stride, performing the dialogue to their greatest potential, and finding the finer craft elements in the writing. This production honour Williams' original script, along with a few new modern additions to make it suitable for today's audiences; most notably Uncle Pleasant. A later addition to the play, this character combats the unforgivable frequent use of a racial slur, and helps frame the play better, through West African storytelling. 

The cast are each extraordinary, convincingly transporting audiences back to the 1950s in America. Grace Wallis takes on the role of Vee Talbot, a visionary artist and confidante of Val. Wallis neatly captures the character's extremes, with a clear passion for deciphering art and sudden loss of vision and ensuring panic. Carly Helms in her limited role as Nurse Porter, makes a lasting impression in one of the unintentionally funniest performances of the evening. Brock Looser and Alexandra Montalbano as Dolly and Beulah, the two town gossips, are equal parts charming and infuriating as they often add fuel to the fire from the outskirts. Josh Beckman as Jabe, although appearing in a very limited role, makes his mark on the play with the consistent knocks throughout. 

Yaw Osafo-Kantanka as Uncle Pleasant delivers a remarkable performance, essentially starting and finishing the story. Osafo-Kantanka's steady and sure-footed grounding helps the disturbed waves of the play's characters come to term, thereby delivering the a performance that anchors itself at the heart of the play. Daisy Hargreaves as Carol Cutrere really captures the American spirit and that of being a liberated woman. Often ridiculed, Hargreaves' frantic and frenzy approach to the character is a brilliant embodiment of all the silent mental battles that society was fighting. 

Madison Coppola as Lady Torrance is an astonishing force of nature on stage. Dominating every scene that she's in, Coppola's vibrant performance makes her irresistible. An extremely talented performer, Coppola not only lifts the dialogue heavy script, but makes every line memorable with a raw pain that can be felt by every audience member. Jonathan Aarons as Val Xavier is perfectly paired with Coppola, bringing an equally powerful yet more subtle performance that works its way into the core of the play. Aarons' magnetism stems from more than the characters physical appearance, but tugs at audiences with a clear and unspoken sadness that swirls around the role. Aarons' earnest performance, along with Coppola's more enthusiastic performance, creates magic whenever both actors are on stage. 

The set (Jana Lakatos) is minimal, with two large translucent curtains hung on the back wall of the Torrance's Store; both of which contain secrets and the option of two paths. Jabe, who is placed behind one of the curtains for most of the store, is illuminated by torchlight, a technique that works rather well when the other curtain is used. Lakatos cleverly uses a dusty "HELLO" sign below the store sign, to signal that the store may more resemble Hell itself. The flooring is intriguing, with white and grey shading, like ground that was burnt and never grew again. 

The costumes, also by Lakatos, add a visual delicacy that adds to the play. Fire is a prominent theme and crucial plot point in the play, and the clothes for all the characters but three, are singed or covered in soot. Val's Snakeskin jacket becomes an important visual symbolism of the play, along with the extended metaphor of Snakes. The set and costumes, interesting, are only in shades of grey, apart from Val and Lady, who are afforded a slither of thoughtfully planned muted colour. It's these small attentions to detail and intent to bring out every nuance in Williams' writing that makes this production so fascinating.  

Nicoletta Bonanni and Alexandra Montalbano create wonderful moments of movement for the ensemble that feel hypnotising and slick. Flick Isaac-Chilton and Aidan Gibson, who is in his final year of LAMDA, works on sound, creating a really immersive soundscape. Abigail Sage works on lighting design and does a good job, especially for the more dramatic spotlight moments with Uncle Pleasant. Jonathan Aarons also serves as fight captain on the show, choreographing a rather intense and impressive fight scene, not to mention his own brilliant participation. 

Orpheus Descending is a treasured adaptation of the play. The cast are brilliant, with Aarons and Coppola leading the young company. Still as relevant as before, this production more than delivers the story that we all know and relive everyday... without every really changing. 

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review