Dance & Physical Theatre: Boy In Darkness
Date: August 20th, 2009 Author: Andrew DoyleCategory(s): Dance & Physical Theatre: Boy In Darkness
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Physical Theatre
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Boy In Darkness
The Zoo
“Do you think I am funny?” says the creature Hyena to the young protagonist of Mervyn Peake’s Boy In Darkness. “Because I can tickle your ribs from the inside if you like”. It’s this kind of menacing sentiment that makes this story one of the darkest pieces in the Peake canon, with the obvious exception of Titus Alone. Peake’s famous “Gormenghast” novels are astonishing flights of the imagination, related through beautifully controlled and yet flamboyant prose, but Boy In Darkness remains relatively unknown, and theatre company Curious Directive are to be congratulated in adapting it for the stage.
The story concerns Titus, the 77th Earl of Groan, who has escaped from Gormenghast to experience his first taste of freedom. What follows is a peculiar adventure culminating in his meeting with the Lamb, a vicious creature who transforms people into half-animal hybrids. Along the way, Titus befriends the Goat, played with verve and sensitivity by Lydia Rynne. Peake has had some fun inverting traditional notions of Christian mythology, and Curious Directive do their utmost to bring out the more disturbing elements of his text.
Fiona Mikel’s Lamb is especially effective. With her eyes shut throughout the production, irises painted onto her lids, her very presence exudes a sinister malevolence. Yann Allsopp plays Titus a little too young, but is nonetheless a very talented and engaging performer. With a limited budget, director Kim Pearce has wisely focused on the physicality of the characters in order to immerse us in Peake’s fantastical world. It’s a notable achievement.
AD
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