Chrome yellow
This week’s lunchtime theatre featured an adaption of Aldous Huxley’s 1921 novel Crome Yellow, a story that mocks the fashions of the time and delves deeply into topics such as art, education, love and life. The director went unaccredited in the programme, so I apologise for not mentioning this particular detail.
There were many elements to the performance which were interesting to the audience, with great attention paid to detail. The set consisted of a variety of props, including real cakes and lit candles on the dinner table, which added a nice touch between scenes when the lights were down. It was great to see the space used so well and in a variety of ways, with the stage and floor being used, on occasion, at the same time, while other scenes happened completely off stage.
The use of the projector was clever and a surprise for the audience but a little jolting as it was a very modern concept within an historical setting. The lighting also highlighted the difference between exterior and interior scenes and there were good moments in the garden scenes, for example, when the sunlight was coming through the trees and creating a pattern of light on the floor. On occasion, sections of the stage were not lit at all, and it became distracting when characters were in them, as it was confusing whether or not it was a purposeful design choice, but overall it was engaging.
There were some great images created within the space, though some became rather static and almost boring, particularly when the script consisted of so much dialogue. This often left the actors doing a lot of ‘hand acting’ and using an incredible amount of gesture to help depict what they were saying, which was unnecessary and often irritating. Scenes with the character Barbecue-Smith, a great physical presence on stage, helped the audience understand the comedic nature of the text and brought a fantastic lighthearted feel to the piece, despite his attempt to be incredibly philosophical in his old age.
For someone who hasn’t read the novel, the play was still enjoyable and easy to follow and had the whole audience laughing as characters read so deeply and poetically into life. Well done!
(3.5/5)