Ghosts: a real review

After the big hoo-ha about translations and adaptation, I decided to see Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts, currently playing at Darlington Theatre Players, which is directed by Peter Clark. While on the program it says adaptation by Richard Harris, it is actually a translation of a text, not a change in its form. Good to see a lively debate about semiotics or semantics though. Helene Alving (Helen Angell) is building an orphanage in memory of her esteemed, late husband, Captain Alving. But not everything is as it seems. Helene’s son, Osvald (David Gregory) has returned from abroad, a discernibly different person. His returns sparks memories of Helene’s marriage to Captain Alving and after a number of confessions to her pastor, Mauders (Mike Balmers), reveals not only that the Alving household wasn’t the epitome of respectability, but there is a strange truth behind the maid, Regina (Kerr-Ann Head) and her father, Enstrand (Adrian Wood). Peter Clark is one of Perth’s most exciting directors. Although his ventures have yet to go outside the realm of community theatre, his direction surpasses some of the professional practitioners around. The reason I find him so stimulating is that Clark has his own distinct style. Having seen three shows he has directed, I have noticed the emphasis on music, specific acting techniques and taboo subjects. The set design (also by Clark) was beautifully minimalist. A long, dining table, flanked by a few doors and a simple bookstore, sporting a large, phallic crucifix on top of it, gave it the appearance of a well off household, without having it clutter the stage with old relics. Trees aligned the backdrop, which was well lit to create natural sunlight and a roaring fire. The lighting (Michael Hart) was subtle and well executed. This is a great talent, as all too much in community theatre I have seen sluggish lighting operation detract the attention away from the performance. The cast gave a sensational ensemble performance, which forgave a couple of the weaker performances. In Pinteresque style, the actors often had long pauses, sometimes going over to the window to think. I loved this. Not only did it give the play essential dramatic beats, but it allowed the characters to think, further giving us understanding behind their emotions and intentions. However, I noticed that some of the pauses were actually misfires of line delivery. I think some of the actors may have benefited from a few more glances at their scripts. The standout performance was from Helen Angell, who, speaking of chairs, showed us a very new way of looking at them. David Gregory was also brilliant as a painter suffering from syphilis. While most of the actors did not employ an accent in this show, Adrian Wood wore a thick Northern drawl. I am not really sure this was a prudent decision, as it interfered with his non-verbal communication and character development. I was also not sure about his intermittent limp. To give Adrian credit, I saw him in the Finlay award winning, My Very Own Story last year and thought he was absolutely fantastic. Perhaps a little rethink could have brought out his best. This is the best show I have seen this year. It’s dark, at times extremely funny, naughty and very topical. I find it abhorrent that people walked out after this first act. Seriously, if you find masturbation so disturbing, perhaps you should stop abusing yourself and join a convent. Ibsen wanted to shock people with Ghosts and with the themes of incest, mental illness and assisted suicide: I think he would have done just that. Clark adopted this idea with this play. It was in your face, transgressive and very thought provoking. While some people complained it was too confrontational, I would have asked for more, dirty, smelly finger action (if you saw the show, you know what I mean). Ibsen wanted to explore the darker side to humanity and the animalistic nature of our impulses. I think Peter Clark did him justice. I hope this show gets more Finlay recognition than last year’s Birthday Party, which was undeservedly, at least in my opinion, excluded from the accolades. Thank you for a great show and the complimentary blanket. Well worth the trip to the hills.