The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Minack Theatre
Hugh Grant, Jude Law, Arnold Schwarzenegger and even a few of my friends – they’ve all cheated on their partners or spouses and lived to regret it. They mess up people’s lives and feel very sorry for themselves when they are caught. Like Charles in the John Fowles’ novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman they want their cake and eat it – or rather want (excuse the 1970s’ expression) a bit of skirt. They already have most things a man of a certain age would want but the temptation to have an affair with someone different from their partner is too great.
In the novel Charles two times his fiancée Ernestina due to his obsession with Sarah – the titular character in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. And like so many adulterers he is in denial until he eventually does the usual ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ confession to Ernestina claiming he’s not good enough. What he means is he doesn’t like her nouveau riche family and fancies coquettish Sarah instead. Ernestina gives him the equivalent of both barrels verbally and rightly so.
The novel is complex and covers several themes from misogyny, class conflict, religious hypocrisy, social injustice for women and girls, Victorian moral double standards and even the advance of science and its effects on society. A narrator takes charge at times and at other moments holds back and is even hesitant in finalising a conclusion to what on the face of it is a period romance. The film version offers the contrasting relationship between Sara and Charles and the actors who are playing them in a movie version and has unlike the novel an unlikely happy ending in the Lake District.
So I was intrigued to watch Brighton Little Theatre’s production of Mark Healy’s adaptation in part because it appeared to be such a complex story. He chose to introduce a narrator on stage (Duncan Henderson) who stops and starts the action as he ponders on the actions of his characters. The drama is then essentially that of Charles and his dumping of Ernestina for Sarah and the various social set pieces that gives the story the 19th century context for the motives in the unfolding drama. Considering the elements, the large stage and no sounding board behind the cast there was the practicality of staging such a play when the sea, sea birds, wind and drizzle deaden the sound. Director Claire Lewis did her best to bring the play and its trio of protagonists to life with the introduction of music and movement for the large cast. It worked as a spectacle in places, especially the whore house scene which the cast seemed to relish with its Mouline Rouge overtones, and the singing of Maya Kihara as Annie and Ciru James as Jemima plus Graham Brown’s choreography as it’s a big stage to fill and movement is key.
If you were familiar with the story then the play is easy to follow and by and large it engaged. For those who had no knowledge of the narrative I did note a lot of people going to the toilet or off to buy a coffee during the production. But the main reason for saying you’ve been to the Minack is to say you’ve been there and of course take a few selfies to prove it. And that’s fine – and very human – and I did the same. My visit was enhanced by Melissa Paris’s mother who was sat next to me and who kept me informed of the back stage gossip. Her daughter played Ernestina who in this production rather outshone Sarah Woodruff (Amelia Thurley) with her eye-catching corseted gowns and assertive sex appeal which made Charles’ choice a mystery.
Amelia’s portrayal of the main character was underplayed while Lewis Todhunter lived up to his role as the roving eyed and petulant Charles. Patti Griffiths was excellent as the impossible Mrs Poulteney and Michael Grant as Sam – Charles’ servant – more than held his own as the man on the make. Credit to Michael James as the musical director and composer whose innovations helped to make the entire show more of a spectacle.
One moment that caught my sense of the absurd was when Charles has sex with Sarah in what I can only describe as a very British moment. Two Victorians wearing more clothes than most of the audience dressed as we were in cagools and anoraks with the rain running down our faces as we watched in silence the carnal action below. No giggling, no shouts of ‘get in there mate’ or ‘way to go Charles’ but instead a dignified calm with just the occasional sound of a themos flask of tea being poured.
Enjoyable, at times superb at others and some moments that fell flat such as the unsatisfactory ending – mainly due to the wind and rain – but overall since the most memorable moment of the movie is Meryl Streep looking wistful at the end of a storm lashed Lyme Regis Cobb – then this was the perfect setting.
Harry Mottram
For more on the company visit https://www.brightonlittletheatre.com/
The show ran from 5-8 August 2024 at the Minack Theatre, Cornwall
For more on the theatre visit https://www.minack.com/