The Elephant Man
Queens Theatre Hornchurch
20th April 2015
Last night I had the great pleasure of attending the press night of the Queens Theatre Hornchurch latest production; The Elephant Man. Director Simon Jessop, brings to life Bernard Pomerance’s Tony Award-winning play, with the Queens Theatre’s own theatre company; Cut to the Chase.
John Merrick was born into the slums of Victorian London, with an (arguably to this day) unidentified condition, which left him with severe and ever worsening deformities. Throughout his childhood his condition became steadily worse, making him a social outcast. Beaten and abandoned, the young Merrick finally found some sense of belonging in the Victorian ‘Freak show’, where he was re-dubbed ‘The Elephant Man.’
Once the spectacle of the ‘Freak Show’ was outlawed in England, Merrick and his employer were forced onto the streets of Europe to perform. It was while in Belgium that his manager robbed him and left him abandoned in the street in an unfamiliar country.
It was then that Merrick’s life turned around. He was taken in by Frederick Treves, the famed surgeon of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. Treves, showed kindness to Merrick and attempted to bring him back to a life of normality. But for Merrick, his life grew ever more incredible as he was taken in by Victorian high society and became guest and friend to many of the 19th century’s socialites.
I have been to many productions at the Queens Theatre and have never been disappointed. However I was not quite prepared for how good The Elephant man was. While I was waiting for the play to begin, I couldn’t help but note how atmospheric the minimalist stage was (something that allows us to focus on the performances themselves all the more).
Despite the minimalist nature of the staging, the production does a fantastic job of conveying a real sense of time and place. Whether we are in the isolation ward of the Royal London, which Merrick calls home, the streets of Whitechapel or the ‘Freak Shows’ of Brussels, we are swept away in a believable sense of place. This is in part due to a plethora of stage techniques to add to our experience. We are presented with use of photographs, shadow work, video footage, livestock, hauntingly beautiful live music, fire techniques, indoor rain and even smell to help transport us to where we need to go. We are often also treated as an audience within the play, whether it is attending a scientific lecture or as a viewer of the Victorian grotesque.
All of these techniques should not diminish the quality of the acting, which quite frankly I found to be outstanding. It is easy to call Tom Cornish as John Merrick the lead of this production. However that is to do a disservice to the other cast members. For me this was an ensemble piece in the true spirit of the word, where every actor (most of whom played multiple parts in the play) effectively contributed to the experience of the whole.
It should be said however that Cornish as Merrick was of course fantastic. I will not spoil it for you how he transforms himself into The Elephant man, but it is utterly convincing. Cornish plays it with suitable empathy and we see a man in Merrick who has suffered pain both physically and as an outcast of almost all who have ever met him.
Joanna Hickman as Mrs Kendal and Fred Broom as Frederick Treves are perfectly placed as opposing counter points to Merrick, who’s position on what is best for him moves steadily apart as the play progresses. Hickman gives us a touching and honest performance of perhaps love to a man who has experienced none, where Broom portrays the embodiment of scientific excellence. Logical and needing a reliance on evidence. An explosion of emotion from him is an enjoyable surprise when it comes.
James Earl Adair, Ellie Rose Bosewell, Megan Leigh mason and Stuart organ, provide an army of other characters which provide a context for the trinity to play against. All of which provide performances beautifully crafted to the characters they portray. So well were the different characters portrayed, that I scarcely realised that 4 people were performing 15 different parts. Special mention for me has to go to Boswell and Mason, who as the Belgium ‘Freak Show’ twins, provided a spectacle that I found to be strangely alluring and creepy in equal measure. There’s was an unforgettable scene!
As often as Merrick was the centre of the story, more often than not the story unfolded around him. Sometimes literally. He is often to be found in quiet thought in the centre of the stage, while the actors play out around him. Contrary to this, when Merrick has dialogue scenes, he is often to be found lurking at the edge of the centre stage, perhaps as a metaphor for his being on the fringes of society.
I found there to be much symbolism in the play; from the figure of Victorian sexual oppression as Treves shadow looms large and encroaching on the exploratory Merrick and Mrs Kendal to the heart-breaking scene of Merrick metaphorically giving one of his pillows (which keep him alive through sleep) to each of the people who in some way had enabled him to live.
This Cut to the Chase production of The Elephant Man at Queens Theatre Hornchurch, is heartfelt, honest, moving, full of atmosphere and emotion, at times incredibly dark and in places very funny. But always it is the story of a perceived Monster who becomes the Man Victorian Society deem he should be. But as he moves away from who he is, he realises more that it is society who is the monster, and he was always the man he wanted to be. There comes a time early on in the play, perhaps a different time for different members of the audience, when we realise The Elephant Man was a real human being, with dreams, and desires and wants and needs. His name was John Merrick.
I am a huge fan of the Victorian era, and of the darker side of the arts. Both of these are delivered convincingly and triumphantly. An absolutely outstanding production that I can’t recommend highly enough. A fantastic success…catch it while you can!
Christopher Stagg
All photographs credited to Simon Jessop and used with permission of Queens Theatre.
Previews: Fri 17 | Sat 18 Apr | 8pm
First Night: Mon 20 Apr | 7.30pm
Performances: Tues – Sat | 8pm
Matinees: Thu 23 Apr | Sat 2 May | 2.30pm
Audio Described: Sat 2 May | 2.30pm
Sign Language Interpreted: Wed 6 May | 8pm
The Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch RM11 1QT
Tube: Hornchurch
Tickets: £12.50 – £26.50
Box Office: 01708 443333
Website: queens-theatre.co.uk