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A wonderfully ambitious 13th century story of love, religion and heresy, presented as a staged reading, meaning the script is doing all the hard work here.Summary
Rating
Excellent
I’m fast become a big fan of Bespoke Plays. The simplicity of what they do appeals to anyone interested in seeing a play in almost its rawest form – a staged reading, where actors perform script in hand. Everything else you’d usually expect, such as set, costumes, lighting and sound, are all kept to a minimum. For their latest offering Heretics, this means absolutely no costumes or set. Rather they are performing around the set of Small Town Boys which is playing the Union Theatre the rest of the week. What we do get, though, is some impressive light and sound work from Gabriel Burns to help flesh the play out a little further.
Heretics is undoubtedly Bespoke’s most ambitious work since director Mimi Collins brought the company to London from Los Angeles. What seems at first a simple 13th century Shakespearean-style love triangle slowly develops into something grander as we are propelled into the midst of religious heresy and the Inquisition. The laughter and lightness of the first half is quickly replaced with death and pain as we head full throttle into the second.
This ambitious depth of story fits the staged reading format perfectly, allowing it to be road-tested in front of an eager audience without the usual financial risks, and for the creative team to gauge where the script needs further work; the biggest being the ending, or more precisely, issues over where the ending should be. There is a moment tonight when the audience burst into applause, but it’s a few scenes too early! The scenes that follow, though, just don’t have the impact or tension needed. They may help tidy things up but are almost a chore to endure, and it’s very clear that some of the audience have been lost. There are also a few overlong speeches towards the end that could be reduced to keep the audience better engaged.
Elsewhere, there is perhaps a need to signpost certain concepts a little more clearly. Very early on, as Magali and Bertrand are discussing their marriage, both mention being descendants of Jesus, and whilst this clearly gives reason for much of what follows, it is a concept that could be further developed within the script to draw it out more clearly.
What is without question though is Ellie Pyle’s wonderful writing style, offering clear nods to Shakespeare but with a modern twist. It’s full of lovely humour and playfulness – references to not liking the French will always get a chortle from a British audience! There are also more than enough historical references to keep those with an interest in such things engaged, whilst for those of us with just a passing knowledge of the Inquisition and heresy, it leads us through the story in a way that means we are never left behind.
As much as it’s nearly all about the script, praise should go to the cast and director for keeping us engaged as they circle around one another. Leading trio Magali (Tyne Pearson), Bertrand (Patrick McHugh) and Jacques (Angus Maxwell) deliver both the love triangle and later religious complexities in style. Elsewhere Geebs Marie Williams brings a charm to her role as Rixende, whilst Will Cox’s Raymond may only appear fleetingly, but his powerful delivery is perfectly pitched.
For those who savour the written word over everything else, Bespoke do offer a lovely way to experience new writing in a more primitive form. Heretics is another success in their quickly growing repertoire. It is certainly another of their work that needs to be further developed and brought back to the stage as a fully formed play.
Produced by: Bespoke Plays
Written by: Ellie Pyle
Directed by: Mimi Collins
Assistant Director: Analiese Emerson
Lighting and Sound Design by: Gabriel Burns
Heretics plays again at the Union Theatre on 23rd September. Further information and booking are available here.
