A wartime story of skill and courage that needs to be heard – after a little tidying up.Rating
The intimate space at the Orange Tree is a fantastic arena for an intimate biopic piece of theatre and the very aptly named a small and quiet light by Stephanie Street fits that bill nicely. The narrative is based on the quite incredible true story of Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan who was recruited into the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in 1943, which was designed to encourage espionage and sabotage behind enemy lines in the midst of World War Two. Having grown up in a somewhat privileged household, Noor was highlighted for her intellect, skills and demeanour, all deemed perfect for the role. So, in June of that year, she was dropped into Paris to begin her undercover operation.
Priyanga Burford is terrific as Noor, who we first meet aged twelve, chatting to her wise old father, Abba (one of the many roles portrayed by Paksie Vernon). This sets the tone for the rest of the performance, with Noor demonstrating her understated ability with words and piano skills. At this point, also present on stage is an actual young Noor (Kiah Arya), although we don’t yet know that this is her, as she walks around the set and then sits at a standard piano in the corner.
What follows for the rest of the piece is much back and forth, jumping forward from an idyllic childhood to Noor being rather softly interrogated by Ernest Vogt (Caoilfhionn Dunne) when she has been captured by the Germans. We’re then back to adolescence, then forward again to adulthood. Whilst sound and lighting (Ryan Joseph Stafford) guide a change in era and location, it’s difficult to keep up. Equally, costuming (Anna Yates) for Noor remains the same throughout the two-hour show. A subtle change or the addition of an accessory would help distinguish between eras. Burford, Arya and Dunne are also the only three cast members of the seven principals playing single roles, which again leads to some confusion in the narrative and the overall impact of the piece. Minor changes to costumes for the remaining four (Vernon, Tripti Tripuraneni, Amanda Hadingue, Lea Des Garets) are evident, with changes in accents and vocal tone where appropriate, given that all play male roles as well as female. However, there is not enough to distinguish one character from another, resulting in a rather muddled output. That being said, the emotional depth and sincerity of the performance is palpable, with Vernon being a particular highlight, bringing real depth and sense of reality to her three characters.
Given the compact in-the-round environment of the Orange Tree, the staging and set (Yates) are very simple and work well with the narrative, the cast moving four stools around as scenes change. All good here until near the end when removing one stool completely from the set to make space for the finale an audience member got hit on the leg. A solitary fight scene between Noor and Cartaud (Tripuraneni) was also slightly misguided given the close quarters of the audience to the action, with many spectators on the front rows wincing and having to move out of the way.
Emotions at the end run high and a standout moment is Noor addressing the audience, making eye contact with every single individual as she paces around the set to wrap up the story and prepare us for the finale.
This is a powerful piece with enormous potential and Noor’s tale demands to be heard. With three known biographies published, a portrait bust in Gordon Square, London, and various historic records kept, long may her memory and courage live on.
Writer – Stephanie Street
Director – Elin Schofield
Production Dramaturg – Diyan Zora
Set & Costume Designer – Anna Yates
Lighting Designer – Ryan Joseph Stafford
Composer – Nicola T Chang
Sound Designer – Tingying Dong
a small and quiet light plays at the Orange Tree Theatre until Saturday 24 October.
