Copy of Extra!_Extra!_G_Wohead_Theatre_Review_A__Clockwork_Orange_Theatro_Technis_2010
1. Theatre Review
Hom eRe v i e we r s
FourthMonkeyTheatre Companypresents
Anthony Burgess
AClockwork Orange
Directed by Steven Green
Theatro Technis
9-13 March2010
2. A reviewby Greg Woheadfor EXTRA! EXTRA!
As established theatre companies plod on through the years, often their work can lose
some of its original spirit, getting bogged down in endless pandering to ticket sales,
audiences who dont wish to be challenged and a host of other issues that plague
companies as they try to find a place in the theatrical landscape. How refreshing,
therefore, to see a production like A Clockwork Orange, the first production by Fourth
MonkeyTheatre Company, which is full of the energy and unapologetic enthusiasm
that is so lacking in many older companies. Director Steven Green and everyone
involved in the productionfrom the actors to the designersmake the bold choices that
are required to transport the audience into the dystopian world of Anthony Burgess A
Clockwork Orange.
The story takes place in an Englandof the near future, where gangs of youths, who
speak in an Anglo-Russified slang, get their pleasure from beating, raping and
stealing from helpless victims. The young people of this reality terrorise and
intimidate, unleashing violently feral attacks on random people they come across.
Alex, the ring leader ofone such gang, and his droogs, or friends, Dim and Georgie,
set out on a night of mayhem that goes wrong when Alexs dominant position in the
gang is challenged.
Immediately upon entering the theatre I am brought into the world of the play and the
chaos that comes with it by the set, designed by Fiona Russell. Dirtymattresses lay
haphazard on the floor, strings of lights dangle from the ceiling, boxes lay scattered in
a corner and chairs hang upside down on the wall, and Green uses everything in the
space, by staging the play not just on the set, but organically in, around and through the
rich environment created by Russell.
The music and lighting also add to the energy and momentum of the play from the
beginning, inducing a pulsating rhythm that gets to the heart of the animal instinct
portrayed by Alex. The lighting design by Joshua Carr alsoplays boldly alongside the
music. During the wordless introduction of Alex at the start, a single bright light shines
down on him harshly and throughout the play both the lighting and sound design (by Jo
Jeff Abram) establish the tone and keep it going.
The performances in this productionlive up to the raw energy of the design choices,
with Amy Brangwyns Alex at the centre, creating an absolute whirlwind of energy
onstage which spreads to the other actors. Bianca Beckles-Rose provesvery
versatile, in turns effectively portraying the restrained Deltoid andin a brief but
memorable scene in which Alex returns to his parents to find his room has been rented
out to the eccentric Lodger Joe.
Fourth Monkey has created aproduction with unrestrained passion at its heart, and A
Clockwork Orange seems a perfect fit to mirror the pure youthful energy of the
company. This short run at Theatro Technis will be followed by a run at The Space on
the Mile at the Edinburgh Festival this summer. As Fourth Monkey continues togrow,
to find their feet and to explore with more specificity and subtlety, lets hope they never
lose the uninhibited commitment to creating bold work that they show with A
Clockwork Orange.
