Theatre / arnos vale cemetery
Review: The Turn of the Screw, Arnos Vale Cemetery
If you are staging Henry James’ gothic novella The Turn of the Screw, you need two things locked in before you even start to think about success: a strong adaptation, and atmospheric staging. Bristol’s Red Rope Theatre provide both.
The adaptation, by Red Rope’s Rebecca Robson, maintains the voice of the source material whilst providing scope for the company to put their own stamp on the tale. The company use just three actors (Lois Baldry, Zach Powell and Robson as the Governess) to tell the story: after a brief introduction, the latter recalls her experiences at Bly, building towards the inevitable haunting spectacle.
is needed now More than ever
Baldry creates several of the characters with ease, never leaving us at a loss as to whom we are dealing with or where we are in the story. Robson holds court for the majority of the 80-minute running time, leading us through the Governess’ experience at Bly. As both adaptor and Governess, the success of the piece is largely down to her stylish adaptation and her nuanced performance.
Powell’s performance is strong when he is given the opportunity and the material. The rest of the time, though, he feels a little wasted. Which begs the question – could this have been a two-hander?
The atmospheric staging comes courtesy of the venue itself. Arnos Vale Cemetery, rapidly becoming one of Bristol’s more intriguing performance venues, provides the perfect backdrop. The walk towards the chapel in the dark, the prologue on the steps, the journey into Bly: all are made all the more special by this uniquely atmospheric setting.
Whilst this may not be The Woman in Black, jump-out-of-your-skin horror, Red Rope Theatre has created a chillingly “delicious” autumnal unease with an inventive take on a classic tale.
The Turn of the Screw was performed at Arnos Vale Cemetery from Oct 18-29. For more from Red Rope Theatre, visit www.facebook.com/redropetheatre
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
