Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog

My second Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation this week, the first being Imp, the fourth of Caryl Churchill’s new quartet of plays at the Royal Court. This much told and adapted story gets a radical overhaul, set during the 2020 US presidential race.

In addition to the story of the man who turns into someone else courtesy of a potion, writer-director Ross McGregor gives it bigger meaning, about the possibilities of breeding only the good in people and eradicating the evil and divisiveness in contemporary society. By setting it during an election campaign with Jekyll, a city mayor, running for the democratic nomination, it’s able to bring out issues like gun crime, the patriarchy, sexual abuse, homophobia; the classic American election trilogy – Guns, Gays and God.

It’s hugely ambitious, and there’s a lot packed in, but I felt at the expense of clarity, resulting in a lot of plot holes. Some of this comes from the confusion of two periods, four years apart, even though they are ‘signposted’, some come from blurred characterisation and relationships and others from obtuse connections. There’s much to enjoy though, in the film noir aesthetic, the excellent production values and fine performances all around, with tension created and maintained well, but the pedant in me feels that less issues and strands would produce a clearer, more satisfying narrative. Perhaps a division of roles between writer and director might have helped?

Now finished at the Jack Studio Theatre Brockley, but worth catching if you’re near Guildford next month or near any of the eleven venues on Arrows & Traps Feb-Apr 2020 tour.