The second venture will be a Spring production of the always intriguing, “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. This challenging piece of theatre attracted some new blood to the society as well as tempting back some returning members (possibly from more years ago than they care to remember! ).
This darkly humorous play is set in an American psychiatric hospital where the strict rules and routines are about to be shattered by the arrival of charismatic rogue, RP McMurphy. His battles with the controlling Nurse Ratched may give a new lease of life to his fellow inmates, but they turn out to be a gamble that has consequences for them all.
There were three performances at 7.30pm on 23rd, 24th and 25th April in The Plough.
NODA Review
Abuse of power. Mental Illness. Violence. Camaraderie. All these elements make up Dale
Wasserman’s stage adaptation of Ken Kesey’s vision of the madhouse, in “One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest”. These are difficult elements to portray convincingly and with the appropriate
sensitivity, not to mention taxing on the cast’s energy level.
The Players did it brilliantly!
I was engaged in the performance right from the moment I walked into the auditorium, to be faced
with ‘The Chief’ standing stock still in the middle of the set. Motionless for what must have been
about 20 or 30 minutes pre-show. Dimly lit, he was an unnerving sight that transfixed the audience
and set us all up with the feeling that this was an uncomfortable and unfriendly place. As the show
opened we were taken into his thoughts by way of a great piece of video work, that was stylish and
professional, not just in it’s editing, but also in it’s effects that painted the Chief’s mind as a stark,
scary and dark. Excellent work.
The discomfort in what we were seeing increased steadily, with moments that could have been from a
Panorama exposé on cruelty as the two orderlies played out their petty torments on the inmates with
delight.
I would actually say that I found no area of the production to be weak and found myself revelling in the
high standard of performance.
The only things I would pick out are a couple of the accents were not quite strong enough and I would
have liked to have seen a little more work to make The Chief more “tribal” – maybe through the use of
a facial tattoo. But these are really very minor things as both I and my fellow audience members loved
the whole thing.
The protagonists, McMurphy and Ratchett, were both played splendidly. McMurphy was a ball of
energy who’s mission became the undermining of Nurse Rachett’s little empire. He was both
destructive (to the establishment) and supportive (of his fellow inmates), delivering a performance that
kept the flow of action running smoothly, without dropping our engagement once.
Likewise, Ratchett’s performance was very slick, walking the difficult line between being a professional
nurse and a “power-crazy control freak”. She kept us flitting between seeing her as saint and sinner,
just as McMurphy jumped between saviour and savage.
Surrounding these two as they drew their battle lines were a very strong group of inmates and staff.
Even those who had little, or no, dialogue were well focused on their characters and location, not
once appearing to be dressing the set. It was impressive to see such a large cast working so well as a
team on set. There was just one substitution in the cast in which Scanlon was played by a woman –
but although that can be a risky thing to do, the audience accepted the change easily.
As for the technical aspects, the set was very well done, successfully creating the sterile rec room of
the institute, with a well conceived “meds room” which incorporated a nifty tannoy system to bark
orders from within. The strip light inside also did a great job of highlighting it as a separate space and
very bunker-like. Lighting was simple but very effective, taking us from day to a very atmospheric
night, plus some extra effects including the unseen electro-shock treatment room with it’s spilling out
of strobed light and chilling sound effect to accompany it.
Considering that this was this director’s first outing he managed the tension very well, in particular the
closing moments of the story in which he made excellent use of contemplative silences before the
final dramatic moment.
While the whole of the supporting cast were strong, comment must be made about ‘Billy’ whose
performance was outstanding. Starting as a vulnerable, timid and troubled young man, his explosions
of anger and frustration were unexpected and stunning, culminating in McMurphy’s scheme to
‘release his inner-self’ and ultimate tragedy as he takes his own life.
This was a fantastic production and I hope that everyone involved feels rightly proud with what they
have achieved.
Ian Goodenough
