Meu Fado Meu

The Caretaker
Originally uploaded by Sheffield Theatres.

I absolutely love visiting Sheffield Theatres.  In particular, I always eagerly anticipate performances in The Crucible.  It’s often said The Crucible is “a very special space” though this is no hyperbole; with its highly adaptable thrust stage and enveloping seating arrangement this is a fantastic place to be a member of the audience and, apparently, to act.

Staging here is always excellent, often spare but effective.  A production of Lear (Edward Bond) was notable for its muddy building site; Much Ado (Will Somebody) for its bedroom farce door arrangements; A Streetcar Named Desire (Tennessee Williams) for its vertiginous canyon.

You’ll think I go here with rosy specs, well I do notice some deficiencies - the seats cause the worst bum-numbing known to thespians, the carpet is highly dubious and the bar is just awful.  However, these are all due to be addressed soonish with a refurb.

Anyway. This week’s sortie was to The Caretaker by Harold Pinter.  The props department had been making up for lost time - everything that was excluded from the last dozen minimalist productions turned up in this one, helping to suggest Aston’s sorry room.  The awkwardness of the powerful love between the two brothers (Aston and Mick) was clear though at times, I thought, overpowered by the larger-than-life antics of Mick as he tries to scare off Davies, the interloper.

Pinter’s pauses are hard. His characters say much when they’re quiet. They take a bit of getting used to but repay the effort. In a post-show discussion, the actors explained that, as well as understanding every line, they ensure they’ve worked out what they think is happening in every pause so they’re not just counting time.  This seems to work - the characters’ inner lives came over well.

Another thing the cast explained was that they created an extensive back-story for each character so they could put some reason and life into the relatively brief time the play covers.  The director also talked about Pinter’s work being a heightened reality and poetry - in the sense of not naturalistic but stylistic.

The Crucible didn’t disappoint - great play, well presented, lots to think about - and a numb bum.

The Caretaker - Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, UK - 9 November 2006
By - Harold Pinter
Director - Jamie Lloyd
Cast - David Bradley; Nigel Harman; Con O’Neill