THE NOMADS “Roots” 30th September 2015 - The Nomad Theatre
This iconic Arnold Wesker play was a big success when it premiered in London in 1959. Set in rural Norfolk in 1958, it is the story of Beatie Bryant who returns from London to visit her family in rural Norfolk. Beatie is much influenced by her fiance in London, Ronnie, who is a fervent socialist and she endeavours to enlighten her family on his principles prior to his forthcoming visit to them. She constantly quotes him, sometimes standing on a chair for a “soapbox”.
She is staying with her sister Jenny and her husband Jimmy Beales and later visits her parents, where the family meeting with her fiance is due to take place. All her family live a life of almost total tedium, wrapped up in their own little world of rural domesticity. and Beatie finds this almost unbearable. She longs for Ronnie to arrive and enliven and enlighten them!
Gradually we began to see that Beatie was actually no more than a mouthpiece for Ronnie’s opinions and with no real spark of her own. It was only in Act 3 upon receiving Ronnie’s letter of rejection that the wonderful realisation dawned upon her that she did have a unique voice of her own and, in denouncing the status quo, her relatives, peers and their boring humdrum lives, emancipation, thrillingly, finally comes to her.
Young Alannah Winn-Taylor gave an extremely strong and very charismatic performance as Beatie in the lead role, her palpable frustration and building rage leading to the explosive climax were wonderfully enacted. Her mother, Mrs Bryant, was played with a growing frustration by Moyra Brookes in another bravura performance. The fractious relationship between these two women underpinned the story, the frustration built between them until it finally exploded in a cathartic release of emotion culminating in a blazing and prolonged row. Mr Bryant, Beatie’s father was a petty small-minded man, worrying over money - so much so that he prohibited Beatie from baking a cake due to the cost of electricity used! Stephen Rowland played this hopeless character to perfection.
Laura Spalding and Giovanni Tagliarini respectively played Jenny and Jimmy Beales, Beatie’s sister and her husband. Both captured the down-trodden, humdrum lifestyle in rural Norfolk rather well.
Joe St. Johanser gave a strong performance in the smaller role of permanently ailing and subsequently dying elderly neighbour, Stan Mann. Robert Smithers did well as Jimmy Beale’s boss.
In the final scene, a feast has been prepared for Ronnie’s arrival. The whole family are present, including Frankie and Pearl Bryant, Beatie’s other brother and sister, ably played by Daniel Shepherd and Sarah Wilson respectively.
This talented cast, under the direction of Alan Wiseman, did full justice to Wesker’s wonderful “kitchen-sink” play. Their Norfolk accents, coached by Andrew Hamel-Cooke, sounded totally authentic to my ears. Realistically dowdy 1950’s costumes (provided by Elizabeth Cross, Jenny Hasted and the cast) were worn by the relations. These and the mundane sets with dreary furnishings - two kitchens and a front room parlour in similar style - perfectly captured the downmarket and tedious lives of Beatie’s relatives.
Production manager was Elaine Burns, a wise choice. Lighting was once again in the capable hands of Tony and Dee Bowdery.
Director Alan Wiseman told me, after the show, that he had long been waiting for a sufficiently talented cast before directing the play. By any standard he has succeeded and there was great attention to detail in all we witnessed, from authentic accents, realistic body language and in the interplay between the characters. The pace in this production was particularly impressive.
It was a thought provoking, slightly disturbing play, as the author clearly intended and had he been present to witness this engrossing performance, he would surely have been purring with pride and pleasure.
Jon Fox Noda rep
Roots review from Noda http://t.co/IqMc5H7e5r