Play: Thérese Raquin

Thérese Raquin, eh? Well, I'd seen it before, but an invitation from the Man with the Hat was enough incentive to go see it again. So, off I went with Let's Do London - for Less! to Southwark Playhouse. Always a good night, a good show with good company..

I was in Guildford, but it was late enough that I shouldn't - and didn't - have trouble getting there in time. Wouldn't drive there - awful driving route and iffy parking - so bus it was. Now, I've developed a thing of arriving at the stop at the same time as the 344 bus. Unfortunately, this evening I was slightly too late (or it was too early), and I was waiting to cross the road as it pulled away. Blast. Never mind, the next one came along within 10 minutes, and I was going to be early for the play anyway.

Downstairs was full, so I had to sit on top.. ooh, it's been a while, and by the time I staggered off at Newington Causeway I was feeling a bit seasick. However, I made it safely up the road and lived to order a drink - they seem to have upped their price to £6 for a large wine, but it's still decent value. Located group, sat with them down the back until the Man with the Hat called us all to order, the house now being open. Of course, this is a place where you simply take your drink in with you - not even required to convert the container to plastic. Very handy.

We'd been warned that this was to be a somewhat salacious performance - as we entered, in fact, the air was thick with vapour of some kind, and someone remarked that it was "already steamy!" Well, it was unassigned seating - I ended up about halfway up this small theatre (it's in the smaller of the two) and to the side. Bench seating, for this - not the most comfortable, by the end of the night. But otherwise fine.

A somewhat dingy set reflects the mood of the piece. Based on a story by Émile Zola, it's a sordid tale - it's not much of a spoiler to say that the eponymous Thérese is locked in an unhappy marriage, and ends up falling for her husband's best friend - an attractive artist. But you know, be careful what you wish for - it might not bring what you desire, and in this case, her desires prove her downfall: and not only hers, but that of almost everyone around her.

As I mentioned before, I'd already seen a production of this, and was on the alert for differences between them. Certainly, I found this production much more sympathetic towards her, both in its depiction of her as a tortured soul, and in its depiction of her husband as, frankly, the most irritating, sickly, snivelling, spoilt brat you could hope not to meet. He treats her as an inconvenience, his sister (more commonly his mother, in the traditional tale) doesn't understand her either, and just treats her as a dogsbody. It's not until the arrival of the handsome young friend that Thérese feels she has found someone who truly understands her.

Ah yes, the handsome young friend. He, of course, provides the promised "full-frontal nudity", and a fine figure of a man he is, too. Someone remarked, at the interval, that they thought they'd noticed a birthmark.. can't really say, myself. (Sorry, photography not allowed.) But his isn't the only memorable performance - this is an almost overpowering play. It's packed with sexual tension, laid on thick with ominous music, and with pointed looks that are followed by graphic physical acts. Indeed, by the end - when they took their bows - I did remark that there were few members of the cast who weren't.. messy. Covered in water, or blood, or whatever. They put in a hard evening's effort.

A small set nonetheless works well in depicting the different scenes, and clever lighting changes and rearrangement of props completely change the mood - in particular from the first act, where the sexual tension is awakened and plans are laid, to the second act, where we see the dreadful consequences. And I thought the Yorkshire accent worked really well, even if it is set in Paris! Nowt like a bit of French mixed in..

Personal favourite moments - not yet mentioned - include the dead guy who has more fun than when he was alive, and the corpse that laughs in bitter revenge, right at the end. O yes, this is very watchable, and highly recommended; runs until 3 September.

And we're following the Man with the Hat around again tomorrow night, when he's leading London for Less than a Tenner to Top Secret. Slightly later start than usual, which is always handy, you know, for eating and such.. not that you can't eat there, but still..