Following the programme note, I too would like to offer this review to John Hester, hoping that reports of the Players’ splendid achievement will help to speed his recovery.
For splendid indeed it was. There must be others like myself for whom Paradise Lost has loomed, an Everest-high peak, unattained except for a mass of familiar quotations and the titles of other books, such as A Long Day’s Dying and Precious Bane. For these Ann Duarte with the Hampstead Players have given us a wonderfully clear and lucid interpretation, full – there can be no doubt – of the basic grandeur and tragedy of the original. From the start the mood is set, with Stephen Tucker’s blind and inspired Milton dictating to his daughter the familiar words: Of man’s first disobedience and the fruit/Of that forbidden tree….’ From there we have the war in heaven, the temptation of Eve, and the final banishment of our lingering parents’ from the Garden of Eden.
All this is given us through a production full of shafts of true imagination. First we have Satan – a woman shimmering in gold cloak and informed with a passion which it seems is set to overcome. A female Satan? Well…. For Spirits when they please/Can either sex assume’ and Margaret Pritchard assumes it splendidly. She has the power of authority, a kingship which poses the dramatic opposition to the God of heaven – her credo Evil, be thou my good.’ Her strength as enemy is made clear: Better to reign in Hell than serve in heaven.’ Masked and cloaked, her dark angels fall dramatically from their happy seat’. Margaret Willmer must take great credit for costumes which interpret and inspire: dark blue cloaks for evil, light blue for the angels of heaven. And the interpretation of the Tree of Knowledge is immensely effective: three young men stand motionless, their hands held out, each holding the deadly fruit. Their silent offering underlines Eve’s time of temptation, the tension between Yes and No. So much so that we can wish that she would say No – but, as we know to our cost – she gave in. With the appearance of the two pivotal characters, Adam and Eve, we are again reminded of the skill in costume. Their pale shining dress contrasts with the darkness or grandeur elsewhere, their innocence and naivety are immediately before us. Mark Harrop and Jane Mayfield move and speak with grace and truth, their gentle language perfectly at odds with the darker passions. Darkness begins to emerge with Eve’s dream, when she foresees the tasting of the forbidden fruit.
It was appropriate that God the Father should speak to us unseen: John Willmer’s powerful voice comes from the dark as he orders the angel Raphael to warn the two at the centre of the drama to beware of Satan. I found Barbara Salmon’s Raphael an inspiring interpretation – most especially when she describes the Creation in the superb language – fish that – glide under the green wave … or show to the sun their waved coats dropt with gold.’ All this interspersed with the narrators counting the six days and ending with the creation of Man. Raphael gives his warning be strong, live happy, but keep his great command!’
It is difficult to select individual angels, dark and light, especially when it was clear how much they were all involved with the drama, but I liked Judy Burgess’ portrayal of Sin, gleaming with a dark humour, a quality not noticeable [naturally enough] in the story as a whole. Stephen Clarke is valiant as Gabriel in his opposition to Satan’s entry into Eden. And Thomas Gatley spoke with beautiful authority as God the Son.
The narrators – familiar and skilled voices all – gave us the splendid words of the drama with power and understanding. I was perhaps sorry that the structure of our church didn’t allow them to stand nearer to us and be visible. But nothing could halt the drive of the drama, with the grandeur of the words. This was a unique occasion for the Hampstead Players – in every aspect – sound, music, lighting as well as devoted playing by the cast. Ann Duarte has given us a memorable interpretation of one of the great monuments of our literary heritage. We go away with the cadences of the grand words in our heads, and the echoes of the story of the frailty of man – and his redemption – vividly before us. Heartfelt congratulations are due to all concerned.
Paradise Lost – review