With each rolling news story fed to us by the media, it seems that Anthony Burgess’s totalitarian dystopia is getting ever closer, if it hasn’t arrived already. A Clockwork Orange brings that world vividly to life in a production by Alexandra Spencer-Jones at The Park Theatre.
Well known for its film adaptation, A Clockwork Orange follows Alexander DeLarge as he and his ‘droogs’ go on a violent crime spree, Alexander is imprisoned and in order to gain early release undergoes aversion therapy. The Ludovico Technique, as it is known, is successful – but despite being liberated, Alexander has lost his free-will.
This production of A Clockwork Orange is a wonderful fusion of drama and dance with a clear ballet influence in the sequence by Hannah Lee. The choreography from director, Alexandra Spencer-Jones, is animalistic and carnal, the fight scenes are particularly impressive with the cast prowling across the stage like wolves, although overall, the production is considerably less graphic than its cinematic counterpart.
The all-male cast is led by Jonno Davies in the role of Alexander, Davies gives an outstanding performance; you can see rage literally tearing through his body and fear bulging in his eyes. Then he draws the audience in with a masterful use of ‘Nadsat’, the adolescent slang mix of Russian, English and cockney rhyming slang.
The rest of the cast do well in picking up a variety of characters, including females, though it’s sometimes difficult to establish whether it’s a man or a woman being portrayed. This leaves the production treading a fine line between some form of homoeroticism and an overtly camp performance; neither is wrong, they just struggle together.
The set is entirely bare, with the odd prop and bright splash of orange wheeled in as necessary, yet the staging works fantastically well. When Alex’s shadow is projected high on to the back, brick wall of the auditorium it’s a great example of the visual spectacle that can be achieved without sets or props. While much of that spectacle comes from the actors incredibly physical performances, the lighting design from James Baggaley emphasises it beautifully.
A Clockwork Orange opens with a cacophony of sound, a mixture of classical music and heavy rock, this sets the scene for a play that is almost always two things at once; a play and a ballet, a drama and a comedy and males who are females. In the main, it’s a thrilling production that’s been handsomely staged and wonderfully cast.
