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On Religion
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Tuesday 20th - Saturday 24th November, 2012 |
The Tower Theatre performing at the Bridewell Theatre |
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On Religion by the Tower Theatre
Time after time one schleps up to Fleet Street, often in the rain for some bizarre reason, yet every time I feel so glad I made the
effort. If someone wandered unknowingly into the Bridewell, they might think they had hit some kooky off-West End show. The production values
were exemplary and one would be hard pressed to fault this performance.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Bridewell, it was once a Victorian swimming baths. I believe the seating is above the old pool area but the
lighting box inhabits the old viewing gallery, fancy balustrade still in situ. The whole area is painted black on which each society can paint
on the personality of that show. This show had what appeared a simply set. Some flats on each side, proudly displaying six religious symbols
and a grey triangle on the floor, I hopefully presume to represent the holy vessel, Virgin Mary and suchlike (blame Dan Brown if I am wrong
on that one!). And that appeared all. Until the back wall morphed into a screen and the most amazing of animations played out all through the
performance. I say amazing as the detail that went in to them was astounding. Cleverly used to represent different scene settings, they
added a whole new dimension to the characters just by what was represented there. I'll give an example - atheist Grace had a bust of Darwin on the
'fireplace', further highlighting the contradicting views of each character.
And so the characters. This play has only four and each contributes to the production. The cast was well-chosen, with each actor embodying
the flaws and characteristics of their role perfectly. Anne Connell's Grace belittled everyone with her acerbic and overpowering domination, only showing
her more vulnerable side at the end. A role that could have easily been overacted in the hands of less experienced actors and a more careless director.
The other three were equally well acted. As I have previously said, you would think this was a professional production. Sharita Oomeer started out
subtly with Ruth but her character grew throughout the performance and contrasted nicely with bumbling and confused Tom (Thom Petty). Ian Recordon's Tony
finished the quartet with an enjoyable exasperation of this bossy and petulant wife.
Director Victor Craven did a splendid job and must be thoroughly praised for sensitively and successfully guiding these talented performers
through what could be seen as a minefield of a show. Religion is always a dangerous subject to wax lyrical on as some people hold such strong views,
often without the ability to listen properly to others. Having A.C. Grayling attend on the last night was sheer genius and I am sure anyone else
that was there that evening felt it made the night that much more memorable.
In true reviewer's fashion, I have one tiny gripe. The opening 'preview' video. I understand the need for amateur societies to promote their shows.
When it was emailed to me, I duly watched it. I didn't learn much about the show but enjoyed the music and videography. I just don't understand
why it had to be shown at the beginning of the performance. I found it, dare I say, slightly self-indulgent. But that is just me, finding the
needle in the haystack of an inspiring and excellent production.
Review in "The Countess" in 'Sardines' magazine
Photography by David Sprecher
On Religion by the Tower Theatre
It was with high hopes that I attended the final performance of On Religion, as produced by the Tower Theatre at the Bridewell Theatre.
The word on the street was that this was a real gem. Craven's recent directorial vision on Talking Heads with KDC, starring two of the four
actors from this production, had received similar praise. And the subject matter : a thinking play about religion but a feeling play about a family
locked in battle over their differences was very appealing. How many plays really have an intention to make you both think and feel?
The story is simple. Grace (Anne Connell) is a university lecturer and prominent atheist (sorry naturalist). She is married to Tony (Ian Recordon) : a
Jew. Her son, Tom (Thom Petty) is a lawyer and has a girlfriend Ruth (Sharita Oomer), who the family seem to approve of. Conflict arises in the
family when Tom decides to give up his job as a lawyer as he is feeling a calling from God to be a man of the cloth.
Of course any play with a cast of just four normally gives the actors something really juicy to work with, and all four actors in this production
have moments to shine, but really the story is that of Grace. We really journey through everything with her, and Anne Connell's performance is
outstanding. From the very first scene, in which we cannot even see her eyes because they have been covered up by ping-pong balls for a scientific
experiment to help her have a 'religious experience', we get to know a fully-realised, three-dimensional woman, her sarcastic wit actually covering
up how humourless she can be if you get her talking about anything to do with religion. A C Grayling called the character a 'female Richard Dawkins'
in his Q & A session after the performance and that was clear to anyone who knows anything about modern theology. Connell played Grace as a formidable
woman, who will stop at nothing in her aim to change the world for the better by eradicating religion. Every scene she was in, you couldn't help
but be drawn towards her. Her stage presence was electric.
The cause of all the contention, Tom, was a less vocal, less sure of himself, less confident character. His changing views on religion didn't even
seem solidified as he took on the role of vicar. Thom Petty, in only his second acting role, played a sensitive and realistic portrayal of the man
who had been torn in so many directions. His pivotal scene with Connell at the end of Act One was a great shift in the character and Petty gave
an intelligent performance that showed there was more than one side to the character of Tom.
Ian Recordon's Tony, patient, accepting and tolerant of his frankly intolerable wife, was incredibly natural in all the scenes at home. You
really felt like he was living in the scenes at the dinner table and in the lounge with his newspaper. Often the voice of reason in amongst
all the other drama around him, Recordon showed his experience as an actor, by playing down the unshowy part, which really helped to hammer home the
range of characters in the play.
The character of Ruth, drawn into this dysfunctional family was a hard one to pin down. Tony at one point refers to Ruth as 'scary', but there certainly
no indications of this early on in the play, possibly because of the ferocity of Connell's performance as Grace. Oomeer seemed quieter, shyer and more
reserved and I was concerned that she wasn't playing the part as confidently or assertively as the character demanded. Then along came a pivotal scene
in the Second Act, between Oomeer and Connell which literally blew me away and any doubts as to the range that Oomeer might have were thrown away.
Such a fine cast can only produce the level of performances that these four actors did with a superb vision and driving force behind them and
Victor Craven as the director must take a huge amount of credit for that. A play that could get bogged down in wordy speeches, it never ever
dropped pace and the family unit was set up with such realism that you could believe these were real people, despite the somewhat contrived
set up in the writing (an atheist married to a Jew with a child who becomes a vicar?) If the intention was to make the audience think AND feel,
then that was certainly achieved. My religious views are probably closest to the character of Grace's, but the compelling argument that Tom makes in
the second act for the existence of God as a force is a fascinating watch. And the scene in the church between Ruth and Grace brought a tear or two
to these eyes as both women captured the pain that the last two years had brought them with incredible intensity. Craven knows when to change the gear
from thinking to feeling for the audience and had a great ability to move between the two types of theatre without the audience even realising.
Mention of Craven cannot end there. His projection and sound design, along with Phillip Ley's set design was one of the big highlights of the play.
The sets were simple but effective, but added to by the most incredible projections at the back of the stage. These were used to great dramatic effect
and the sound that accompanied the breaking of the music to go into each scene gave a feeling of foreboding that suited the play perfectly.
In my time I've seen a lot of theatre, both professional and non-professional, but this play really was one of the best nights that I have ever had
at the theatre. It is a huge shame that the run is over because I could not recommend it highly enough and am extremely excited to see what Victor
Craven is looking to produce next. One thing's for sure, I'll be in the audience!his production of a true classic and important play and wholeheartedly
recommend anyone to go see it.
Review in "Theblokesreview" by 'Theatrebloke'
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Cast |
Production Team |
 | Anne Connell has been with the Tower since 1994,
playing numerous parts since then including Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa, Mrs.
Venables in Suddenly Last Summer, the Narrator in Under Milk Wood, Muriel in Habeas Corpus, the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz, Florence in The Odd Couple and, most recently, Jane Murdstone in David Copperfield. She also co-authored Curiouser and Curiouser, an adaptation and merging of both of Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books, performed at the Minack Theatre in
2008. She also has a habit of performing Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues, having recently completed a third. She has a particular interest in this play as she studied Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London, during A.C. Grayling's time there as a lecturer.
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 | Sharita Oomeer has been involved in semiprofessional theatre since 2005. As a member of the Kelvin Players in Bristol, she
performed in The Seagull, Adrian Mole aged 13¾ and 'Allo Allo, as well as a number of rehearsed readings. In London, Sharita has been involved in youth theatre and new writing projects at Hampstead Theatre and with the Chelsea Players. She performed in a musical version of She Stoops To Conquer with KDC Theatre and has appeared in a number of Tower Theatre productions, including The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Changeling and Calendar Girls.
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 | Thom Petty studied composition and keyboard at the Royal Northern College of Music Junior School and with the National Youth Orchestra. He appeared in the 1998 BBC Young Musicians Composers' Workshop on BBC 2 and has since had pieces performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Cheltenham Festival, York Late Music Festival, King's Place, on Radio 3, and in film and TV. He composed the score for the 2010 film Release (Bonne Idée Productions) which won the Movies on the Move Best UK Drama Feature Award at the End of the Pier Film Festival. 2012 marks a return to the
theatre for Thom, playing Pimp in Sink the Belgrano for SEDOS. He is very excited to be cast in On Religion, his first production with the Tower.
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 | Ian Recordon has played a wide variety of roles ranging from Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge, Sir in The Dresser, Ralph Nickelby and Newman Noggs in Nicholas Nickelby and C S Lewis in Shadowlands to lighter roles such as Elyiot in Private Lives, Henry Higgins in Pygmalion, Gary Essendine in Present Laughter, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Geoffrey in Stepping Out. Recent productions include Talking Heads (Graham in A Chip in the Sugar) also directed by Victor
Craven, and Tony Buckingham in Baba Shakespeare at the RSC's Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
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