This was a matinee
performance with a touch tour beforehand.
The National Theatre sends an audio CD with notes on the play with
descriptions of the set, the characters and their clothing.
At around 12.45, we
gathered in the foyer and were taken back stage in the Lyttelton Theatre. Andrew Holland, one of the describers, with
Tony McBride was there to explain the complex set which is a house on a revolving
stage. The revolve mechanism is
sparingly used in this proscenium theatre though the set was open to view at
all times.
The house is in a
state of dereliction with clutter gathered from the originally inherited
property, along with trinkets, ephemera and junk associated with the 1960s. We were invited to explore the set. Two weeks ago, we had the thrill of being
revolved on the Olivier set. However, the
set for the Last of the Haussmans has much tighter clearances and requires some
nifty footwork on the part of the actors.
I wandered around
the stage and my cane picked up the cobbled terrace surface with moss,
reminding me of monoblock driveways which are magnets for jet clean cowboy
merchants. Inside the house itself, I
was in a dining area, then the sofa and coffee table room when I noticed an
ashtray and dipped my finger in it.
Expecting some authentic National Theatre cigarette ash and a few stubs,
I was surprised to feel a cool wet liquid.
Later on in the kitchen I was joined by David Milling, the stage manager,
and we discussed props in the kitchen and I asked about the ashtray. Back came the answer that it was KY Gel.
David explained the
significance of some of the props including the use of the loud hailer or
megaphone to be used by Judy (Julie Walters).
Stephen Beresford had recalled an incident when boat trips approaching a
relative’s would announce the appearance of some of the properties in view and
the relative would pick up the megaphone and shout back. I understand the feeling, having shouted back
to the radio. We continued to discuss
theatre, audio description and how helpful these touch tours are to visually
impaired people who can’t observe some actions on stage or indeed identify some
characters.
At this point we
were joined by someone who introduced himself to me as Rory and I asked if he
was Rory Kinnear, who plays Nick. It was
indeed Rory Kinnear and as the Haussmans is very much a product of the 1960s, I
mentioned that his father, Roy Kinnear, had spoken at my school in Edinburgh
around 1967. Rory discussed his part in
the play and some questions were asked about his costumes and how “filthy” they
were in reality.
Soon it was time to
get our headsets from Reuben Lane who gave us directions in finding the correct
door to get to our seats. Large print
copies of the cast list were also available.
The performance started at 14.15 and the audio description started about
20 minutes before with Reuben making a sound check.
Characters in order
of speaking
Libby – Helen
McCrory
Nick – Rory KinnearSummer – Isabella Laughland
Judy – Julie Walters
Peter – Matthew Marsh
Daniel – Taron Egerton
Stage Manager –
David Milling
The play follows in
chronological stages, cued by lighting and revolutions of the set. Themes of sibling rivalry are introduced by
Libby and Nick and then the stroppy teenager enters. The dialogue is current, though there are
some references to certain British institutions such as the broadcasting Dimbleby. Some knowledge of the geography of Plymouth
and South Devon is useful as is the predilection of the British for the Donkey
Sanctuary.
This play could
certainly transfer to The Hamptons, Hilton Head Island, Starnberger See or Lake
Geneva. The dialogue is slick and timing
excellent. The audio description is
useful in getting some of the cues such as the lighting of a cigarette and the
opening of an over shaken drinks can.
The programme notes
are sparse apart from a timeline through the period from 1960 to 1978 and
extracts from speeches or articles by characters then and later on such as Dominic
Sandbrook, Arthur Marwick, Jenny Diski, Mrs Thatcher and Tony Blair. The play evokes memories for those of a
certain age now that the 1960s are being contextually analysed by talking
heads. Much of the experience of the
1960s has always been parodied by those who say that if you could remember the
period then you did not live it. I
overheard some people behind me commenting on the aged hippy syndrome.
National Theatre
webpage for The Last of the Haussmans: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/the-last-of-the-haussmans
There is an
interesting video on YouTube of cast interviews as well as comments by the
playwright Stephen Beresford.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=TdFcnQgYF3k&feature=endscreen
The play will be
broadcast live to cinemas across the UK and internationally. More information on dates and venues is
available on:
http://microsites.nationaltheatre.org.uk/70220/productions/the-last-of-the-haussmans.html
Information on other
NT productions to be broadcast can be found on:
http://microsites.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntlive
There is also an
interesting video on the NT website with Tony McBride talking about the process
of audio describing a play:
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/video/audio-description
More information on
facilities at the NT for the visually impaired can be found on:
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/access/facilities-for-visually-impaired-people