Cathy review at the Pleasance Theatre, London – ‘impassioned’
by Dave Fargnoli
This article was originally published on www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2016/cathy-review-at-the-pleasance-theatre-london/
Inspired by Ken Loach’s seminal 1966 TV drama Cathy Come Home, Ali Taylor’s reworking brings the story up to date, pitting the protagonist against exploitative landlords, inescapable poverty, and an under-funded, crushingly impersonal housing system.
Cathy Owen plays the title character with real heart, movingly charting her descent from stolid provider to homeless and helpless. Hayley Wareham also stands out as her resourceful but increasingly frustrated teenage daughter.
Matt Lewis’ sound design has a significant presence – sometimes subtle, sometimes jarring – a constant background burble of mumbling voices, traffic noise, and squealing drills. Never overwhelming the action, this soundscape is nonetheless impossible to ignore, adding stifling weight to the show’s oppressive atmosphere. Underscoring the scale of the crisis, snippets of recorded interviews play between scenes, but the device is underused, an added texture rather than a full hearing of these testimonies.
After the interval, the company revises the preceding scenes in forum, bringing audience members onstage to offer suggestions and solutions for the character’s troubles. Far from feeling forced, this section genuinely builds on the scripted material, thanks largely to director Adrian Jackson’s easy rapport, and some excellent improvisational work from the cast.
The result is a lively debate, which skilfully encourages us to engage with the play’s pressing themes. At a time of escalating house prices and entrenched inequality, a touching and troubling productions like this may be just as urgent now as they were half a century ago.
Author: Ali Taylor
Director: Adrian Jackson
Assistant Director: Emilia Teglia
Set: Lucy Sierra
Lighting: Mark Dymock
Sound: Matt Lewis
Stage manager: Fergus Waldron (technical stage manager), Jasmin Hay (company stage manager)
Production manager: Ed Borgnis
Cast includes
Cathy Owen, Hayley Wareham, Amy Loughton, Alex Jones, Carrie Rock, Denholm Spurr, Adrian Jackson, Terry O’Leary, Kerry Norridge
Producer: Cardboard Citizens
Image: Hayley Wareham and Cathy Owen in Cathy at the Pleasance, London. Photo: Pamela Raith