Review: THE SEVEN POMEGRANATE SEEDS, Rose Theatre

There's a huge amount going on in a short time in Colin Teevan's The Seven Pomegranate Seeds, now showing at the Rose Theatre. Seven stories about maternal pain and loss from the women in the plays of Euripides are transported from classic mythology to modern-day scenarios. Despite this intriguing concept, the resulting production feel rushed and fails to live up to its potential.

The stories are adaptations of those of Medea, Phaedra, Hypsipyle, Persephone, Demeter, Alcestis and Creusa. Persephone in Yorkshire hints at a young girl who is victim of a murderer on the moors. Hypsipyle in Washington is a young nanny who prefers to look at her phone rather than her charge. Alcestis in Covent Garden is a surreal tale that sees a wife risk her life to save her husband before an intervention from Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.

It's a shame that any interest or intrigue is left unsatisfied as the production hurtles to the next story. The story of Cruesa, as a woman imagining her lost child as an adult at an adoption party, feels particularly tantalising in potential.

Niamh Cusack copes admirably with the rapid changes in pace and characters, bringing distinctive alternations in tone. She has remarkable stage presence, but is not given enough time to fully embrace the personalities. Her take on Phaedra, as an alcoholic with unsuitable desires for her stepson, shows the internal conflict and frustration very poignantly.

Shannon Hayes has a hard job in the shadow of Cusack's skill, but her energy is impressive. While Cusack show very sinister intent as Medea's abusive partner, Hayes' Medea, while not a murderer, muses thoughtfully on her role as a mother, her financial independence, her suffocating relationship and the resulting violence. Hayes also shows convincing, childlike qualities as Persephone.

Teevan's play began on Radio 4, which may suit it better, as it is the visual action that distracts. Narrative that could have been thoughtful fails to make an impact. The writing is poetic, but the stories are crammed into just 80 minutes, so it is impossible to see them as more than little vignettes. Melly Still's direction feels almost manic at points and must be grueling for the two actors. It certainly felt exhausting to watch as Cusack and Hayes run around the multi-level stage.

Visually, the production is arresting. The stage and the whole auditorium, designed by Still, is draped with strings, perhaps symbolising threads of the past. Malcolm Rippeth's lighting design is often hauntingly beautiful and Jon Nicholls' pop-influenced composition is disquieting and captivating.

There is much potential in this production; the exploration of maternal pain and struggle is made very real, but the frenzied action and lack of depth to the stories makes it ultimately frustrating.

The Seven Pomegranate Seeds is at Rose Theatre until 20 November

Photo Credit: The Other Richard

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