Review: NORTHANGER ABBEY, Orange Tree Theatre

It's no wonder that the Orange Tree Theatre is such a fan of Zoe Cooper. She received critical acclaim with both the beautifully touching Jess And Joe Forever in 2016 and the wonderfully perceptive Out Of Water in 2019 at the venue. There are many similaries here, with Cooper's deft handling of sexuality, friendship and social expectations, but this time taken from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. Is it another hit? Not quite.

We caper through Austen's satirical comedy of manners, highlighting the absurdity of social mores and giving a queer angle to female friendship. 

Director Tessa Walker takes us through the story with pace and vigour. There are some deftly performed ball scenes, as well as a clever carriage ride sequence that ends up looking like a giant game of Cat's Cradle across the stage. Flashbacks form a lot of the narrative. This rapid changing of scenes sometimes works well, but sometimes makes you feel as though you are watching a sequence of sketches, rather than a comprehensive story. 

Austen was not know for brevity of expression and there is a distinct lack of economy here; the production needs some trimming and it's a shame that the ending flags and ends up tailing off unremarkably. Cooper tries to give Cath agency by altering the ending of the story to make her a writer; it is not a happy, nor tragic end, just rather flat.

These flaws are somewhat made up for with some very fine performances from the trio of actors, who have brilliant chemistry together. Cooper follows her previous form in both Jess And Joe Forever and Out Of Water where the actors are narrators, as well as multi-roling.

Rebecca Banatvala’s Cath is a likable and natural protagonist, desperate to be swept into a gothic romance of her own, but eventually disillusioned by many of those who surround her. Banatvala's dread at Cath having a life of making cherry jam and helping to raise her siblings is palpable.

AK Golding gives great depth to Cath's friend Iz, simmering with desire for both her friend and for a marriage to give her a façade behind which she can live her life as she chooses. Golding is sharp and precise, with a lovely stage presence.

Sam Newton shows remarkable versatility and comic timing as both the buttoned up and sensitive Hen and the overbearing John Thorpe, who Newton brings Blackadder's Lord Flashheart levels of cartoonish bravado and rudeness to the role. He is also very funny as Cath's very pregnant mother and Hen's rather strange sister Ellie.

Hannah Sibai has covered the stage and balconies of the theatre in a warm, glowing pink, relying on sparse moveable props and Matt Haskin's imaginative lighting to tell much of the scene setting.

There is much to enjoy about this production, particularly the performances. It just runs out of puff and purpose at the end.

Northanger Abbey runs at the Orange Tree Theatre until 24 February

Photo Credits: Pamela Raith

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