Review: THE CIRCLE, Orange Tree Theatre

On the surface it's the kind of play one imagines the angry young men to have railed against. Drawing room chatter and secret affairs. Frocks and frivolities. Chandeliers and champagne. First performed in 1921, has director Tom Littler served up a faithful blast from the past or does this new production look back in anger?

Elizabeth is in love with Teddy, a dashing businessman, charged with boyish spark by Chirag Benedict Lobo, about to return to Southeast Asia. His world of penurious romanticism is also one of thrilling excitement. He recalls hunting tigers in the jungle with swashbuckling giddiness. On the other hand Elizabeth's husband Clive languishes in Edwardian ennui and jazz age nihilism. His priority in life involves pedantically rearranging the furniture.

Meanwhile a parallel plot unfolds as Clive's divorced parents are unexpectedly reunited, much to the chagrin of Clive's mother's new husband Lord Porteus, a cantankerous octogenarian and walking-talking Vanity Fair cartoon played with cartoonish flare by Nicholas Le Prevost. Clive is not so much in the crossfire but collateral damage in the blazing guns of the roaring twenties' socio-political paradigm shifts.

If it sounds a bit Evelyn Waugh that's because it is. They swan around a manor house; Porteus and Clive are MPs, and something dark lingers beneath the high society chic. Gender reform, women's suffrage, and modern marriage are all caught in the skirmish as the lines between victim and perpetrator become increasingly blurred. Old flames reignite and new ones set fire too. Elizabeth must choose between her lover and her husband. Her mother-in-law must also choose too.

Littler's direction is confident albeit light touch. It's staged in the round. Set and props are kept to a minimal. Performers cosy up to the audience taking full advantage of the space's warm intimacy, a credit to their strong chemistry as an ensemble.

But the production often feels like a faithful homage, a museum piece placed softly on an alter to inspect rather than be dragged kicking and screaming into the twenty first century.

The production constantly straddles the line between farce and poignance without deciding which it prefers. In juggling all the themes none take the spotlight; the end result is a curious cross between The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Downton Abbey. Fun to watch yes, but overly cautious, especially when the play is populated by such colourful characters and ripe for serious cross examination.

This is Littler's first production as artistic director of the Orange Tree Theatre. Perhaps he is easing his way into the role, testing the waters with a safe bet, rather than diving into the deep end.

The Circle plays at the Orange Tree theatre until 17 June

Photography Credit: Ellie Kurttz

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