Things are changing at The Old Vic.In THE HAIRY APE, Yank, a stoker on a 1930’s transatlantic liner, considers himself powerful and indestructible. What he doesn’t realise is that this only applies in his own world; a labourer’s world of sweat, dirt and rough hands. Yank’s perception of himself is challenged when he encounters the pristine beauty of his boss’s daughter, an event that sends him on a journey of self-discovery and a glimpse of her privileged world, a world in which he has little value.
The director, Richard Jones, coaxes very physical performances from his cast and isn’t afraid of pushing the expressionistic side of the text. The striking opening scene uses choreographed movement to grab the audience's attention and draw them into the story. There’s a lot of animalistic qualities in the male characters, helping us to understand that the ship’s boiler room is an alpha-male’s kingdom. Stewart Laing’s minimalistic set, combined with Alletta Collin’s earthy choreography, add to the brutal impact.
Yet the surreal and somewhat experimental language of Yank’s story, which Jones’ chooses to emphasise, doesn’t make for an emotionally engaging production. Too often the weight of the text, especially the lengthy monologues, drags the evening to a standstill.
Bertie Carvel’s muscular physicality as Yank is more than convincing, yet it is very difficult to understand his reasoning, making it almost impossible to sympathise with his character.
Indeed a lot of words in this production have little impact, sometimes due to bad projection from the actors and sometimes due to the lack of connection they seem to have with the text. Only Steffan Rhodri, as an older Irish worker, manages to bring a truthful, more naturalistic life to the script and his character’s situation.
“The Hairy Ape” is definitely a brave production that illustrates the impact Warchus hopes to make at The Old Vic.
Change is often good, especially in the theatre but on this occasion the knotty, expressionistic play and stark production almost defy you to enjoy the result.
There are certain shows where you are painfully aware that you are just not the target audience. Arriving at Elf, which is playing a Christmas season at the Dominion Theatre, I tried vainly to go with the flow and just accept the evening for the light, Christmas treat it is meant to be. However the relentless predictability and lack of theatrical imagination left me frustrated. Yet despite the controversially inflated ticket prices for a family show, the rest of the audience appeared to be having a great time and the show delivered the kind of family entertainment they were clearly anticipating.