ADC Theatre: Larkum Studio

November 26-28

Dir. Anna Marsland; Alcock Players

Four Stars

Secret Heart is a breathtakingly beautiful production. The play unfolds as a stream of consciousness, drifting in and out of the dreams of schoolboy Joe Maloney. Seeing as dreams are primarily visual events, I cannot credit Anna Marsland enough for producing one of the most creative and splendidly-realised visual displays you will ever see at Cambridge. Fiammetta Luino's costumes are fantastically witty; such as a tiger outfit made partly out of that ubiquitous Cambridge spectacle: Sainsbury's orange plastic bags. The set is an intelligent use of the little space available in the ADC's new Larkum Studio, and is adorned with a colourful mosaic of middle-eastern rugs and shawls. The icing on the cake: Ben Sehovic's lighting is brilliantly subtle and regularly produces moments of unexpected splendour, making use of the full pallet allowed h im by Katie Nairne's eclectic design.

If you are looking for a profound plot or sophisticated characterisation then this will not be your show. But it's not intended to be. This is essentially a piece of physical theatre, whose originality owes much to the inventive choreography of Kelly Suleman. The Larkum Studio is a tiny, claustrophobic space; actors regularly trod on my feet (I was, admittedly, in the front row) and got in each others' way, but this was totally made up for by the sheer innovation behind the movement. Most of Maloney's dreams pivot around events in a circus, and the acrobatics and agility demonstrated by the performers was often very impressive.

I liked Tennille Alonzo's charismatic crystal-ball soothsayer Nanty (an eye-catching theatrical debut), and Toby Jones' pre-pubescent protagonist, which switched perfectly from the sober, slurring and shufflingly awkward to the suddenly trancelike and excitable.

Best of all, Pete Piercy caught the eye as the menacing circus owner George Hackenschmidt; his movement had both the power and balletic grace that let him dance like his business's prime attraction: the tiger. Not everyone in the cast reached these heights, and the piece occasionally fell flat when the choreography repeated itself, but, for the most part, my eyes were wide open.

All in all, an original and entertaining evening then. If you are tired of straight plays and fancy seeing something a little different and experimental then this is the show for you. Don't expect to come away feeling particularly enlightened- but, as you climb into bed, you yourself may well hope for some of Joe Maloney's vibrant and vivid dreams.

Alex Winterbotham

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