Anderman

Christ’s College, 1st – 5th November (except 4th), 7:3opm, £4 – £5

Written and Dir. Jamie Patton

[rating:3/5]

Jamie Patton’s Anderman was a tricky show. There were moments of pure genius and beauty but equally there were moments of utter mediocrity and agony (for the audience). This wide spectrum did tempt me to be harsh to the production but  two factors managed to dissuade me.

Firstly, the two leading actors, Harry Sheehan (as Joseph Anderman) and Claire Healy (as Julia), were amazingly good. Harry’s portrayal of the ambitious and gifted Anderman was so genuine it made me wonder if the play was based on his personal aspirations. Equally, Claire made a very convincing Julia. Her hesitation, the pain in her voice, her personal ticks and the nervousness that was part of her character made me eager for more.  Hence, it was no surprise that the moments, when both these characters were the only ones on stage, were the most moving and heartfelt.

The penultimate scene, when Julia and Joseph are yelling at each other and Joseph kills himself, was undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, acted scenes I have ever seen. So good, in fact, that it struck me that it would have been far more effective to end with that scene than the brief dialogues which followed.

Music and the props were used and managed to add character to the production. Although this seems quite basic, it’s still a common failing of most productions to not realise the impact good props can have. Anderman used these to good effect and the music was suitably mellow in tone.

However, there was still plenty to criticise. The rest of the cast in the play either didn’t understand their characters or did not know how to portray realistically the range of emotions that the characters would be feeling. For instance Julian Mack (playing Tom) only showed expressions of sorrow as a character whose situation would have surely engendered a mixture of anger, hatred and longing too. Julian’s bland, surly expressions didn’t do this role justice and his acting made Tom seem more unlikeable than necessary. The other characters fared no better. Hence, the audience laughed at moments which were blatantly not intended to be funny.

There was also no chemistry between Julia and Joseph, despite their great acting. The relationship between Deborah (played by Charlotte Higgins) and Joseph managed to give off more sparks. If this was deliberate, it created the effect of two characters who hate each other seeming to want to make out. If it was mistaken, it was a rookie blunder.

Anderman worked well overall as a piece of drama, but better casting could have ensured that it appeared to the audience as intended – a tragedy rather than a comedy.