Review: One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

We previewed the production, now we review it. How did this UEA production shape up?

adaptation dale wasserman drama studio minotaur minotaur theatre company one flew over the cuckoos nest play review stage Theatre UEA Drama Studio

As a huge fan of both the book and the film of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, saying that this adaptation had a lot to live up to is an understatement but it really didn’t disappoint.

The naturalistic approach works to give the ward a level of authenticity, and the lack of much of a score or many sound effects means that when some of these techniques come into play, such as during the electroshock therapy scene, leaving a huge impact upon the audience.

The large silences also help to make Nurse Ratched’s commands and mere presence more terrifying, so I’m glad they took this approach rather than having constant music playing throughout the production.

I also particularly liked the way that Chief Bromden’s monologues were handled, with the spotlight giving his surreal oration some powerful intensity and allowing us to escape the ward momentarily, in a production where there are no curtain calls.

One of the strengths of the Minotaur Theatre Company’s skilful adaptation is down to the strength of the cast members who form the ward inmates. Their slow-growing friendship and subsequent adoration of McMurphy is skilfully handled, with the characters of Harding and Billy (probably two of the more difficult inmates to get right) adding particular strengths to the production.

Special mention has to go to both Jonathan Moss (McMurphy) and Isobel Daws (Nurse Ratched). The former really managed to tap into what makes McMurphy’s character so interesting; his boisterous, aggressive presence and his simultaneous compassion for the other inmates, his desire to save them from themselves.

The latter really managed to offset McMurphy’s presence with her calculated movements and chilling delivery. This is something upon which the play can either succeed or fall apart but, thankfully, both parts feel resolute and insurmountable, with both hitting against the other with enough power to make their conflict believable. The weight of each of these two characters’ presence is felt in every scene and really carries the play.

While it was opening night and some slip-ups were inevitable, the play was delivered almost impeccably. Of course, in a play where the majority of the characters are psychiatric patients, the actors can play with the delivery of the lines.

I liked how the atmosphere of the ward wasn’t interrupted by closing curtains, but the stage was left open for the entirety of the performance, making the ward feel incredibly monotonous, in a good, realistic way!

A curtain closing upon every scene would have, I feel, made the ward feel less exposed, which would have been wrong for a play that is concerned with questions of privacy and honesty.

Of course, the transition between scenes is made trickier by the lack of curtains, but these transitions are handled really well, with lighting used to great effect when scenes are cut short at moments of heightened action, such as the strangling of Nurse Ratched, leaving a horrific echo of the scene ingrained upon the audience.

The weaknesses with the production were largely down to the faults of Dale Wasserman’s adaptation rather than the performance itself, such as his hammy exaggeration of the ward helpers, despite the fact that the majority of the play is set outside of Chief Bromden’s mind (or so it appears), and so should not have been written in such an exaggerated fashion as the novel portrays them.

Having said that, there are many aspects of the adaptation that are superior compared to the film version, such as the way in which Nurse Ratched is humanised towards the end of the play rather than just reverting to her old formula, and the way in which Chief Bromden isn’t reduced to so much of a symbol of freedom, by fleshing out his troubled back story and the history of his tribe.

Overall, a thrilling production that has been a great exercise in the strengths of the talent over at the Minotaur Theatre Company and I can’t wait for what they may have in store for us next!