It's very hard to say very much at all about Very Hard Times. According to Cornerstone's Spring Season programme, this 'play' “...is a most marvellous and comedic re-interpretation of Dickens' classic so breathtakingly radical that it...er...bears no resemblance to the original whatsoever!”
The problem for me was that Very Hard Times bore no resemblance to anything much, which makes it a challenge to review. Performed by theatre group Publick Transport, it was a ragbag; a confusing jangle of an entertainment with some good lines, clever performances and impressive slapstick, but no coherence. It was, well, very hard to follow.
The production was loosely based on Charles Dickens' classic novel of almost the same name. It detailed the slapsticked trials and tribulations of Walter and Chylamidia Doontrodden, who lived in a hovel somewhere near Chippenham. Walter and Chylamidia were visited by the sinister A Banker (“What does the A stand for?”, asked Chylamidia. “Nothing”, said AB. “My parents both died long before I was born”. Boom boom). Unknown to poor 'Liddy', her estranged father, Sir Arthur Upmarket, had just died and left her a big wad of cash, which A Banker was determined to get his grasping hands on. And that, largely, was that, although it's splitting the finest of hairs to say that Very Hard Times contained anything resembling a plot.
To be fair, the actor playing A Banker (there was no programme to accompany the production, so I am unable to give his name) was a really good physical comedian and could easily compete with the likes of Lee Evans, while the actress playing Chylamidia had a powerful voice and real presence, particularly when she went from dowdy to dominatrixy in Act 2.
It was good to see Cornerstone filled to at least half capacity for this unconventional show, and most of the audience seemed to enjoy it, although I did notice that the party of four on my immediate right had left the building by Act 2.
I had a quick look at Cornerstone's 'comment book', for want of a better expression, after the performance. “Brilliant!”, said one happy customer. “Fantastic!”, said another. I found it hard – very hard – to agree.
The problem for me was that Very Hard Times bore no resemblance to anything much, which makes it a challenge to review. Performed by theatre group Publick Transport, it was a ragbag; a confusing jangle of an entertainment with some good lines, clever performances and impressive slapstick, but no coherence. It was, well, very hard to follow.
The production was loosely based on Charles Dickens' classic novel of almost the same name. It detailed the slapsticked trials and tribulations of Walter and Chylamidia Doontrodden, who lived in a hovel somewhere near Chippenham. Walter and Chylamidia were visited by the sinister A Banker (“What does the A stand for?”, asked Chylamidia. “Nothing”, said AB. “My parents both died long before I was born”. Boom boom). Unknown to poor 'Liddy', her estranged father, Sir Arthur Upmarket, had just died and left her a big wad of cash, which A Banker was determined to get his grasping hands on. And that, largely, was that, although it's splitting the finest of hairs to say that Very Hard Times contained anything resembling a plot.
To be fair, the actor playing A Banker (there was no programme to accompany the production, so I am unable to give his name) was a really good physical comedian and could easily compete with the likes of Lee Evans, while the actress playing Chylamidia had a powerful voice and real presence, particularly when she went from dowdy to dominatrixy in Act 2.
It was good to see Cornerstone filled to at least half capacity for this unconventional show, and most of the audience seemed to enjoy it, although I did notice that the party of four on my immediate right had left the building by Act 2.
I had a quick look at Cornerstone's 'comment book', for want of a better expression, after the performance. “Brilliant!”, said one happy customer. “Fantastic!”, said another. I found it hard – very hard – to agree.