by Michael Healey
Farnham Maltings
(in association with Theatre Passe Muraille and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre)
The Drawer Boy is the story of Morgan (Ian Blower) and Angus (Mick Stroebel), World War 2 veterans who just manage to make a living on their farm, Morgan looking after Angus whose memory has virtually been destroyed by shrapnel. Enter young actor Miles (Frank Cox-O’Connell) in search of agricultural insights and a smattering of farming verbatim for his theatre company, and a place to sleep, in return for lending a hand. Needless to say, he is something of a liability, while remaining enthusiatically naive about the absurd tasks Morgan sets him.
There are all sorts of ethical issues here for (Miles’) theatre, of course. But these go way beyond whether Miles is exploiting, celebrating or giving voice to isolated farming communities. Having had his anthropomorphic scenes on stressed cows roundly rejected, he manages to arrange a rehearsal of a story he has heard Morgan tell Angus, about how they returned from London after the war with two girls they had met, had a double wedding at which Angus recited a poem, and how the girls were tragically killed in a car accident, the one trying to protect the other. Such is the power of art that this rehearsal awakens something in Angus’s memory, and he wants to see where the girls are buried. Of course, some stories are nothing more than stories, others are true only in part, and Angus does not get to make his pilgrimage.
The Drawer Boy is a subtle, sensitive, tender piece of dramatic writing about memory, the nature of truth and the value of stories. It which requires subtle, sensitive verbal and non-verbal performances. Ian Blower, Mick Stroebel and Frank Cox-O’Connell do not disappoint, although Cox-O’Connell’s natural Canadian accent puts him at an advantage here. There are several key periods of silence and numerous monologic narratives – including two reworkings of Hamlet. But these are all well told and the audience in the auditorium was listening no less attentively than the listeners on-stage. An excellent performance of a rather special play.
Jane Sunderland
The Dukes (The Rake auditorium)
Moor Lane, Lancaster LA1 1QE.
Box Office: 0845 344 0642 (local rate applies)
Dates and Times
Until Sat 8 Nov 2008
Performances
· Wed 5 Nov 2008 20:00
· Thu 6 Nov 2008 14:00
· Thu 6 Nov 2008 20:00
· Fri 7 Nov 2008 20:00
· Sat 8 Nov 2008 20:00
Prices
Wednesday – Friday 8pm: £13.50 / £9.50
Saturday 8pm: £15.50 / £10.50
Thursday matinee: £10 / £7.50
Groups: 12+ save £1 per ticket, 50+ save £1.50 per ticket
A limited number of £5 Bargain tickets are available for each performance. Please book on the day, in person, from 10am. Limited to 2 per person.
Other reviews
http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/21897/the-drawer-boy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2008/may/19/theatre.reviews
http://www.viewfromthestalls.co.uk/2008/05/drawer-boy-may-2008.html
Interview with Tron Director, Andy Arnold
http://www.list.co.uk/article/7923-the-drawer-boy-an-interview-with-andy-arnold/
Trailer promo
http://vodpod.com/watch/699437-the-drawer-boy-trailer-promo
The Drawer Boy – a playgoer’s guide by Michael Healey
http://www.stthomasu.ca/~hunt/22230001/dbguide.htm
Farnham Maltings
http://www.farnhammaltings.com/
Theatre Passe Muraille
http://www.passemuraille.on.ca/
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
http://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/