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Fiona Mountford's rating
, Darwin explored in Gilbert Is Dead
By
Fiona Mountford
9 Nov 2009
This year’s 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species has reminded us usefully of a key tenet of the Victorian world view.
The belief in a universe ruled by a Christian God was far more tenaciously held than today, not least because of the promise of meeting again in heaven loved ones whom the high mortality rate had taken too soon. It’s an idea poignantly explored in the Darwin film Creation, and is usefully revisited here by Robin French.
Theatregoers don’t get many opportunities to see a “Victorian scientific mystery”, but after two hours of this might think twice before booking for another. French’s script is not without its drawbacks but overall has the agreeable air of a little-visited outpost of a rambling museum, crammed full of peculiar curios. It’s Robert Wolstenholme’s flat direction one wishes had been a victim of natural selection.
We get an idea of the piece’s pros and cons from the first words, when Dr Meriwether (William Chubb) reads out, slowly, a list of no less than 116 animals, the contents of the early 1860s museum of taxidermist Lucius Trickett (Ronan Vibert). It’s an audacious opening, badly executed, and one of several instances where the process of narrative evolution appears to have stalled fatally.
Trickett, unwilling to open his collection to a London in thrall to “devil’s chaplain” Darwin, grieves the death of his wife and lives in virtual seclusion with his wheelchair-bound 16-year-old daughter, Lucille (sparky Kate Burdette). His only source of hope is correspondence with explorer Gilbert Shirley, sent by Queen Victoria to find the ghost loris.
This mysterious creature shows little will to live and can thus (allegedly) disprove Darwin’s theories.
Scenes in the Trickett residence, bedecked with all manner of impressive stuffed beasts, alternate with interludes of Shirley, which are presented in a childlike cut-and-paste aesthetic, which is clarified at the end, a destination to which, despite some plucky acting, we fear the pace of the production will never deliver us.
Until 29 November. Information: 08444 771 000, www.gilbertisdead.com
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (4)
Ah, Fiona! All the world tastes like bitter herbs to her. A smug, unhappy little girl.
- Mike Schlobohm, London, UK, 25/01/2010 04:12
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The audience finds themselves rocking from hysterical laughter to uncomfortable silences and often on the verge of tears, as they watch the development of an intense relationship between father and daughter, brought to a head with a shocking twist.
The cast were astounding and many of the more dramatic scenes left the audience gobsmacked and flabbergasted by the intensity of their performances, whilst other scenes offered a more light-hearted ambience to the small London venue.
The scenes were mainly set in the taxidermist’s museum, and the set displayed a variety of genuine related articles, including a sloth bear and an emperor penguin, aside from this, further scenes were decorated in a Victorian manner, whilst sound effects and puppetry were also employed using Victorian theatrical techniques to enhance the intriguing atmosphere which this production exuded.
Whilst this play may not be to everybody’s taste, there is a great deal of enjoyment to be gained through witnessing its extraordinary ideas and charming wit, whilst maintaining a sinister undertone.
For a regular theatre patron, this will make a superb change from the humdrum of London’s larger theatres, which have long since fallen into the doldrums of mediocrity. “Gilbert Is Dead” is testament to the fact that there is still a great deal of talent to be displayed by the writers, producers and directors of British stage productions.
- James Holloway, Bexleyheath, England, 12/11/2009 22:24
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I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play. Topical not only as a celebration of 200 years since Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, but also thought-provoking in the context of the rise in the USA of the power of creationists, Gilbert is dead delivers in its promise of excitement, adventure, laughs and anguish.
A vocal audience in keeping with the authentic Victorian music hall setting of Hoxton Hall is what the play deserves: the heroic Gilbert’s fights are worthy of raucous cheers and it is difficult to suppress shouting ‘watch out for the stork’ as the shipwrecked and ailing Gilbert floats upon the sea menaced by a murderous puppet marabou.
In a stand-out performance, Mr Ronan Vibert commands both sympathy, respect and plausibility as an intellectual, caring father on a mission for Queen Victoria and god. His subtlety of delivery tempers perhaps one or two over exuberant – though admittedly comedic - moments from Miss Suzan Sylvester and ensures the unexpected twist and conclusion is disturbingly effective. Miss Kate Burdette is a delight, convincing as both the 16 year old Lucille Trickett, who benefits from well rounded characterisation, and the middle-aged queen.
The play is not as Gorey-esque as the beautifully-designed publicity would suggest, but all the better for its lack of affectation and pretention.
- Rachel Dalziel, Southampton, England, 11/11/2009 15:10
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Erudite, but not pretentious, engaging and with a clutch of laugh-out-loud moments, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, direction and acting. The venue was a delight. I thought the opening held more potential that was realised in the delivery - whether the fault of the actor or the director - but otherwise I could find little to criticise.
- Simon Flacks, London, UK, 10/11/2009 15:00
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