Reviving a 19th-century play back to the stage can be a challenge; can the audience still find relevance?
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Richard Eyre, is part of the Spring Season at The Questors Theatre in Ealing.
The 19th-century play caused shock and alarm in its time when taboos such as infidelity and incest were discussed throughout the play, but is this still shocking for a modern audience?
Director David Emmet stages a period piece in-the-round, the set is a suite of antique furniture, and our cast wear period costumes. There’s no modern adaptation to be seen here.
The plot centres around the Alving family home. Wealthy widow Helene (Caroline Bleakley) is funding an orphanage and consults her business advisor, Pastor Manders (Darren Chancey).
Joining the household is the maid Regina Engstrand (Stella Robinson), whose father Jacob Engstrand (Martin Halvey) is working as a carpenter for the orphanage, set to open the next day.
Completing our cast is the son, Oswald Alving (Usmaan Khan), who returns for the opening ceremony of the orphanage dedicated to his late father, Captain Alving.
What appears to be a straightforward premise quickly becomes a show where events repeat themselves and repercussions follow. The sins of the father linger as guilt, sorrow, and as a sexually transmitted infection.
The show starts with an awkward shuffle around the set, where Halvey perfectly embodies a character who you would hate to be stuck in a room with for longer than five minutes.
It is when Caroline Bleakley enters the stage as the buoyant Helene that the show truly begins. With a voice like Julie Andrews, you listen to every word she has to say, and of course, Helene has everything of note to say in this show. She discusses her views on society, questions the Pastor on the difference between truth and ideals, and has been holding onto secrets that have been haunting her like a ghost.
Through the dramatic moments, you hear Bleakley purposefully catch her own breath; in moments of sorrow, she flickers her eyes, and she knows to turn her cheek to express betrayal. She is everything you would want to see from this role. She plays the astute businesswoman, scorned widow, the romantic, and the mother excellently.
There are even moments when others are on stage and her gestures and responses to their conversation are spot on, adding to the conversation rather than distracting from it.
Robinson gets her moment to shine in the latter part of the show when her character expresses her feelings. The change in composure between doting maid and betrayed daughter demonstrates her versatility. The wounding of a character who has been good and hopeful is a tragedy - so when she reclaims her power and voice, we listen.
Khan as the struggling son Oswald is affected by his father’s illness, and so he gives a very physical performance, culminating in his illness taking over and a harrowing exploration of assisted suicide. The powerful end of the show is meant to linger for the audience, but Khan undercut this when he decides to give Bleakley a wink as soon as the lights come up. In a studio theatre, there is nowhere to hide.
Before the magic is broken, it is a hugely powerful end to the show, and the chemistry between the cast is well-executed and undeniable.
I asked if Ghosts would still shock a modern audience? Probably not. In the age of soap operas and TV dramas, a privileged family’s dirty laundry is nothing new, and hardly feels transgressive.
However, in terms of relevance, I do believe that this show was worth bringing back for that matter. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel on the emotional core of the play, especially when the cast can deliver it so effectively and with such conviction. This revival feels justified in its run, especially with such a perfect leading lady.
It runs until 24 January.
Review: James Dix