Main Review 4 - A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

Performed at The BathSpa University Theatre

Reviewed by Darryl Harris

This show was a classic example of how the use of Media can either boost a production or ruin it; sadly in this case it was the latter. The student created piece was based around the original plot of Anthony Burgess’s novel which excited me as I am a fan of the book.

Throughout the show it was plain to see that the cast were very under-rehearsed which led to some of the acting being wooden; this even forced an awkward laugh out of the audience once or twice to break the tension caused by the flailing actors. Although, credit should be given to the person responsible for the creative concept as the use of Media was occasionally well received and the ideas were clever but unfortunately let down by execution and generally a lack of preparation.

The male actor who played the protagonist, Alex, was the one shining star of this play; he brought the dark wit needed to play such a character and put his own spin on the famous role. His haunting looks and monologues to the audience were entrancing and definitely kept me hooked throughout. Unfortunately for him though, the rest of the play overshadowed his good work and left me feeling robbed of my time afterwards.

The use of cameras and projections was intelligent and I would definitely be willing to watch this piece again once the production team had had time to polish up on the technological side of the performance. To be perfectly honest it felt like I was watching a rehearsal of a piece rather than a proper show. There was definitely an awkward atmosphere in the audience when the uses of media would fail and this made me feel uncomfortable; not a feeling I enjoy having at the theatre.

The basic ingredients of a good play were all present but it just seemed like the director had bitten off more than he could chew with the lighting and technology. The set was basic, which left all the focus on the acting. There was at one point, what can only be assumed to be a paper mache phallus present on stage that was used to beat a woman, this would normally been acceptable but the overly comedic scene that it was used in just highlighted the fact that the actors were merely running around the stage with a giant penis rather than the focus being on the brutality of a woman being attacked by a group of thugs.

In conclusion, I was less than enthused by this piece but there were flashes of what could be magical theatre throughout. The epic storyline was luckily strong enough to help me through but the rest…left a lot to be desired.