Review: THE WAVES, Jermyn Street Theatre
Photo credit: Alex Brenner
The Waves, Virginia Woolf's 1931 masterpiece collection of soliloquies featuring her unique style of speech and delivery, is here adapted beautifully for the stage by Flora Wilson Brown.
Six characters - Rhoda, Jinny, Bernard, Neville, Louis and Susan - friends from five years old having first met at a prep school, are the focal point of The Waves. We eagerly follow the trials and tribulations of the six over the course of ninety minutes of joy, pain and love - all in excruciatingly equal measure.
The Waves, at its core, is a story of unbroken bonds between friends, and how they mutually help one another with the roadblocks life throws their way. The moments shared amongst themselves and the ever-changing feelings and situations over the course of fifty years is the backbone of the piece. It's an incredible feat to convincingly tell the epic story of such a length of time, however, with clever devices director Júlia Levai achieves just that. From distinct lighting, smart costume choices and a savvy use of props, the saga unfolds almost instantaneously, never giving the audience a shred of time to deal with what has just occurred. The tight, intimate surroundings of Jermyn Street Theatre is the perfect tonic for a tale embedded in friendship and trust.
A play entitled The Waves obviously features a heavy use of imagery featuring nature, with many a reference to the ocean, the trees and mountains. Nevertheless, lust and grief rear their ugly heads in equal measure, almost consuming a handful of the characters - Rhoda especially. Some of the most poignant moments are in relation to their suffering, with Neville's (tenderly portrayed by Pedro Leandro) monologue being a highlight in emotion and compassion.
To describe The Waves as 'experimental theate' would almost do a disservice to the work put into this unique production. Whilst there are certainly elements that are not as traditional - the costumes featuring characters names, the actors staring at the back wall whilst not speaking, the use of a dirt box to symbolise a whole manner of things - the acting and script are sublime. Flora Wilson Brown has not only truthfully adapted Woolf's work but has captured the pure essence of her style. The somewhat jarring speech patterns are used in such a gratifying way that it truly resembles how a group speak to one another. As for the acting, all six performers bring a sense of truth and finality to their individual performances. Distinct characteristics and idiosyncrasies are utilised here in a satisfying way, from the jittery vigour of Tom Varey's Bernard to the exuberant confidence of Syakira Moeladi's Jinny.
As we reach the conclusion to the story, the action becomes fragmented. Several arcs reach their natural conclusion but a spark of that unfamiliar feeling is sprinkled in to continue the audiences delirium. Questions are raised regarding the stability of certain characters, with intelligent choices made by director Jưlia Levai. This is certainly not your typical classics adaptation.
The biggest compliment is that you are so thoroughly engaged with this group that you are hanging onto a precipice as to where the story will go next and when it does end, you're grasping for more. The characters feel lived and the friendships concrete. As several characters say - 'If this is what life is, then it is not enough' - well, if this is what The Waves is then it is more than enough.
A tale spanning fifty years whittled down to a sharp ninety minutes, The Waves is a hauntingly rich and tremendously acted production, which will both surprise and satisfy.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: James Springthorpe
The Waves plays at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre until 23 May, with further info here.
