D ahling You Were Marvellou s is a biting parody of the world of theatre and self-absorbed theatrical ‘luvvies’. Our dynamic duo of Will Barter-Shep- pard (Year 13) and Nat Rowney (Year 13) had us hooked from the downbeat with their slick, fast-paced and razor-sharp execution of Berkovian technique. They demonstrated exceptional physical theatre skill and slick stichomythic exchange in their satirical portrayal of this vacuous, vain and superficial world, as they scuttled through characters displaying their multi-roling skills to the max. The label ‘chattering classes’ emerged in the 1980s and early 90s as a derogatory term for members of the educated metropolitan middle class, particularly those in media circles. In this play, Berkoff wanted ‘to parody those precious dahlings and those utterly self-important creatures whose lives desperate- ly depend on the outside world to give them form and shape, adulation and importance, having very little substance of their own’. Berkoff lays bare the landscape of expressionistic and muscular physical performance work required, through his detailed stage directions, and the duo obviously relished the grotesque mechanised caricatures, all twitching limbs and ravenous carnal appetites. It was fitting that the duo played to a packed house, receiving a fantastic reception for their final perfor- mance in the Edward Alleyn Theatre. ◉ The Sixth Form examination showcase of Berkoff’s Dahling You Were Marvellous, performed in the non-naturalistic style of Steven Berkoff, evidenced performance work of the highest dramatic order, says Kathryn Norton-Smith
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DRAMA & DANCE
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