Pictured : The ensemble of The Fall of the House of Usher (top), Alex Holley (Year 12), centre, in The Messiah (middle) and Alfie Davies (Year 12), centre, in the The Fall of the House of Usher (bottom).
AS Devised Drama
The Messiah and The Fall of the House of Usher
Ollie Norton-Smith (Year 13)
T hese two works drew uncanny parallels for the audience in the Edward Alleyn Theatre. First, The Messiah , Steven Berkoff’s own retelling of the ‘greatest story ever told’ opened with the ensemble’s angular playing of vultures as they were drawn towards Jesus centre stage. This dark, brooding opening was suddenly juxtaposed with a stylish, sharp transition into guards gambling for the limbs of the Messiah, underscored by a blaring Jazz soundtrack, all of which perfectly set the tone for this smart, heady, yet ultimately tragic and moving piece. Berkoff’s portrayal of Jesus as the cool, smooth-talking celebrity drawing his followers to him through the sheer magnetism of his personality was perfectly realised by the mesmeric Alex Holley, who conveyed the grit and sleaze of the assured politician with charm and allure. His self-proclamation, ‘I am the light’ rang around the Edward Alleyn Theatre as his followers flocked to become part of this ‘in crowd’. Highlights included Patrick Hughes’ deliciously camp Satan, whose sensual seduction of Jesus was both charged and skilful. Harry Warren’s brooding Judas, too, was dark and dangerous as he prowled the stage, his jealousy of the protagonist almost palpable. All of these actors created a multi-role, all-action ensemble that also featured Nicholas Flay, Tom Downie and Harry Hogg playing soldiers, disciples, adoring fans and demons before assuming the role of the Messiah for the powerful and shattering conclusion as Jesus on the cross contemplating the worth of his actions. The complex metaphor of a crumbling house echoing the damaged and disintegrating sanity of its owner in The Fall of the House of Usher , the second Berkoff piece, was tackled head on and with brilliant inventiveness. The opening of the piece laid bare the decay and decrepitude in the Gothic House, symbolised through the actors adopting the characteristics of moths drawn to light. This extraordinary opening established the fact that this was to be another astonishing piece of theatre. The tragic demise of the character of Madeline was also expertly realised as the actors frequently moved from playing characters, to emotions, to the crumbling house itself. Ed Reid’s delicate and sensitive portrayal of the maligned Madeline was contrasted by the booming resonance of Marko Marsenic and Tom Baldachin as
the title character, also played by Alfie Davies with a grasping frailty. Hamish Lloyd-Barnes’ performance as the visiting friend, Edgar, brought a measured yet tense quality to the piece as a whole, in counterpoint to Miles Dee’s heightened, almost comedic, Oswald. However, as with the other piece, it was the ensemble vision that made this performance what it was. As they created the collapse and the dispersal of ‘the fragments of the house of Usher’ the audience were left gasping at the beauty and brilliance of the onstage action. The actors played the powerful energy of a storm flooding the stage, drenched in water to perfectly meet the crescendo in the music and create one of the most beautiful stage pictures I have ever seen in the Edward Alleyn Theatre. Testament to the outstanding quality of the work these AS students produced, all candidates were awarded full marks for their performance, marking a clean sweep in results for the Drama department this year.
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