The Yalta Gamedir Laura Noiret, Philip Harker-Smith25 to 29 OctoberBurton TaylorThe Yalta Game is a fascinating insight into power, status, security and loneliness, explored within the framework of a highly elusive and ambiguous love episode. The play documents the relationship between Dmitry Gurov (Conal McLean) and Anna Sergeyvna (CecilyHoward), initiated in a Russian coffee shop, and continued erratically over what we assume is a number of years. Using descriptive and evocative language, Friel poses deeply engaging questions regarding the indefinable nature of love: is this characterised by obsession, lust, worship, or an intangibility represented by none of these?Co-directors Laura Noiret and Philip Harker-Smith have made effective use of a simple set and staging. The lack of definition between both scenes and setting lends itself well to a drama in which the audience is constantly transported from one location to another, slipping from cafe to waterfall, from quayside to bedroom. However, given the minimal staging and set requirements, a more extensive use of props could have served to emphasise the constant shifting between the elusiveness of the relationship, and the corresponding tangibility of reality. The music of a solo cello infuses the drama with an atmosphere of haunting and intense loneliness, and serves to enhance the juxtaposition between beauty and loneliness so characteristic of Anna and Dmitry’s relationship.Dmitry’s desperation and loneliness is portrayed excellently by McLean, who commands sympathy with the intensity of his yearning, borne out in his intense facial expressionsand focus. Cecily Howard gives a convincing performance of a woman in search of both adventure and security, portraying the naive and flirtatious side of her character well through gesture and voice. However, in a play that relies so heavily on the expression of an intangible emotional connection, a greater sense of ease and tenderness between the actors would have helped enhance the two performances. Excellent though these were, the characters remained isolated from one another.This production of The Yalta Game promises to be an evocative piece of theatre, where Friel’s beautiful portrayal of a complex relationship is explored with certainty and sensitivity.ARCHIVE: 2nd week MT 2005
