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Review: Paradise Lost

Satan, God, Jesus, Death…Who wouldn’t be enticed by Chelsea Walker’s latest offering at the O’Reilly? With dynamic performances and slick direction, the cast and crew have done justice in Milton’s attempt to “justify the ways of God to man”.

Travelling through chaos, lakes of fire, paradise and hell the tale is ambitious to say the least. Yet Roland Singer-Kingsmith delicately introduction of the story of the fall of Satan, indicates that even a production of such epic proportions need not loose it empathy. We follow Satan and his rebel angels in their fall from heaven, watching them hatch a conspiracy to destroy God’s new creation, mankind. In a story familiar to all, Satan (played with controlled menace by Joe Eyre) travels across chaos, encountering the disgusting Sin and Death (played by Williams and Duker) deceiving the Angels (McMahon and Fyffe) before tempting Eve and revelling in Man’s downfall. The Son watches with anguish as God allows Man’s free will to prevail, before sacrificing himself in a gripping final scene.

Singer-Kingsmith’s mournful yet composed delivery provides an engaging narrative voice, which prevents this epic story becoming too abstract. He keeps the audience brutally aware of its relevance, tracing The Son’s turmoil as he grapples with the fate of man and his responsibilities. His frustrated dialogue with God reveals an isolated, troubled Jesus, torn by his love for mankind.

We had trouble defining Joe Eyre’s performance in a few words, as the spectrum of emotions and desires he displays as Satan are too vast to catalogue. Subtle, yet powerful, Eyre’s dynamic devil may be selectively understated at times yet ultimately consumed by his envy of man and resentment of God. His defining monologue is explosive. He bids a bitter farewell to hope, fear and remorse in a terrifying depiction of Satan acceptance of his true purpose.

It’s not just about the individuals; the ensemble choreography is tight and mesmerising. A dangerous depiction of chaos, heightened by the use of blindfolds, stands out among the group scenes. The simple stage design is seamlessly incorporated into their movement and the visionary direction ensures some moments of beautiful imagery.

The play isn’t without its problems. The nature of the piece means that most of the discourse is adapted as monologues. This can prove an exceptionally powerful dramatic tool for the supernatural characters of the piece, but for the development of an intimate, active and human relationship between Adam and Eve, it gives Corrigan and Drury a real challenge. And to some extent they do meet this. Drury’s Eve is brilliantly contrasted by a masculine, sometimes even bullying Corrigan while the chemistry between the two is fascinating to watch. However, the script often requires greater dynamism than the words themselves afford the actions leaving moments where both have to strive (mostly with success) to maintain a believably human relationship. Similarly, the serene nature of the angels can run the risk of delivering speeches that fail to engage amidst the graphic, compelling action that defines the story.

Overall, though, this is an exceptionally well acted and directed interpretation of a difficult yet awesome story. A challenging yet masterful work. Go and see it. ****

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