A bloody tale of incest brought from renaissance Parma to the contemporary streets of London, ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore promises to be an intense and gripping tragedy from the risqué posters alone.
Obsession and idealism are central to the play. Adam Diaper plays Soranzo, the creepy, self-conceited husband of Arabella. He and another character, Giovanni, are not unlike in that they aspire to a perfect fantasy of Annabella as their own. Sadly this is something neither can ultimately achieve. The play brings the oft used idea of star-crossed lovers to the fore; hopefully the chemistry between Mostyn and Stocker will live up to this timeless theme.
The staging is ambitious: a mezzanine with a cluttered, lively bedroom standing eight foot high above the monochrome lounge below will be a difficult area to command in scenes with only one or two actors. In one of the scenes I previewed, the two leads and sibling lovers Giovanni and Annabella (Greg Mostyn and Kathy Stocker) threw themselves on stage in a whirlwind of energy and had me captivated for the entire scene. Stocker, whose character Annabella is a feisty, defiant young woman, definitely managed to hold court over both the men I saw her interact with. No doubt the audience too will be on her side.
The live band will make an engaging addition – director Will Felton says he wants everything to be “as live as possible” with a lot of thought going into lighting, choreography, projections and props (watch out for a dramatic climax enabled by some inventive prop use). The music which accompanies fantasy sequences is performed by talented musicians behind gauze screens below the bedroom in silhouette, illuminated with different colours depending on the mood of the scene. It not only adds aesthetically to the play but also aids the actors and draws in the audience by building momentum for the beginning of scenes.
The concept of a heterosexual relationship being taboo, when our recent news is largely associated with overturning the taboo on homosexual relationships, will be an intriguing theme to explore. Feyton says that the play, which he adapted, will be full of ‘aesthetically arresting images allowing the audience to decide for themselves’. Will the dramatic directorial choices make this play as powerful as it promises to be? We’ll have to wait until 7th week to find out.
