Eternal Love @ Darlington Civic

Following on from last years amazing Anne Boleyn, the English Touring Theatre last night opened their new tour at Darlington Civic Theatre and proved, yet again, that nothing compares to live theatre.

For many, the story of Abelard and Heloise is pretty much unknown; I had very little idea as to what this tragic love story was about but I think helped to ensure there were no preconceived ideas or expectations.  Indeed, it is very rare to come to a show and not have some degree of prejudged understanding leading to "I'm looking forward to the part...." or "I expect the 2nd act to be better".  I was able to relax, sit back and allow this show to take me wherever director John Dove wanted me to go.  The cast, of which many were part of the previous tour, were again very engaging, spending time preshow to mingle with the audience, sing songs and create a very inclusive atmosphere which heightened the feeling that we were about to be told a story.

The premise of Eternal Love is the conflict between the religious zeal of the 12th Century (with all its beyond-reproach idealisms) and a new wave of challenging thought based on the philosophical teachings of ancient Greece.  Whilst there is a fundamental love story sitting beneath the eloquent yet lengthy battling monologues, the true driver throughout is the juxtaposition between accepting religion as the one true faith whilst trying to disassemble the religious teachings to 'make sense' of just why we believe.

David Sturzaker, who had given great life to Henry VIII last year, brought a sense of mischief, wonder, confidence and singlemindedness to Abelard.  Happy to take all ridicule for his unconventional approach to understanding the scriptures, his only real downside is his belief that everyone should question everything - this lands him foul with the established clergy whose lives, wellbeing (and in no small part, power) rest on the unswerving and unquestioning faith of their flock.  When he falls in love with a student (who subsequently bears him a child out of wedlock) his fate is sealed.

Jo Herbert, who was the stand out actress of 2013 for her part as Anne Boleyn, plays Heloise with a similar determination as her previous role; head strong, passionate and confident women are very much Jo's forte and Eternal Love is very much the winner for it.  Heloise falls for Abelard completely, although it takes some time to establish whether it is him or his refusal to conform that she finds most attractive - even the scandal of bearing his child cannot persuade her to relent and follow her Bishop uncle.  This leads to a rather graphic and somewhat barbaric solution by the shunned & humiliated clergy which still cannot dim the flames.

True to previous productions, the ETT manage to bring humour, wit, music and a few slightly gross-out moments to the proceedings whilst keeping things feeling quite 'grown up' without being pretentious;  it does not pitter patter around, if something needs saying then it is said and, unfortunately for some of the male members of the audience, if something needs doing, then it is done!!  True, the dialogue and writing style mean you need to 'get your ear in' to really appreciate all that is being said, but for someone who has regularly questioned religion and faith I found the logical & philosophical arguments very entertaining with many a nod in agreement.

ETT's Anne Boleyn @ Darlington Civic

If only history had been this much fun when I was at school !

I didn't really get history when I was at school, either because of the way it was taught or because I remember most of my history lessons were just after lunch when watching the other classes play football was far more appealing.  It's a shame really, as had I realised that it could be as big, bold, fun and thrilling as John Dove's production then I'd have most certainly taken more notice.

The play brings to life and light the story behind Anne Boleyn's reputation as "the Protestant Whore" - how she was very much in love with King Henry VIII and most certainly didn't (at first) see him as a route to making England a protestant country.  It explores how Henry, fed up with Catherine's inability to provide him with an heir, was looking for a "church approved way" to rid himself of her and find another who could give him a rightful successor. 

The writing, the use of traditional musical instruments and the fabulous costumes all help to drive the story along at a brisk pace; there is plenty of humour throughout with the whole ensemble either playing to or falling foul of Howard Brentons wonderful script.

The story starts with the newly crowned James I hunting through an old chest and discovering the hidden secret of Anne Boleyn; the banned bible written and interpreted by the exiled William Tyndale.  Time skips back 70 years, to when the flirtatious and headstrong Anne first met the young King and how their lives & loves start to intertwine.  Never truly accepted by the courts, Anne has to battle the prejudices of those who saw her simply as the King's mistress, a conniver, a harlot and, to some, a witch.  It's true that she cast a spell over Henry, but this was no witchcraft, it was womanly charm.

Henry, who believes that as King he can demand favour from anyone he pleases is suddenly confronted with a woman, who, despite his obvious regal power (and his complete desire) is prepared to stand firm and refuse any physical union until they are married.  It is over this cliff-edge that the 'Catholic' king must leap if he is to take Anne as his bride and lover. It is through this time that Anne realises that she has an ally in her perseverance of bringing the Protestant faith to the fore - an unlikely and secret ally, but one who enables her to meet with Mister Tyndale.  She takes great strength through this and announces to the King that she is, in fact, a proud protestant and that by following the protestant teachings he could become the head of the Church of England and thus able to dispense his own form of religious protocols, including divorce.

There then follows plot & sub plot, alliance and betrayal with regular trips back to the 'present day' to see how James I was grappling with his own ideas of how to progress a unified English religion and an official translation of the Bible.  Of course, we know how Anne met her fate, but even the surroundings leading up to her imprisonment were clouded in treachery not often fully appreciated.

The cast all played their parts magnificently - Jo Herbert, as Anne, was steely strong, defiant and focused yet still naive and vulnerable in the presence of Henry's courtiers.   When not centre stage she floated in and out of scenes, keeping a constant thread through the whole story.  Julius D'Silva as Thomas Cromwell was subtly threatening, knowingly menacing and as trustworthy as a basket of vipers.  Had this been a pantomime he would have been the villain but I doubt anyone would have had the nerve to even whisper a boo. 

The standout performance for me was James Garnon as King James I - King James is a complex character, thought to have been gay,to suffer from gout and kidney stones and to be taken to bouts of giddy madness. We see him dressed in Anne’s coronation gown, dancing energetically with male courtiers, goading the new Church of England and the Puritans and seeking guidance and acceptance from Anne's ghost.  James Garnon plays the part with a mixture of wretched soul searching and gay abandon, complete with physical tics, anguished howls and unnerving maniacal laughter.

I think that this production should form a part of the modern curriculum; it could equally cover drama, history and RE and is readily accessible for all to understand - I took Jess to see it and, as she had just finished the Tudors in her history lessons, she found the show fascinating, engaging and completely enthralling.