Climbers

Elly D’Arcy has created a very detailed and in-depth study of Cambridge in the pre-WWII era. The play recreates the social milieu of the colleges and captures the historical context with enormous accuracy. This makes for an extraordinary period piece. The extremely feasible narrative supports the realism of the play and although the characters seem somewhat stereotypical, they appear nonetheless as historically accurate. 

Two college residents, Rosalind (Meg Taranto) and Lucy (Veronica Pena Negrette), are the protagonists, and their lives are tragically changed by the events of one evening. The build-up to the events is not surprising but they are also not portrayed as inevitable. This makes the story intriguing and, combined with the historical detail, it becomes compelling. Rosalind is drawn into the world of the night climbers, a group of young men, Fred (Eddie Orton), Alex (Sebastian Li), George (Charlie Veitch), who enjoy the night-time adventure of climbing the rooftops of Cambridge landmarks. 

Rosalind is delighted at the prospect of being treated as an equal by the group only to find that there is no escaping the double standards set for men and women. Here the story takes a dark turn, and this is managed well by the entire ensemble. The comic relief provided by the Red Star political group: Ruth (Tyallah Bullock), Tommy (Tahlia Jameson), Dilys (Lotte Beckett), Jane (Vitoria Hronopoulos) creates a good narrative balance but also effectively makes the shift to drama as the narrative develops. Beatrice (Milijana Cancar) and Radlett (Chris Broadstock) effectively represent the oppressive and traditional moral regime that makes the events even more tragic and are appropriately rigid in their attitudes. 

The story emphasises how women are forced to pay the price for progress, and this is made especially explicit by the resolution of the play. The large ensemble cast is a refreshing change for small or independent theatre. The complexity of staging this creates becomes increasingly apparent as the importance of each persona to both narrative and characterisation unfolds. The staging is very clever and provides the performers with the opportunity to deliver lines from extraordinary positions and to beautifully recreate the vertiginous nature of their activities. 

The set and costume design has a great cohesion and include small touches of historical detail. More could have been done with the staging of the climactic scene involving the use of the numerous large white sheets, where the promise of the set seems to fall short. Emotions run high in this show which takes the time to delve into all the characters to reveal unexpected sides of their personalities that are both admirable and disturbing.  

Patricia Di Risio 

Photographer: Harrison Baker