Arthur Miller’s The Hook at the Royal & Derngate Northampton Review
Arthur Miller’s The Hook
Royal & Derngate, Northampton
5-27 June 2015
Reviewed by Deb Narciso
A Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse co-operation.
The Royal & Derngate is favourite venue for me as it is easy to park and it is housed in a clean modern building which is purpose built as a theatre venue. It has two theatres, the modern multipurpose and fully adaptable Derngate and the old traditional Victorian playhouse The Royal.
This production of Arthur Miller’s The Hook was in The Royal and we had comfortable seats mid row in the stalls.
The theatre has recently started an appeal to restore The Sipario Dipinto – the safety curtain. It was originally painted in 1977 by a local artist Henry Bird and is the longest surviving of all the Royal’s drapes, drops and curtains. The curtain is a beautiful piece of art and an added bonus to the visit.
This is the world premiere of a story original written by Arthur Miller as a screenplay. It has been marvellously adapted for the stage by Ron Hutchinson and excellently directed by James Dacre the Artistic Director of the Royal & Derngate. It has a cast of eleven which is boosted by a community ensemble.
Photo by Manuel Harlan
The story, as good stories often do, is based on a true life event. The death of a longshoreman – in Red Hook, New York. The story was never filmed due the political implications at the time, involving the unions and the Mafia. Miller refused to compromise his work by making radical changes to the script and therefore withdrew it from Columbia pictures. The story told in the play is a strong one of intimidation, bullying and the standing up for the rights of workers. It is an age old story which still has resonance today.
The cast worked beautifully as an ensemble complementing each other. Every actor was strong and powerful, they were all so believable as the men of the docks and unions. The lone female voice was strong and powerful and my empathy for her character was strong throughout. The coordination of movement across the stage brought to life the working dock, the striking dock and the voting dock. The especially composed music enhanced the production throughout. For me the icing on the cake was the superb set design. Quite simple in layout but with the aid of clever lighting design and video footage moved us through the various scenes seamlessly.
I would strongly recommend this production. For 2 hours I was transported to the 1950’s dockyards of New York and became enmeshed in the lives of these men fighting for the right to have a fair union and a fair system of working. 60 years after it was first written, Arthur Miller’s play has finally found an audience – a fitting tribute in his centenary year.
Tickets are priced between £10 and £29, offering great value for money for a play that offered West End excellence.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets cost from £10 to £29 (plus £2.80 transaction fee).
Arthur Miller’s The Hook is at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton until 27 June 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01604 624811.
Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP | 01604 624811
