A Clockwork Orange at the Royal & Derngate Northampton Review
A Clockwork Orange
Royal & Derngate, Northampton
12-14 March 2015
Reviewed by Deb Narciso
Last night were at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton to A Clockwork Orange – a student production with 3rd year acting (BA Hons) students from the University of Northampton.
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 was in The Royal and we had comfortable seats mid row in the stalls. There is a full bar available and you are able to take in your drink providing it is in a non-breakable glass. The staff at this venue are always polite and friendly, and tonight was no exception.
I came to the show not knowing anything about the story. I haven’t seen the iconic 1970’s film or read the original book from 1962.I do however have an image in my head from the film posters which at the time looked a little ‘weird’. I was not disappointed, from the start the wayward teens with their own “Nadsat” language, through the three parts of the play until the recovery of Alex the weirdness is prevalent!
The staging was simple and the backdrop was a series of photos of the key people and setting of the play. This allowed all the emphasis to be on the performers and their performance.
The play is performed by 10 final year students from the University of Northampton. This version of the play was rooted in physical theatre with the cast effortlessly lifting, throwing and balancing their bodies in time with the other cast members. The fight scenes were well choreographed and created tension and excitement that drew the audience in. The humour in the play kept it from becoming too depressing and the timing of these moments were well delivered by the cast.
The story is about a future society which is overrun with violence and where the moral code is lost. It is a serious exploration of the morality of free will and remains a fresh tale for society today. Teenagers prowl round looking for further ways to get their kicks and commit heinous crimes against their victims. Not a cheerful subject by any stretch of the imagination!
The lead Alex, was played by the talented Sam Billy Behan. He is on stage through the whole performance and has long chunks of dialogue to remember and deliver while showing the varying emotional state of the character. All the cast showed professionalism and polish and at no time did I think they were anything else but a professional cast. I feel I must mention Ben Stacey playing the character of Dim. I felt it was a standout performance and I feel we will be seeing him on stage again soon.
Well done to all the cast and crew who are involved in this production. I would recommend it to so hurry as there are only two nights remaining.
The tickets were fairly priced at £17. I would recommend it.
Rating: 3/5
Tickets cost £17 (plus £2.80 transaction fee).
A Clockwork Orange is at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton until 14 March 2015. For more information or to book tickets here or call the box office on 01604 624811.
Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton, NN1 1DP | 01604 624811
