Rebecca at the Theatre Royal Plymouth Review
Rebecca
Theatre Royal Plymouth
19-28 February 2015
Reviewed by Helen Wyatt
The Theatre Royal in Plymouth is a large modern theatre, very well presented. It is full of open spaces on a number of floors. The theatre also presents a number of pieces of art for sale, which adds an additional element of interest to your visit.
Parking for this theatre is easy as there is a multi-storey car park situated just behind. At night time it is well lit and visibly staffed which is very comforting when leaving the theatre late. The theatre even has a pay station for the car park inside the foyer.
This theatre has a lovely friendly atmosphere, and is very welcoming. We were seated in one of the 3 sections of the theatre, which are all designed as different performance spaces. Rebecca was shown in “The Lyric” which is a traditional tiered theatre. All seats appeared to have a good view of the stage.
“Rebecca” is a wonderful and clever stage adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name; Du Maurier herself described the story as a study in jealousy. The story is set in the 1930s, in and around a large manor house. The lord of the manor has remarried 11 months after the death of his last wife, and the story that follows shows the challenges and obstacles that the family and staff encounter through their tumultuous relationships.
I haven’t read the novel and therefore had no preconceptions over what the show ought or ought not to contain; this was not an obstacle to my enjoyment of the performance at all. I understand that the original novel is very tragic and melancholy, and whilst the play delivers these elements in abundance, the cast and director were able to inject music and comedy to the storyline in a most wonderful way. I was fully engaged throughout the performance, getting thoroughly invested in all the characters, and trying to take in all the little details. Often there would be a number of things happening on stage at once; you would be focussing on someone in one corner then notice that someone else had slipped over to the other corner and was playing the double bass, or someone had turned from a general into a fisherman.
The show was absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed every single moment of it, and would happily have sat through more, even though it was around 2 hours long. There was a small cast of around 11, a number of whom played multiple parts seamlessly. The clever use of props, including a life size dog puppet controlled by a cast member, really helped get the story across to the audience. The stage had one simple set, which was a slightly bizarre combination of the inside of a rundown manor house, and the seaside. Whilst it was very minimal, it was used to the fullest by the cast, and was amazingly effective. There were no major set changes, but the simple changes such as moving a boat or some planks around, was enough to transition you from one scene to another.
Due to the story being set in Cornwall, the seaside theme carried all the way through the show, held together by almost constant quiet and haunting live music from a small group of musicians, interjected by full on sea shanty’s and even full cast musical numbers in places, complete with instruments. The music perfectly conveyed the mood of the story at each point, and you almost don’t notice it at some points as it is so integral to the performance.
The comedic timing of all cast, but especially the young butler, was brilliant and produced a number of laughs throughout the performance, often at unexpected moments. The cast were able to seamlessly transition from comedy moments and songs to angst, melancholy and distress to great effect.
I would absolutely recommend this show to anyone, and in addition would happily see it again myself.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £10 to £27.50 (includes a 70p booking fee).
Rebecca is at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth until 28 February 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01752 267222.
Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR | 01752 267222.
