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Drama

Chester Miracle Plays

For most people the term "Miracle Plays", if it means anything at all, brings to mind a vague picture of medieval pageantry. A few assiduous English students may have glanced at some of the York plays but most will have heard of them only as a springboard for the Elizabethan dramatic revival. We must be grateful to Alix McMillan and his cast for showing us that even the little-known Chester cycle contains much that is delightful in itself, independent of the later plays which grew from it.

This is not to ignore the quaint crudities of structure and dialogue which were the cause of some amusement for the modern audience ("And I shall quickly make a pin/And with this hammer hit it in"). But these plays have a freshness and liveliness which are the essence of theatrical effectiveness. There is in particular some clever, though rudimentary characterisation which can be touching (Adam, Eve, Abraham), semitragic (Lucifer), or amusing (Noah's shrewish wife).

Alix McMillan's lively production brought out all the inherent delightfulness of these plays, and played down their defects. In the original performances the lines were probably spoken with no attempt to disguise their crude metrical monotony. This, of course, would never satisfy the modern ear which has grown accustomed to the greater subtleties of Shakespeare and his contemporaries and successors. The cast was faced with the ticklish task of turning these regular metres into more attractive flowing rhythms. This they did superbly. In particular Peter Varley (Deus) made an excellent job of his long difficult speeches, all spoken off-stage. Varley is one of the country's best actors and this was not the least of his performances.

The production details were also beautiful and dramatically effective. The programme lists a large number of back-stage assistants and it is surprising and gratifying that so many minds were able to combine to achieve a unified production. That the set, costume, lighting, music, movements and grouping were all integrated into a pleasing unity says much for the taste and energy of the producer.

In such a production it is difficult to know who to praise, or how to commend one aspect of the production more than another. The costumes were lavish, as they were in medieval times, but were always beautifully matched with the set (e.g. in the opening tableau). The set itself was pleasing to the eye and gracefully adapted to each play. It was always helped by the lighting. Compare, for example, the sets for the two scenes of The Creation. In the Garden of Eden the oppressive tree and sinister serpent were matched by the subdued lighting (note too, the contrast, perhaps unintentional but effective nonetheless, between the dark visual texture of the nude human figures). In the succeeding scene there was more spaciousness, more light and more varied costumes all features contributing to a new visual mood.

Special mention should be made of the music, which was chosen with unusual imagination. It ranged from seventeenth century choral music, sung by St. James' Church Choir, to electronic music. There is no doubt in my mind that the theatre can absorb as much electronic music as the cinema has already proved itself capable of doing. The Hell sequence in The Fall of Lucifer was one of the highlights of the evening, and the music was an important contribution to the total effect.

The more outstanding actors were Kevin Woodill (Lucifer), Jeremy Stephens (Adam), Joyce Scott (Eve), Robert Hastings (Noah), and Pamella Webber (Noah's wife), but all of the thirty-odd people in the cast acted well. It was interesting to see professionals working with the amateurs and not surprising to note that there was no outstanding difference between them in quality. James Kennedy (Abraham) and James Ring (Isaac) unfortunately fell into the trap of "singing" their lines, causing a falling off of interest in the last play. The general impression, however, was of liveliness and surprising beauty. From choice of play to the last detail of production everything showed strong imagination, disciplined by intelligence, the only formula for real artistic creation.

—Nelson Wattie.