Blackeyed theatre's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle"

On the 5th of March I was able to see the Blackeyed Theatre's take on Bertolt Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" at Queens Hall Arts - Hexham. Since I'm a full-time student, my ticket was £10.00.

The Caucasian Chalk Circle is a tale set in the Soviet Union around the end of the WWII about clashes between communities. It starts of being a dispute over land boundaries, but then, using the "play within a play" device, a story unfolds about a custody battle for Michael, the heir to the landowner's wealth, between a rich and greedy, yet biological, mother [Natella] who neglects her son and a poor, selfless mother [Grusha] who stole him then lovingly raised him as her son. Due to the fact that the judge of the custody battle was a corrupt, power drunk [and alcohol drunk] waster, it was decided that the child would be placed in a chalk circle and the mothers could play a life changing game of tug-of-war with him. To prevent the child getting hurt, the poor loving mother lets go of the child and looses him forever.

I enjoyed the Blackeyed Theatre's interpretation of Brecht's play; their prudent yet powerful use of props and actors was smooth and intriguing, simultaneously. For instance, the heir child, Michael, was fantastically played by a violin that in some points is beautifully and lovingly played by Grusha.
Grusha is played by Anna Glynn and with the use of a dramatic mask, Natella is played by the same actress! 


All of the cast played instruments at some point during the play. The play was originally played along side a singer as a narrator and a band and the cast intermittently playing instruments seemed to be a throwback to this. 


The set was simple yet versatile and effective. There was one piece of mobile set that was simply a wall on wheels and this, with cleverly integrated stage directions, was put at angles, turned round and projected upon. 


Overall, I think that the Blackeyed Theatre took a difficult script and made it their own. A criticism that I would make is that it is a lengthy piece and some pieces could have been rationed... Even though in retrospect every detail seemed vital! I thought all of the actors played the split parts and their instruments in such a way that it seemed natural and easy though I bet it wasn't. 


This wouldn't be my first choice of theatre pieces but I'm glad that I saw it and got an insight into Brecht and I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Blackeyed Theatre took the story and made it their own.
On a lower note: I wasn't very impressed with the Queens Hall as a venue. I'd reserved my tickets and instead of being allowed to the desk to collect them, a woman approached me with a messy pile of tickets in her grasp, like the people that try to flog tickets outside of concerts. Turns out that she had my tickets and was trying to speed things up, even though it took a while to rifle through the pile of tickets to find mine... 

Ratings:
Script - 2/5
Cast - 5/5
Props 5/5!
Stage Directions -  4/5
Venue - 1.5/5



Overall enjoyment - 70%