Theatre Review: Saint Joan at The Rose Theatre, London, UK

By MJ Palleschi / May 28, 2012

rating: 4

Chilean-born director Costanza Hola Chamy's clever interpretation of Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan is currently on at The Rose Theatre and is not to be missed. In a nutshell, the play is about the life, trials and execution of Joan of Arc. Hola chose to put a modern spin on it and characterised St. Joan (Suzanne Marie) as the kind of punk chick you could see roaming the streets of Camden Town today. I found this choice to be an ingenious match for the rebellious spirit Joan has come to represent and surprisingly it didn€™t clash with the 600 year old story being told on stage. From the first scene, the hyper-energetic tone is set when we are greeted with rhythmic Brazilian music and the hilariously expressive fatigue-clad Roberta (Cornelia Baumann) who dances and jogs her way across the stage creating the minimal set of the play leaving the fascinating archaeological digs of Bankside€™s first Elizabethan theatre to act as a backdrop. Cornelia's initial energetic performance and the witty banter which ensues between herself and her Steward (Spencer Lee) in the opening scene is only the beginning of absolutely outstanding performances to come. When we are first introduced to Joan played by a very exuberant Suzanne Marie, she is lit up way at the back of the theatre where the original foundations of the Rose can be found. Her entrance is that of a powerhouse rocking away with her iPod to punk tunes all pumped up and ready to kick some British arse! The cast is strong and they demonstrated their range. I found Grace Kennedy to be sensational in her various roles from the sniggering old lady Bishop to her dainty interpretation of Sister Ladvenu. The choices were bold and fun for what could have been a dry 2 and a half hour theatre experience. Instead it flew by! Davey Kelleher put on various accents for his three different roles and I thought the choice of the Texan accent was apropos while he strode around as the €œBastard of Orleans€.Also notable was the bumbling idiot interpretation of King Charles played by Chris Eastwood and the icy inspector played by Becca Laidler. All in all a highly entertaining show in an unbelievable setting! Saint Joan will be on until the 1st of June at the Rose Theatre. Visit http://www.rosetheatre.org.uk/ BOX OFFICE 020 7261 9565