Citizens Theatre, Glasgow
Four stars
From the moment the ten-strong cast of Dominic Hill's mighty staging of
Dostoyevsky's epic novel step onto the wide-open, bare-walled stage,
there's a gloriously self-conscious theatricality to everything that
follows. It's not just the way the actors mill about, putting on bits
of costume or plucking at the array of musical instruments that line
the back wall before coming to order with a powerful rendition of a
Russian orthodox Psalm. It's more to do with the way Adam Best's
bald-pated Raskolnikov addresses the audience from the off, laying bare
his poverty-stricken intentions of murdering a greedy pawn-broker as
some kind of act of rebellion. When Raskolnikov declaims, the ensemble
become witness, conscience and confessor as much as the voices of the
very private revolution in his head.
Chris Hannan's vivid adaptation for this co-production between the
Citizens, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum,
Edinburgh may put Raskolnikov's personal torment to the fore, but he
also recognises that the story is a mainstream psychological thriller
and detective yarn as much as an existential quest for redemption. This
comes through George Costigan's portrayal of tenacious cop Petrovich,
who at times resembles a Russian gentleman Columbo.
Hill's staging is magnificently fluid, aided as he is by Colin
Richmond's design, Chris Davey's lighting, Lucien MacDougall and
Benedicte Seierup's movement and, especially, the dissonant junkyard
chorales of Nikola Kodjabashia's score. The depth, dimensions and light
and shade of the stage pictures during the ensemble scenes resemble
Orthodox religious paintings, and when Raskolnikov finally lets love in
via Jessica Hardwick's hopelessly devoted Sonya, it's the most painful
of enlightenments in a fearlessly rich production.
The Herald, September 9th 2013
ends
Comments