One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

I had the pleasure of once again paying a visit to Rosehill Theatre on a rainy night in March. This time to take in a far darker and challenging production than Into The Woods - the last WADAOS production I saw on stage here.  One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is an adaptation of the novel by Ken Kesey and pre-dates the now classic Oscar-winning movie which is considered to be one of the greatest ever made.  

Let’s not gild the lily here, the play is a hard-hitting one, uncomfortable to watch at times and comes with a list of trigger warnings as long as your arm.  I put my hands up and confess, I was REALLY looking forward  to experiencing a new play, but I was slightly nervous as to how it would be realised on stage.   I shall warn you, this could be a very short review – it all depends if the Oxford English Dictionary can provide me with enough superlatives, as I was completely blown away by this production.

The play is set in the day room of a mental hospital - stark white walls, plastic covered furniture and bars on the windows. As we took our seats, a suitably ominous soundscape evoked an uncomfortable atmosphere before the show had even started. 

The play moves very fast, and it takes a group of actors working well together to keep an audience focused.  There was a heighted sense of realism amongst the inmates which resulted in topics and character portrayals that could have been embarrassingly awkward, handled with tremendous sensitivity, leaving the audience with no choice but to be engrossed.   Each of the fifteen actors involved played an important part in this plays success.

Jae Wilson took on the role of Bromden. An inmate suffering schizophrenia, who’s inner toil becomes apparent as the plays transitions from scene to scene.  Jae handled their heavy monologues superbly and having watched them for almost two hours, by the time the play reached its dramatic climax, I could feel myself grimacing at what I was watching.  Jae had taken us on Bromden’s turbulent journey, experiencing every possible emotion which ultimately, resulted in a beautifully acted performance.

Andy Greenwood gave a brilliant turn as Dale Harding – a very different character to the rest of the inmates but no less compelling.  Andy brought to life this intelligent and educated man, and struck the perfect balance of expressing the harsh realism of hospital life, whilst delivering some very dry one liners.  Andy gave a very enigmatic performance which was a pleasure to watch. 

The same can also be said for Stuart Evans as Martini and Craig Norendal as McMurphy, whose boundless energy kept the scenes moving along and again, gave brilliant performances.

Emma Jarvis had the unenviable task of stepping into the hospital shoes of the heartless and tyrannical Nurse Ratched.  It’s one of those roles that an audience needs to hate from the moment she comes on stage in order to emphasise with the patients.  Emma did a great job of playing the Battleaxe and I did find myself rooting for the other team when she finally met her match!

Reading Jason Fleming’s programme notes it describes him as “A newcomer to stage performance” (remember that for later..!).  Jason played the role of Billy Bibbit - a shy, insecure inmate on the ward who speaks with a severe stutter.  

It’s very rare I’m speechless, but watching Jason’s performance, was the most out-of-body experience I think I’ve had in a theatre, professional and amateur in the last 12 months.  So much so, I’m fairly certain I sat for most of the first act with my mouth open and occasionally turning to my guest in astonishment.   I had a long journey home after the show, so it gave me plenty of time to think.  I can categorically say that Jason gave the most captivating and believable performance I have ever seen by an amateur actor and is certainly up there amongst the best professional .  The Pillowman and A Little Life are two very hard hitting plays which have been performed in the West End over the last 18 months. Both have featured actors that gave such an astonishing performance, it felt almost too real to be an act.  That was exactly the same feeling I got watching Jason -  it was jaw-dropping and I spent the car journey home literally ringing anybody who would listen to tell them what I’d just seen. Remarkable.

Great detail had gone into the set design and the layout of the stage and I thought the build of the actual set itself was brilliant.    The lighting design was simple, but did what it needed to do and I think the only thing I would have considered adding would be some lighting behind the doors and windows to add an extra layer of texture.  These can also be effective when needing to show the passage of time.

Director James Last, crafted a masterful production and to say he brought the best out of the actors would be the understatement of the century. The play surpassed anything I was ever expecting and I hope the audiences that visited the show realised how lucky they were to catch such a special production that I personally, will remember for a very long time.  I saw the show midway through it’s run, and had I not had to go home to the capital to work the following day I would have returned to watch the show in a heartbeat.  

Thank you so much for an exquisite evening.
 

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