The Miracle Worker
The Attic Theatre
Playing until 22 March
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for The Miracle Worker. Although I have not seen a production of William Gibson’s 1960 play before I did see the 1962 film. Brought up as a single child in a repressive family where film and television were wicked I was allowed to see three films in the cinema, of which this was one and these experiences were part of what made me devote my career to the arts. So seeing it on stage at The Attic was quite an emotional event for me.
Emily Tietz as the child who became deaf, blind and dumb at eighteen months old is exceptional at portraying the tempestuous Helen Keller. Her movement, expressions and tantrums are convincing throughout as is her transformation at the very end of the play. The whole cast create an excellent ensemble. Rosie Coles gives teacher Annie Sullivan a rich and complex characterisation whose determination and vulnerability keep the audience wondering what is going to happen next.
Director Andy Woolley doesn’t shy away from creating violent and disturbing scenes. The fights and the chaos which Helen causes are enough to make some audience members gasp and he shows clearly how mother Kate and her husband Captain Keller are caught up in a situation that they are powerless to change. Catherine Prout, in a welcome return to the stage, gives Kate a rich and complex character, powerless to make the situation better but maternal in her instinct to protect Helen. Her unsmiling demeanour and facial expressions and her willingness to stand up to her bullying and dominant husband (Rob Keeves) pave the way to her memorable radiant smile at the very end of the play. Matt Rousseau gives Helen’s half brother Jimmy some complexity and depth, too. Not the sharpest knife in the box he shows guts when standing up to his father and his smiling demeanour proves to be genuine in his behaviour to Helen at the end of the play.
The other two characters, Abigail Drennan as a calm and solid Aunt Ev and George Ormerod as the doctor are similarly believable.
Hattie Human designs a set more complex than I have seen at The Attic, exchanging the side audience seats for two more locations and creating a series of different places where the actors can move freely from one to another. Kat Murray’s lighting design is excellent, the timing of the blackouts perfect, the spotlights perfectly placed. Tread the Boards Company’s reputation for outstanding scenes changes and shifts from one place to another is completely maintained, showing how the harmony between director, designer and lighting designer can enhance the audience’s experience. The text is episodic, with some episodes very short, so continuity and forward movement are very difficult to achieve. Not here, though. It’s a fine show – powerful, emotional and sensitive.