Jeremy was bequeathed free tickets to see The Secret Love Life of Ophelia, written by theatre dynamo Steven Berkoff. A two-hander (ie, only two actors) is probably one of the hardest forms of theatre, requiring skilled actors, and a director who can coax just the right performance out of them.
Firstly, this is my first Berkoff play, although I had heard good things about him, setting me high expectations. Which were met and more by the mood changes, skillful language use, and setting. Taking the form of letters between Hamlet and Ophelia, the play moves from flirtation to lust-laden erotica to unrequited love to impossible love to the finale. The play is Berkoff's suggestion of the relationship not adequately described in Shakespeare's play.
We had excellent seats - front row, slightly to the right of centre, offering us a much better perspective then those to the left of us due to the set.
The set was well-constructed - using wooden surfaces above broken glass from a mirror on the stage floor. The surfaces are at different levels, and gaps exist between them through which the glass is visible. This is used well to create more separated locations in the play (for example Ophelia heading to the lower level right at the front - less than a meter away from here), as well as the space between the surfaces used as a seat by Ophelia.
It generally offered a better view of Hamlet than Ophelia, with Hamlet almost obscuring Ophelia to those seated on the left side of the aisles. This perhaps highlights Hamlet's relative importantance as the better-known character, but since Ophelia's role is quieter and more intricate, it offers less ability to notice them. Thankfully, the actors were equidistant from our perspective.
Hamlet, perhaps, was the harder part. We have an expectation of Hamlet formed by our own reading of his character or portrayals of him. Mark Elderkin delivered a solid performance, showing the range necessary for the performance, keeping the secret from his love and having to denounce her. His hair requires special notice; not only does it look good, it also somehow suits the emotions and moods of Hamlet through the play.
Ophelia perhaps offers a lot less potential than Hamlet in this play. Jenny Stead didn't seem to offer the range of Elderkin, but it may have been the character's relatively naiveity offering less opportunity for expression. She twists her hands endlessly, which initially seemed an interesting device, but when continued seemed like a nervous reaction unsuited to the content. Stead, in my untrained opinion, also didn't capitalise on the potential of Ophelia's final letter, not showing the level of madness and sadness expected.
Overall, I'd rate it 85% or so. The set was well-envisioned and delivered. Both actors delivered their lines flawlessly, with appropriate inflections, accents, and pauses. My untrained experience offers little by way of suggestions for improving Elderkin's performance. Ophelia might have needed a different approach from the director to offer more range to Stead, and to coax differentiated emotions from her.