Review by Eavan Prenter
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Usually when I leave the theatre I know what I think of a show; sometimes it doesn’t even take that long; but Autumn at the Park Theatre doesn’t deal in clear answers. Throughout the production, the characters question what is true, sidestep expectations, and lament black and white discourse that leaves no room for actual dialogue. The result is a thoughtful production that doesn’t shout its “STATE OF THE POST-BREXIT NATION” credentials, but gently suggests some ideas and allows the audience to come to their own conclusions.
An adaptation of Ali Smith’s novel of the same name, the story centres on the friendship between Elisabeth and Daniel, starting when Elisabeth is a child living next door to this “elegant” octogenarian and continuing until Elisabeth is an adult, visiting Daniel in a care home. The timeline of their friendship isn’t linear, with the grown up Elisabeth melting into the child and back again. There is little to mark these transitions - no fancy lighting or sound - and yet it’s never confusing, and works well in the context of Daniel approaching the end of his life and Elisabeth returning to her childhood home. In both cases, it’s perfectly plausible that the past would feel so close to the present.
Rebecca Banatvala does just enough to differentiate between her younger and older selves. As Elisabeth she is the cornerstone of the play, and also the eyes through which we experience it. I always think these kinds of roles are the hardest to play - it’s so much easier to stand out as a comedic cameo or a distinctive side character than to play the central every(wo)man. Fortunately, Banatvala does a great job and, crucially, has lovely chemistry with Gary Lilburn as Daniel.
While Elisabeth is the eyes of the story, Daniel is the focus. When watching plays adapted from books, I sometimes find myself asking, “Why?” In this play, my first answer was Daniel. Having not read the book, I don’t know how the character reads, but watching Lilburn’s charismatic performance he seemed like a character meant to be on stage - dramatic, clever, romantic, energetic, fanciful, nostalgic - a smorgasbord of peculiarities wrapped up in a beautifully spoken and utterly charming individual. He reminded me of Rooster in Jerusalem, not in terms of attitude or backstory, but in the sense of a character who seems to belong to a whole other world than the one in which he now finds himself. In other words, a gift of a part for Lilburn who lights up the stage every time he walks on.
The world of Autumn felt very familiar to me with its attention to the petty bureaucracies and subtle and not-so-subtle fear of the unknown found in all parts of the UK. I adored the vignettes in the Post Office, as Elisabeth tried to renew her passport with the hindrance of Nancy Crane’s pernickety gatekeeper who, like so many people given a tiny bit of power, seems to relish the chance to use it to slowly drain people’s will to live. Crane’s ability to portray a unique character in a few lines is wonderful. She plays several different roles throughout the play, each completely distinct, and is a joy to watch in each.
However, it’s the Post Office scenes that stand out to me, for the way they draw out how people can express their fear and distrust of anything different. Crane’s Post Office worker queries whether Elisabeth has spelt her own name wrong since it is usually spelt with an “s” only in other countries, and insists that her curly hair is in her face in her photo. Harry McDonald’s writing of these conversations is so realistic I’m sure I’ve had at least one of them myself. He’s never heavy handed in his handling of this theme and doesn’t give any one character the unadulterated moral high ground. For instance, Elisabeth’s mother, played by Sophie Ward, is often mistrustful of her neighbours and watches a lot of daytime TV, but she doesn’t fall into a stereotype and in the end uses her antiquing abilities to a surprisingly provocative end. I’m sure plenty of this is credit to Ali Smith’s work, but I’m also impressed that in adapting her book, the team behind this production didn’t fall into the trap of sanding down any of the complexities in the story to fit more neatly into the “Brexit Play” box.
In fact, a lot about this production suggests a team who know what they’re doing. The idea of storytelling features throughout the play, and this carries through to the design, everything in service of the story. The set, designed by Grace Venning, is simple, with an autumnal background and minimal furniture and props. Much is left to the audience’s imagination, as the same space is used for Elisabeth’s mother’s house, the care home, the post office, the village and the fields nearby. In a larger theatre it might be nice to see a slightly more stylish set, but paring things down for the Park90 space allows the transitions between scenes and years to flow quickly so that the audience’s attention is never lost. It also draws attention to the contrast between the vibrancy of Daniel’s world of art and stories and the dullness of everyday life since the same space can feel full of life one minute and drained the next.
As Daniel reminds us, stories depend on how you tell them. The way the stories of the EU and the UK were told in the run-up to the Brexit vote has had a lasting impact. It has left some people fearful, others bitter, and we glimpse all of that in Autumn. However, what the play does especially well is remind us that nothing is ever just about one thing. In 2016, Brexit might have been on people’s minds, but so was family, art and love. Some people might have been wary of their neighbours, but they could still be open-minded; living a long full life doesn’t mean that you are ready for it to end; and love doesn’t always look how you expect. Maybe a story with so much nuance can never land with as much force as other simpler stories, but it’s refreshing to be given so much space as an audience member to make up my own mind and to watch a state of the nation play full of warmth and optimism. I think this show has more to offer and I hope to see the production grow, but, for now, this telling of the story has a lot to recommend it - lovely performances, accomplished writing and lots to think about.
Autumn plays at Park Theatre until November 2nd
For tickets and information visit https://parktheatre.co.uk/event/autumn/
Photos by Harry Elletson