Theatre O are leaders in interdisciplinary, physical theatre. Co-artistic directors Joseph Alford and Carolina Valdes have toured nationally and internationally with their bold and innovative productions. For their first performance at the Traverse they have collaborated with playwright Matthew Hurt to interpret Joseph Conrad’s novel The Secret Agent, the resulting show a co-production with the Young Vic. It’s a dark story of espionage, betrayal and terrorism and the company have located us in a music hall world of luscious costumes, white faces and gothic architecture to tell us their tale.
The music hall setting kicks everything off – we’re in the Cabinet of Desires where Verloc, a sly showman tells us that what we are about to see is ourselves and our secret desires. His wife, Winnie (played by Valdes) is revealed behind a curtain. She slinks into the audience and asks an audience member if he is into sexual gadgets, before being curtained off again then appearing blindfolded asking another gentlemen if the helpless turn him on.
It’s a wry, exciting and dark opening that whets the appetite. Unfortunately, the following hour and forty-five minutes (one problem is the length) lacks the clarity and humour of this scene. The story at the heart of the piece is messily delivered, often confusing and somewhat underwhelming. The most dramatic incidents are skirted over instead of dramatised, leaving long scenes of domesticity in their place. It’s frequently unclear as to why the social upheaval is happening and difficult to grasp what the company want to say with this piece.
The imagery is often arresting. Anna Watson’s lighting design beautifully accentuates Eva Vilamintjana’s precise and urgent choreography. The ensemble work their socks off, in particular Leander Deeney who transforms between a hilarious and ostentatious Vladimir and the victim at the heart of the piece, a stuttering young lad called Stevie. In the final scenes of despair Valdes as Winnie portrays the devastation, anger and hurt of her betrayal with visceral tension. If the whole piece could sustain this sense of purpose it would be a knockout.