How do you describe a play like Speaking in Tongues? For the cast and crew of this production, that is quite a task. Producer Lily Marriage struggles to answer as she says that “that’s probably the hardest question you could ask,” before listing a stream of themes including love, lust, betrayal, deceit, dissolution of marriage, coincidence and relationships with strangers and the people around you.
An alternative description, in Adam Massingberd-Mundy (Nick)’s words, is quite simply that, “No-one’s happy.”
Dramasoc’s latest offering is a three-part play written by Andrew Bovell, and is part of the term’s programme of weekly plays, which include student-written pieces, farcical comedy, and poignant drama. Bovell’s play ties together the stories of a number of different, though somehow connected, people, some of whom only speak in monologue.
“It’s about people you meet through your life and the smallest contact you can have with them, but it could change so much in their life,” explains director Catherine Bennett. “It’s the way a reverberation between two characters could change a relationship between two different characters. How everyone’s connected. It’s like the Butterfly Effect.”
Confused? Bennett attempts to explain the parts of the play, which though distinct, relate to the central plot. “The beginning is sexy and dangerous – it’s about infidelity and betrayal. The second part has the same tone of danger, but it’s like a thriller – the same person has gone missing and the audience is gripped by what’s going on as it develops in four different ways and the third part is a resolution of sorts.”
However the audience isn’t going to leave the Drama Barn in Week 5 with a complete understanding of how every story ends. Massingberd-Mundy makes it clear that “You won’t leave confused but… you won’t have everything resolved,” though as actor Ryan Lane (Neil) is quick to point out “It’s not like Inception or something like that.”
Bennett, Marriage and their cast have chosen to make their set minimalist due to the complexity of the plot, which at some points requires four scenes on stage at the same time. It also enables a quick set change in the interval between Parts One and Two. It was something about this that attracted Bennet to the play in the first place.
“I want the focus to be on the characters,” she explains. “The thing about this play is the relationships within it. We needed the set to be adaptable to various different locations – what’s interesting is seeing the raw emotion on characters’ faces. What’s interesting is relationships, which may sound quite simplistic, but we’ve got such a strong cast. I can’t even begin to explain how well they all work together, it’s just amazing.
“So I want the focus to be on the acting, because that’s what I think makes the best plays.”
For the actors the biggest challenge has been character development, as well as picking up lines and cues. Roseanna Brear (Sonja), Ellie McAlpine (Sarah) and Helena Clark (Valerie) all explain how characters can be disjointed, so that they’re effectively monologuing. For them, it’s difficult to know which cues are which.
McAlpine goes on to point out that it “makes getting to know your character quite challenging, because some characters don’t talk to other characters at all.”
Speaking in Tongues, says Marriage, is particularly interesting for students because “all the themes that run throughout it, the love and the lust and the relationships are universally relevant. It’s incredible clever, and dramatically and visually gripping. It’s different to anything I’ve ever seen or heard before.
“And you know, we all enjoy a bit of sex on stage, so that’s always good.”
Speaking in Tongues is in the Drama Barn Friday, Saturday and Sunday Week 5. Tickets are available on Vanbrugh Stalls or on the door.
Preview Video filmed and edited by James Arden.