Holly Spanner heads to the circus for Sally Cookson’s La Strada at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds…
Based on Federico Fellini’s Oscar-winning 1954 Italian drama, La Strada (translating as ‘The Road’), is a deeply impassioned tale of love and loss. Travelling strongman Zampano buys the young Gelsomina from her starving mother; Gelsomina determined to earn enough money to send back home and lift her family out of poverty. It is a sad story, and there is a distinct absence of a clear, continuous narrative in this production; instead we see brief windows into the world of the travelling performer, living hard and fast, hand to mouth.
The 1969 Broadway adaptation was a famous flop; the play closing after just one night at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. However, this newest incarnation by Olivier Award Nominee Sally Cookson is faring considerably better. A sensational triumph, the production is currently touring the UK leaving a flurry of praising reviews in its wake. And boy does it deserve them.
Featuring an original soundtrack by Benji Bower, music is played by the talented on-stage cast, supported by recordings and sound by Mike Beer. The result is a beautiful, haunting Italian soundscape of ethereal music that creates a palpable sense of atmosphere and emotion. Highly creative, nothing goes to waste. The collective clicking of fingers, for example, creates a sad, lonely patter of rain. Mime and physical theatre are used to clever effect; absorbing and utterly befitting for the narrative. Combined with Aideen Malone’s hugely evocative lighting and elegant set design by Katie Sykes, all elements of this production combine to create a visual, spectacular piece of theatre.
Audrey Brisson is Gelsomina; the naïve, wide eyed, endearing Chaplin-esque protagonist. She is strong willed, determined and remains fiercely loyal, despite Zampano’s rough treatment of her. We could all learn something from her and the spirited way she views the world. A young boy uses seeds as a projectile, but Gelsomina sees them as life, waiting to grow and thrive, if only they are planted well.
Zampano (Stuart Goodwin), imposing in stature, is aggressive and unpredictable, exhibiting all the extreme emotions associated with alcoholism and the hopeless cycle of depression as the chemical takes hold. How did he get like this? The question is never answered.
A glimmer of happiness and hope for Gelsomina’s sad future comes with Il Matto (the fool) played by circus performer Bart Soroczynski. He sees something in Gelsomina, a spark of talent, and tries to pick her up from her black, unhappy world.
This is a dark production, but in equal measures is beautiful and poetic. A cautionary tale, it highlights the effects of alcohol, and how it can lead to the ultimate sacrifice; how friends are lost, and a pocketful of riches quickly turn to nothing except anger and regret.
Sally Cookson’s La Strada is an absolute must see, running at the West Yorkshire Playhouse until 29 April 2017, with a post-show discussion on 26 April.