4.5 STARS, Gabriel comes to Windsor's Theatre Royal April 24-29 and Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud May 15-20. A gripping historical drama with strong performances from the entire cast, says Jonathan Lewis
Set on Guernsey in 1943 Gabriel tells the story of a group of women attempting to hold their lives together during the German occupation. First produced in 1997 both in London and off Broadway the play is an eclectic mix of characters and ideas. Before the action begins the set design signals to us that things will not be as they seem. The world is askew, off-kilter, a sense that all is not as it may seem. I was reminded a little of Ian MacNeil’s design of Stephen Daldry’s An Inspector Calls and indeed there are some similarities woven into Gabriel which resonate with Priestley’s ‘masterpiece’.
The action starts with the young Estelle, feisty and rebellious, (beautifully played by Venice Van Someren) summoning a higher power to deliver her lost brother back home with the hope of delivering them from their plight. Her mother, Jeanne (an excellent Belinda Lang), has more practical ways of dealing with the enemy. Other than an increasing dependency on scotch, she uses charm and seduction to keep the occupiers on her side and her family safe, and having embarked on an affair with a recently departed officer she now sets to wooing the incumbent German commander, Von Pfunz (a beautifully measured performance from Paul McGann bringing a charm and outward friendliness to the Nazi officer but at the same time conveying the dark shadows that lurk beneath).
Jeanne initially openly reveals her hostility and contempt towards the German, believing his grasp of English to be non-existent. In fact Von Pfunz is an educated Nazi with aspirations to be a poet. Also in the household are Lake, the housekeeper (a stoic performance from Jules Melvin) and Jeanne’s daughter in law, Lily (a moving and heartfelt performance from Sarah Schoenbeck). Lily is a young, insecure woman yearning for love and companionship. That companionship appears in the form of Gabriel, a young man, discovered one day washed up naked on the beach. Lily and Estelle bring the almost lifeless body of Gabriel, (played with just the right mix of ambiguity and realism by Robin Morrisey) back to the house to nurse him from near death back to life.
Belinda Lang as Jeanne and Paul-McGann as Von Pfunz
But who is Gabriel? Where has he come from? Is he real or surreal? This is the journey that the writer Moira Buffini takes us on. When he awakes he can remember nothing of himself, a total amnesiac - his first words are English and we are led to believe that he is an English soldier who has literally fallen from the skies. But when he meets Von Pfunz his German is perfect with no trace of any accent. Von Pfunz believes him to be a Nazi officer who was on his way to Aldany to set up a concentration camp. Dressed in the clothes of Lily’s away-at-war husband, Gabriel, all in white, could well be some sort of supernatural force. A being somewhere between life and death that has been sent to bring salvation to the women.
As the play unfolds Von Pfunz’s true colours are revealed and we see the Nazi idealogy surface and the ever increasing terror of Lily, herself a Jew, becomes apparent. Her fate hangs in the balance. Which way will Jeanne turn? Betray her daughter in law and send her to the death camps in order to spare the others or fight back against German tyranny and deal with the consequences?
It’s an intriguing play and in today’s ever increasing uncertainty around Brexit, Russia, Trump, the Middle East it throws up questions around isolation, dependency and trust. Who is there to help the oppressed? Who can we rely on? Ourselves and one another or is their some supernatural power to guide us through? If I were to have one criticism it might be that it throws up too many questions. I found myself wondering who or what Gabriel might represent instead of focusing more on the real tortures and dilemmas these women would have gone through. The melodrama works well but we could have been made to feel more uncomfortable with the situation these four women found themselves in.
Kate McGregor’s strong direction is clear and precise. She keeps the action flowing and at no time did I feel the tension drop or my attention wander. We are kept wondering throughout what will be the fate of these four women and ultimately will good win over evil. A mention should also go to Maria Haik Escudero for the subtle yet haunting atmosphere she conjures with her music.
Strong performances all round make this a play well worth seeing.
- Gabriel comes to Windsor's Theatre Royal April 24-29 and Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud May 15-20
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