The Rehearsal

Playing Plays

The Rehearsal

by Jean Anouilh

The Questors at the Questors Studio, Ealing until 25^th November

Review by Brent Muirhouse

John Turner hints at the meta nature within his direction of Jean Anouilh’s The Rehearsal in a sentence containing forms of the word ‘rehearse’ no fewer than five times.  This describes the fact that the French aristocrats at the centre of the play are themselves rehearsing for a play, which is to take place during a weekend party at a chateau.  Their rehearsal takes place against an backdrop of a variety of love – both required and unrequited – which, for the evening, turns The Questors’ in Ealing into a complicated amorous and indulgent battleground in the francophone countryside. 

Within the manor, we are shown to a drawing room where the rehearsal is at the centre of everyone’s attention, not least the hosts, The Count, known as ‘Tiger’ (Bernard Gallant), and his wife The Countess Eliane (Tamara Gordon Laryea).  Their relationship has very fluid boundaries, with both ‘taking a lover’ and openly discussing and tolerating the situation, to the extent that Tiger’s mistress Hortensia (Alexandra Upton) and Eliane are often on stage together in relatively amicable and understanding conversation.  Likewise, Eliane’s other man, Villebosse (Joshua Perry), is not considered a threat by Tiger, though indeed he is more hapless across the board and generally the butt of everyone’s jokes dans le chateau.  Also joining the party are elder statesman Monsieur Damiens (Andrew Hill) and his goddaughter Lucile (Emily Hawley), who quickly garners the attention of Tiger, sowing the seeds of a rumbling discontent.  This creates an increasingly testy atmosphere, making The Rehearsal very much the main show for this reviewer and a fellow engaged audience.

The Questors’ rendition of The Rehearsal, then, ensues a masterclass in romantic deception and revelation, underscored by the final guest, the enigmatic Hero (Paul James) at its heart.  Initially presented as a comedic figure, Hero, whom James portrays with devastating adeptness.  His arc turns to a darker and melancholic story, lurking beneath the surface.  James’ intriguing cadence of delivery seamlessly oscillates between effervescent comic lines and poignant, hard-hitting plot revelations, resulting in an engrossing juxtaposition.  The audience, lulled into a false sense of security by the character’s seemingly light façade, gradually confronts this change in Hero’s story.  This story acts as perhaps the cornerstone of the overall musings in The Rehearsal’ on the meaning of love, acting as the foundation for every other character’s own version.

The staging, by set designer Bron Blake, while seemingly simple with its rectangular layout, proves adept in its ability to allow a sharp focus on the interwoven relationships among the cast.  This minimalistic approach provides a canvas where the dynamics and tensions between characters were laid bare, in particular amplifying the impact of Hero’s multifaceted portrayal in a scene in Lucile’s chamber.  It also allows the cast a platform to emboss their character’s traits, with Gallant’s smugness and sense of control as Tiger, impeccably delivered, setting the tone for the rest of the cast to follow suit.  Hawley managed to convincingly convey a freshness and naivety to Lucile, with the distraction-free set aiding this cause.

Whilst The Rehearsal unfolds within a context of theatricality and performance, blurring the lines between reality and staged representation, the way John Tuner directs the narrative allows a far more personal delving into the lives of a fragile group of simple human minds.  It asks questions as to who, if anyone, are the heroes or villains of their love stories.  Perhaps The Rehearsal’s greatest success is that this question is left as possibly an impossible one to answer definitively.

As the cast takes their final curtain call – which due to the double nature of the play is the second the audience sees – The Rehearsal accomplishes a deep study of how an individual chooses between authenticity and performance, set in twisted tristes and tempting turns, ultimately creating a show befitting in stature of the finest of French chateaus.  The memories of the spectacle and aristocratic grandeur only started to leave me as I walked out towards Ealing Broadway and into the streetlights of suburbia. 

Brent Muirhouse, November 2023

Image courtesy of Questors