Theatre / bristol old vic theatre school
Review: Radium Girls, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘A genuinely impressive achievement’
I saw this production on the same day that the Arts Council took a flamethrower to much of the London theatre scene, in favour of devolved funding to the regions. I don’t know whether Bristol’s theatre teaching settings will benefit from this, but my word they deserve to.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School’s production of Radium Girls is a perfect example of great training in all aspects of theatre production.
The play itself is a formulaic, slightly too worthy account of a real-life court battle against the US Radium Corporation’s cover up of a number of workplace-related deaths from radiation poisoning.
is needed now More than ever
Radium Girls, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School – photo: Craig Fuller
In 1920s New Jersey a small group of affected young women decided not to stay silent and, with the help of an early consumer watchdog group, they resisted the NDAs waved in front of them and changed the face of employment legislation for the generations who came after them.
This is, sadly, an all too familiar story but one which should be told, although writer D W Gregory gives it only a pedestrian attempt. Still, I don’t want to waste time on the merits of the script because this evening, for me, it served as a vehicle for showcasing the skills of BOVTS staff and students.
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Guest director Nel Crouch has assembled an impressive cast, many of whom play multiple characters – and there is not a weak performance amongst them. With wit, emotional intelligence and genuine presence this cast takes us from playful hope, via slow burning realisation, to guilt-ridden old age.
On a technique level their accents are uniformly solid, the scene changes are slickly executed and the extended entrances are perfectly timed. It’s a genuinely impressive achievement.
Photo: Craig Fuller
It’s also the best wardrobe job I have seen for a long time, on any stage. It sounds strange to comment on the authenticity of shoes and how well-fitting the suits are – people usually just notice the colour palette in costume design.
But when you know you are looking at the results of a training exercise it is a delight to see the taught skills right in front of you. Similarly, the sound design takes us from innocence to experience with unnerving subtlety.
Photo: Craig Fuller
BOVTS has always had a good, well-respected reputation and rightly so. Tonight I saw actors and technical production crew who I know I will be seeing working professionally very soon.
Bristol is a great choice for them to study their craft – and wherever they work from now on, they already know that London isn’t the only place to be.
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Radium Girls is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic on November 4-12. Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.
Main photo: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Read more: Review: Hamlet, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Taut, claustrophobic, and visually stunning’
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