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East Town House Play 2009

Blackrobe

It only took a quick glance around the College Campus to gather that Rhodri Lewis' production of the James W. Nichol play, Blackrobe, would be of a spiritual nature. The posters that lined seemingly every wall in the school suggested that the production would be one centered around religion, ethnicity and loyalty. Indeed, as the play began the auditorium was filled with authentic tribal music, and as Blackrobe (Joe Gibbs) himself knelt calmly on the stage, a trap door swung open to reveal a plume of misty smoke concealing the entrance of the Martyr (James Webb). As the play continued, Blackrobe, a Christian missionary, became more familiar with his new surroundings and having met Sleeping Water (Josh Barnes) and Broken Rock (Charlie Moore) he begins his quest to convert the Huron to Christianity, which finally ends when Blackrobe himself is killed by the opposing Iroquois warriors.

There is no doubt that the play was a technical hit, the experience of Tom Mendham and Keifer O'Brien helped create effects that were at times stunning; for instance the use of the trap door and smoke as well as the refreshingly simple use of tribal music. This created the perfect aura for the actors to thrive. The performances were indeed of an extremely high standard. Joe Gibbs proved to be an excellent leading male and a young but highly talented cast, supported him. Conor Giebus was strong as Father Superior and still thriving off the back of his performance in Oliver Twist Freddie Eldridge acted intelligently in a role intended for a much older actor. They were joined in the role of missionaries by fellow newcomer, Ben McGeoch, who like his peers delivered an excellent third-form performance. Meanwhile the older hands of Josh Barnes and Charlie Moore acted cleverly throughout and their acting was often the cause for the moments of highest drama in the piece.

There is no doubting that this was an efficiently directed play with the experienced Rhodri Lewis proving yet again that he has the skills to create some thrilling drama. If anything, at times the play almost became too serious with the entire plot becoming so focused and intense that at times the quest for entertainment seemed almost to be ignored. Nevertheless, the production on the whole was very strong and East Town seem to be slowly discovering a formula for House Plays that could see them become a major force in this festival for years to come.

Blackrobe was certainly an impressive piece of drama and every party involved should be proud of their efforts. Whether this is award-winning quality remains to be seen, but Rhodri Lewis proved yet again that East Town deserve to be contenders.

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