Can you tell a Thomas Hardy story through circus? Ockham’s Razor think so. They’re a company whose work is often full of joy, wonder and delight – not words you would use to describe Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Yet somehow they bring moments of light and laughter to this sorrowful tale, in a highly original interpretation.
There are two Tesses here, one who narrates (Macadie Amoroso) and one who dances (Lila Naruse). The text handles the facts – although the sound quality, and Tess’s West Country accent, are not always crystal clear – leaving the physical performers to deal in feelings. The mood is one of hazy, hushed, rustic days, with Holly Khan’s score finding the tone: subdued, mournful, resigned to life’s hardships, but with beauty and playfulness too. Daniel Denton’s projections give loose impressions of natural textures, rocks and clouds, and it’s very atmospheric.
Tess and friends enjoy simple pleasures as they gallop, tumble and climb up wooden structures and over each other’s bodies, balancing on shoulders in human towers. There’s earthiness and levity. A trio of milkmaids giggle at the handsome gentleman farmer, dangling upside down and showing their bloomers.
Certain characters are cleverly animated using their circus skills: Tess’s father, too fond of a drink, is first seen dangling from a rafter, a snapshot that sums him up perfectly; Joshua Frazer manages to display Alec d’Urberville’s arrogance by circling on a Cyr wheel. The way they use their training is more about subtle skill than spectacle, in the same way the drama is presented in a low-key way. The rape of Tess by Alec is ambiguously portrayed (as in the book, where it happens off the page), but it begins her tragic spiral.
The first act moves slowly, stretching time, pausing to find the sweet tension between Tess and her beloved Angel. The second skates more quickly through the action, missing one or two opportunities to explore. Tess’s journey – through grief, ostracisation and unhappy marriage – is a heavy one; she lives the consequences of her abuse. The Woman Pays is the title of one section, still too true. But this dreamlike show doesn’t deal in blunt tragedy and allows Tess’s soul some freedom. And pleasingly, through its performers, it’s also an embodiment of women’s strength.
At Peacock theatre, London, until 3 February. Then touring until 5 June.
