This touring play marks the Opera House’s first fully independent venture into in-house production and while the choice of subject could hardly be more challenging, Paul Hurt has made an admirable stab at its adaptation.
Naturally, he’s chosen to concentrate on the main thrust of DH Lawrence’s controversial novel - the relationship between gamekeeper Mellors and the desperately unhappy Lady C - but apart from the obvious sexual content, there isn’t a great deal of action to portray. Happily, though, the quartet of players handle their wordy scripts rather well, Rebecca Aswani giving a particularly delightful performance in the title role.
Darren Daly, using a broad Derbyshire accent for his Mellors, is equally effective, though having him doubling as narrator makes his role a little cumbersome at times.
Their sexual encounters in the workshed - fully clothed at first but with some nudity later - are portrayed sensitively.
Fortunately, the sound and lighting works well to compensate for a minimalist set that has a few scattered leaves representing the great outdoors and a desk and chair for the main house.
Lawrence’s book, which deals not just with love over the class divide but with such topics as the changing face of England and the growing threat of war, is undoubtedly a good read but that doesn’t necessarily make it a great choice for the stage. This production, while not totally absorbing, is solid and honest to the book. But the story is probably best left to the written word - and the imagination.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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