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Birds Without Wings

Published Wednesday 1 November 2006 at 12:50 by Ben Sharratt

Eastern Angles once again manages to captivate an audience by ensuring that simple, understated movement and scenery are fundamental, rather than supplementary, to the plot.

You simply can’t take your eyes of this enchanting adaptation of Norfolk resident Louise de Bernieres’ bestselling novel about the traumatic population exchanges between Greece and Turkey after the First World War. That’s not because it’s action-packed or particularly emotionally charged. It is a) because the acting is so beautifully fluid, with scenes executed by eight people who patently believe in the project and who fit their roles like a glove, and b) because director Ivan Cutting and designer Helen Morley once again take the ‘less is more’ adage to its most effective extremes.

A few simple screens are used as a medium for costume change, time change and mood change, and the actors use them with exemplary subtlety.

Yasmin Bodalbhai was spellbinding in dual roles as a hard-nosed Turkish mother Polyxeni and Leyla, a brassy Greek of ill-repute. Bodalbhai has tremendous poise for someone making her professional theatre debut. She moves with athletic grace and delivers her lines with crystal clear intent - Eastern Angles has unearthed an absolute gem.

Similarly engaging was Sharif Dorani as both Muslim goatherd Ibrahim and Rustem Bey, the local aga. Dorani imbued the latter with an unsettling edginess that brilliantly countered the general bonhomie of the first act. It seems trite to single out others from this lock-tight cast but special mention should go to Stavros Demetraki for the sheer adaptability of switching from mute beggar Dog Boy to Greek/geek schoolteacher Leonidas with such consummate ease and no little passion.

Like a really good film, you want to watch Birds Without Wings again to spot things you might have missed first time round. It’s a delight.

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