The Stage

The Double

Published Friday 19 March 2010 at 15:50 by Paul Vale

The socially inept bureaucrat Golyadkin has recently discovered that he has a doppelganger who is gradually trying to undermine his very existence.

Kate McGregor has done a fine job in adapting this classic to the stage, creating a piece of theatre that makes Dostoyevsky and his exploration of human psychology slightly more accessible to a 21st century theatre audience. As a director, McGregor needs to steer away from some of the convoluted settings, overpowering live music and fussy direction that is on display and let the story tell itself, in much the same way as Steven Berkoff did with Edgar Allan Poe.

Ben Galpin whips up a frenzy as the antihero Golyadkin, gradually building the tension of the story to breaking point. Galpin is evidently a thoughtful performer who has worked hard at comprehending both the nature of the character and the needs of his audience. Freddie Machin as the doppelganger tends to be a little more playful in the role, which only adds to the mendacity of his deed.

The rest of the ensemble cast work hard to create a St Petersburg class system with Ruth Westley as the maid and Robert Rowe as His Excellency hitting the mark at either end of the social scale.