Review: The Emperor’s New Clothes at Derby Theatre

After interviewing the cast and creatives of Derby Theatre’s most recent production, The Emperors New Clothes, I must admit I had high hopes. I am pleased to say that after viewing the show – and much to my delight- I wasn’t disappointed!

The fact that the cast and BSL consultants had no English script to study and translate beforehand really piqued my interest and I was keen to see what the obvious benefits were for working in this way.

There were two deaf actors in the cast and a third BSL using actor, yet the intimate nature of having only six performers meant I felt able to follow all of the action and dialogue with ease.

The timing and the pace by which the conversations were delivered was comfortable and enjoyable to follow. The language felt authentic for the BSL users on stage and accessible for those like me in the audience.

Donna Mullings and Emily Howlett were the BSL consultants for the show and this partnership clearly worked as I felt able to access and enjoy all of the dialogue and visual theatre without feeling two steps behind.

It was perhaps the first time I’d watched a BSL integrated show and didn’t feel exhausted by the prospect of trying to keep up with everything. I also enjoyed the clarity of the captions on the three on stage screens.

The integration of the BSL and English captions actually felt so natural that I didn’t notice it was an ‘addition.’ It’s this quality of ease and flow within a production that all accessible shows should seek to have.

I wonder how much of this is down to having a small cast with a tight feeling of unity or whether it’s mostly because of devising and creating the dialogue in BSL first. I suspect it’s a combination of both!

Raffie Julien and Brooklyn Melvin were the two deaf actors in the show and both did a superb job. I didn’t feel either of them were ‘following a hearing actor’ – which can sometimes be the case in integrated productions – instead I felt they were both strong characters and leaders of the story in their own right.

Raffie Julien is also notably a fantastic dancer and I found her routines mesmerising to watch. What a great role model for deaf youngsters to see!

Throughout the production there were lots of delightful sections that I enjoyed. An hilariously visual catwalk with Ivan Stott who played the Emperor; some wonderful comedic moments from Ines Sampaio and Rishi Manuel and fabulous theatricality from Becky Barry.

The small cast also meant the musical composition felt so clear to me, with my eyes being effortlessly directed to the singer or musician. The lyrics were clever and relatable, with comical references to society’s social media obsession “All By My Selfie” and catchy, childlike phrases that stay in your head (and I found myself singing for hours after…) “He’s Got No Clothes On!”

Credit must also go to the director and writer, Sarah Brigham, for her reimagining of the Emperors New Clothes in such a relevant way for today’s world. The show made me reflect on how influential and troublesome the media can be. It also encouraged me to think about the emphasis that society places on image and how it’s common place ‘keep up appearances’ and fit in with the crowd as opposed to actually telling the truth.

I especially loved how in the production, the character who is the first to speak out and holds on steadfastly to the truth is not only a child but also someone who is frustrated by society and the inaccessibility they encounter.

Bobbin – played by Brooklyn Melvin – urges another character several times to “learn BSL!” and also exclaims “I wish you could sign!” The fact that it’s a character who is disabled from society that sees things the clearest is a prime reflection of how those who are disabled or part of a minority group – and are often ignored – actually have things of great value to share with us.

The Emperors New Clothes at Derby Theatre was a clever, thoughtful production which crafted very relevant themes into a fabulously fun piece of theatre.

Visually brilliant, my only bug bear was that I wanted to see more!

Congratulations to all involved in this lovely show, which is perhaps my favourite show at Derby Theatre yet…!

 

Images by Pamela Raith

www.derbytheatre.co.uk