THE HERESY OF LOVE
It’s the late 1600s, Mexico, governed by Spain and by the Catholic Church from Rome, but which wields the most power? This, the true story of one nun, sister Juana Ines de la Cruz forms the central thread of Helen Edmundson’s drama, a women out of time with her surrounding world. It’s a world of religious misogyny and oppression, a world of extremes of power and of poverty where the machinations of the rich and privileged have little sway when it comes to the corrupt and evil workings of the hierarchy of the so called ‘Christian’ church.
Juana is extraordinary, a writer of poetry and plays, an academic, forward thinking and open minded. She is loved by the Spanish Vicereine and Viceroy, Diane Robinson and Simon Messingham, a favourite at court and very much in their pay. But despite her emancipated beliefs she still has both a servant and a slave, a conflict that is only touched on at the very close of the play.
Into the life of the convent comes a new Archbishop, Aguilar y Seijas played with chilling austerity by Bill Griffiths. He captures the extremity of this ambitious, woman hating priest with clarity, and this is quite neccessary in this word heavy script.
Juana has the support of her local Bishop, Santa Cruz. Jeremy Crow is magnificent in the role, there is a flamboyance to his playing, and a warmth that belies his true purpose, his Machiavellian ambition and anger at being overlooked by what he describes as a Jesuit conspiracy.
Mother Superior Marguerita is played with gentle calm in contrast by Sheelagh Baker, a fine performance that sits well in the whole, and Janice Jones is a delightfully shrill and troubled Sister Sebastiana.
Sister Juana is charged with the care of her niece Angelica, an innocent young girl beautifully portrayed by Joanna-Joy Salter, but the thread of her story is left, by the playwright, rather undeveloped, it’s there but in this rather dense work, somewhat overlooked and in this it gives Chris Phipps as Don Hernando not very much to work with, but despite that he does display an appropriately cavalier approach to his interest in Angelica.
Juana’s maid and slave are delivered with an air of Cockney charm, supportive and protective of their mistress in equal part and Leah Mooney and Justine Smith do a fine job of investing the whole with moments of lightness.
At the heart of the whole is of course Juana. Sarah Davies plays her with strength, there is nothing reserved about her character, nothing quiet or perhaps nun-like, but it works, we are shown the strength of this extraordinary woman, questioning the workings of a church that is pushing forward a Taliban like oppression of women.
In contrast to this we have a simple and pious priest, Father Antonio, a traditionalist but one who has respect for the sisters and their place in the church, and finally, when the true machinations come to light, he is the one hope that the church might, at some point, move forward from those dark days. John Tolputt is quite marvellous in the part, his gentle portrayal is nuanced, delicately played and whilst understated totally revealing.
Gerry McCrudden’s direction is assured and despite the complexity of the piece has a certain clarity. The plot and multiple subplots are tidily brought together by him but I do feel that in the writing certain elements are left hanging, Angelica’s story is not developed, what does happen to the Archbishop and ultimately why does Juana’s stoic refusal to confess suddenly reverse… the ending feels rushed and unresolved.
New Venture Theatre is always ambitious in its programming and this is a huge and dense play, wordy and complex but one that this team bring to life with vibrancy and skill despite my misgivings about the writing. I had one further misgiving and that is the use of projections which I felt sat uncomfortably on the otherwise successful set. The shape, ugly and wrong in that arch, and the lighting rather flat when on a mainly black stage it could have been used to far better effect. Tiny quibbles I know and ones that do not detract from the overall success of a production that held my attention throughout.
Andrew Kay
30 April
New Venture Theatre
Rating:
