Gabriel (2023)
Performances: Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 June 2023, Old Fire Station
Contents
[hide]Introduction
Following the German invasion of the Channel Islands in 1940, the Becquet family’s Guernsey home has been requisitioned for German officers. As widowed matriarch Jeanne navigates the dangerous game of the new commander’s attraction to her, her daughter-in-law Lily discovers a mysterious young man washed up on the shore. Wracked by fever, the man remembers nothing, including his own name; with equal probability he’s British or German. Lily and Jeanne’s young daughter Estelle convince her to shelter him until his memory returns. But harbouring this fallen angel threatens the modicum of safety and stability Jeanne has wrung from her family’s dispossession.
Cast
- Estelle - Elisa Benham
- Lake - Sarah Pearcey
- Lily - Elizabeth Grace
- Jeanne Becquet - Caroline Doyle
- Major Von Puntz - Gregory Williams
- Gabriel - George Dennis
Crew
- Stage Manager - Kay George
- Set Design - Chaz Doyle
- Lighting Design - Jason Salmon
- Rigging - Sean Thomas
- Sound Design - Adam Crook
- Lighting and Sound Operation - Lee Ridgeway and Rachael Lovegrove
- Set Construction - John Winters, Barry Heselden, Dennis Fenton, Sean Thomas, Jason Salmon, Caroline Doyle, George Dennis, Gregory Williams, Sarah Pearcey, Elizabeth Grace, Elisa Benham
- Fight Coordinator - Georgia Sian Clarke
- Show Photographs - Phil Gammon
Reviews
From the SLT Facebook group:
Phil Gammon: I did indeed take the dress rehearsal photos of Gabriel yesterday and must say it is really very good indeed! Another show - like several I've done recently - so absorbing I had to remind myself I was there to take pictures, not stand and gawp. "A rewarding haunting evening", to pinch a comment from another review. See it if you can - there are plenty of tickets left apparently
Charlotte Benstead: I really loved Gabriel tonight. Hats off to whole team. Excellence all round and great chemistry amongst the cast. Loved Gregory Williams and Caroline Doyle’s opener. A great script. Go and see. Treat yourself. Fill your you won’t regret it.
Helen Chadney: Set in occupied Guernsey during the Second World War, "Gabriel" takes us on a gripping journey through one (extended) family's life and what each of them must do to survive. With the story unfolding entirely in one - beautifully cluttered - house, the atmosphere is claustrophobic and tense from the outset. It's all about power - who has it and what do they do with it? Strong, nuanced performances from the whole cast keep shifting this power balance, so nothing is ever certain and no single character is as simple as "good" or "bad", however easy it might seem to categorise them (Nazi, black-marketeer, etc). Buffini's use of German dialogue for some sections is excellently handled and puts the audience in the same position of incomprehension as the other characters, wrongfooting us and taking away any power we had. I'm not going to pick out any of the cast as they were uniformly (see what I did there?) superb, without a weak link anywhere - and gave us the text with clarity and depth, complemented by well-designed sound and lighting, while Lisa Thomas's direction is subtle yet full of detail. I had a couple of very minor niggles, production-wise - some curtains either side of the set would have covered the theatre exit and brought the focus back on to the stage, and a little music to cover a (necessarily) long scene change would have kept us more engaged - but these are tiny things. The decent-sized audience last night was highly appreciative, but it looks as though there are still tickets for later in the week. Get yours now for this incredibly strong production.
David Carr: What a fantastic show this evening! Wonderful performances bringing this claustrophobic tale of a family tale in WWII occupied Guernsey to life. Dark humour throughout combined with the ultimate horror of the situation, great cast interaction, altogether, zsusammen, sehr gut! Well done Lisa, cast and crew. Get thee to the Box Office or you’ll be sorry!
Dru Francalanza: Well done Gabriels. Great cast and acting, direction and story line. I didn’t know much about the play and was pleasantly surprised. Get a ticket, don’t miss it.
Christine Theophilus: Think it will be a sellout tomorrow. Really enjoyed tonight's performance, such a tight production, with layers of unexpected humour, childish fantasy and absolute horror, all expertly played by a team of six. Kudos to Lisa Thomas and the crew for such a great show. Enjoy the last night, it will be emotional.
Carole Coyne: Brilliant play. So many layers of story, a surprising amount of humour, excellent performances and Lisa’s usual careful and nuanced directing. Snap up those last tickets.
Helen Jones: A powerful story, convincingly told. Great team with very strong performances all round and a wonderfully detailed set - so much work had gone into this production.
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
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See Also
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Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.
