THEATRE 
REVIEWS
The Postman Always Rings Twice
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Leeds
ENGLAND
Meeting targets
A man turns up at a run down diner in California in 1934; a working wife is dissatisfied with her life married to an older Greek husband and you have the catalyst for this play by James M. Cain, based on a sensational court case which gripped Americans in 1927. An intriguing story involving sex and murder then ensues, which the director Lucy Bailey builds into an overlong play set against a large piece of scenery supplied by Bunny Christie.
Charlotte Emmerson sooths Patrick O'Kane
The man, Frank Chambers, is played by Patrick O'Kane, who is not always convincing as this waster on the lookout for the available woman. Charlotte Emmerson, whose speeches are sometimes drawn out, plays the easily attracted wife, Cora Papadakis, and Joseph Alessi plays the unseeing husband Nick Papadakis. Not all actors find the American language easy to articulate, with the delivery drifting in and out of what is required. The action in the fight scenes is not always convincing, with hands seen banging on the counter to simulate the head, with the slow choreography of the violence, presumably influenced by Fight Director Renny Krupinski, extending the watching time still more. The shady lawyer Katz, also played by Joseph Alessi, gives an insight into the goings on in the American court system.
Does it work? A very large set, reminiscent of a caravan that has lost its wheels, doubles as the diner, and the five doors of the court rooms, the ceiling penetrated by a crashed car, overlooks breakable furniture. This production will not be to everyone's taste, but it is well worth a visit to make up your own mind. © BA
“The Postman Always Rings Twice” is in Leeds on the 18th September to the 16th October, 2004.
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