Sean Bean has a lot to answer for. Not content with destroying Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe, he went onto obliterate Lawerence’s Mellors in that awful TV adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Thankfully Midland Actors Theatre have decided not to call upon Sean for their adaptation and rely on a core of five actors to bring off this wonderful little version of Lawerence’s classic.
Stripping the tale of sexual awakenings, inadequacy and jealously to the bone, MAT have managed to keep the core of the story and breath some extra life into the colourful characters. Through a mixture of narration and straight dialogue, the deepening of the Chatterley’s divide and the blossoming of her affair with Mellors come across beautifully.
In fact, there is nothing to fault this simple production. The characters and social attitudes come across perfectly - Clifford is wonderfully pathetic and slimy, Mrs Bolton suitably matronly and Mellors and Constantine undoubtedly in love. This tight performance is a joy to behold and worth a look, especially if you haven’t read the book.
4/5
Richard Biggs
