Review by Georgina Coburn
I Take Your Hand In Mine
2 Oct 2009 in Dance & Drama, Highland, Writing
OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 1 October 2009
Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper
PERFORMED as a reading and based on the love letters of Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper, Carol Rocamora’s I Take Your Hand in Mine presents the audience with an interesting dialogue. On a stage stripped of any set, two chairs, music stands and lighting are the only accompaniments to this tale of two characters; “She” and “He”.
Although these titles as are non-specific, the source material in this production is absolutely definitive and therefore a portrait of two historical/literary characters does emerge, rooted in the milieu of the Moscow Art Theatre. The famous playwright and the actress as the ultimate interpreter of his work remain dominant players throughout; however, the private nature of their dialogue is also everyman/everywoman.
The six year relationship between Chekhov and Knipper revealed in their 412 letters contains the weight and depth of a lifetime, and the nature of this correspondence is resoundingly the guts of the production. It is refreshing to see a production distilled in this way, and Eden Court’s OneTouch Theatre is the perfect space for such an intimate performance.
Although a two handed show, it is the female voice that emerges strongest in the delivery. Kate Napier’s performance evokes the intimacy and subtle nuances of expression in private correspondence that brings the central relationship to life. Unfortunately Jack Lynch’s delivery as Chekhov does not vary, and is pitched emotionally at the same level whether he is declaring his love or describing the mutton he had for lunch.
In contrast Napier’s reading of love and loss, both in relation to Olga’s miscarriage and Chekhov’s eventual death, is genuinely affecting. In a production where the actors are stationary and the text is read, equality of delivery and some chemistry between the two characters is crucial in order for us to believe and empathise with these voices throughout the span of their relationship – which is the architecture of the play.
Interludes with solo piano (Vasily Kalinnikov’s …lègie played by pianist Viktor Ryabchikov) provide contemplative pauses in the dialogue, initially creating an introspective tone to the work consistent with the subject matter. In an age of instantly disposable correspondence through email and text, it is rather poignant to see a relationship in letters acknowledged publicly on stage.
“A lifetime of love in six years” is, in human or literary terms, a wonderful achievement, and it is impossible not to be moved on some level by the obvious passion in Chekhov and Knippers’ correspondence. Lynchpin Productions’ unique focus on historical and literary figures in performance is a fascinating specialism, and although I Take Your Hand In Mine as a whole does not entirely set the stage alight, it is still an engaging and insightful production.
