The Broken Heart, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Culture Whisper says: ⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

Below is our preview, which explains the background of the show. Click here to read our The Broken Heart review. 


The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse's new season opens with John Ford's 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore, and will close with another Ford play: The Broken Heart.
The Story...
A tale of love, tyranny and revenge, the play is set in ancient Sparta and follows the fortunes of two sets of lovers as their families and other influences beyond their control conspire to ensure that their tale is not a happily ever after. As is typical of Jacobean drama, the play features its fair share of brutality and dead bodies.
Whilst ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore is a play notorious for its controversial exploration of incest, The Broken Heart has no such hook for critics to grab onto and to wag their fingers at. Yet this does not by any stretch mean that the play shies away from the extremes of human emotion or the conflict between conscience and society that are so prevalent in its more famous brother. Many would argue that this is John Ford at his finest , not courting controversy but bravely exploring the lengths and breadths of consciousness and the human mind. 
The Staging...
Any play that contains plotting, scheming, and shadowy subterfuge has a welcome home in the candlelight of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. But, the flickery half light will bring added challenges for the cast, who will have to convey the subtle spectrum of emotions in Ford's script without expression and gesture getting lost in the gloom. In particular, the spectacle of the princess, who continues to dance at her own prenuptial feast as her world falls apart around her, is an openly physical one -- and if the production’s lighting denies the audience the intense, conflicted emotions flickering across the actress' face, the force could be diluted. With the expertise on board at the theatre, we have faith that they will find a way.