Review: A Number, Lace Market Theatre Studio

The intimate surrounds of the bar of Nottingham’s Lace Market Theatre saw an excellent revival of Caryl Churchill’s searching two hander A Number last week. Graeme Jennings’ production, although amateur, this not a put-down, was well acted and considered.

The action revolves around men visiting Salter who has had his son, Bernard 1, cloned when he was four and then gave him away so as to have another chance to raise him properly. However, Salter discovers that he has been cloned twenty times with all the clones living different lives all over the country. Bernard 2 becomes worried by this and the revelation of his existence as a clone. When Bernard 1 returns to Salter’s he seems maladjusted and his menace made Paul Johnson’s, who played all the clones, performance really sparkle; his progression from clone to clone making his acting seem like a haunting palimpsest. Bernard 2 then talks with Salter about his fear of being followed by one of the others and leaves spooked. This action all revolves around Salter letting more and more slip about the death of the Bernards’ mother who it seems committed suicide although Salter’s delivery of this was loaded with ambiguity. Next we see Salter talking with Michael, another of the clones, and it is revealed that Bernard 1 has killed Bernard 2 and then killed himself. This scene acting as an almost Brechtian comic juxtaposition with Michael being played as a bumbling northern maths teacher and making the Bernards’ deaths more eerie in their difference and sameness. By the end of the play Salter has lost both sons and his breakdown seems complete even though he actually has 19 sons remaining, none have the vitality of the Bernards.

This post-modern parable had echoes of Schiller’s The Robbers and A Number ends in a similar way. Both Marcus Wakeley (Salter) and Paul Johnson (the clones) gave fine performances and there were moments of real pathos in the direction. The scene ending blackouts became a little tiresome as a convention but these were aided with snatches of childlike piano music, played disjointedly by Piotr Wisniewski. A compelling night at the theatre and a brave piece to attempt, A Number was a thought provoking and considered production and should make an audience anticipate more eagerly their versions of classics Blithe Spirit and Three Sisters.

A Number: ****
Image courtesy of Lace Market Theatre.