The first show we saw on our theatre tour of England was Dancing at Lughnasa, a play by Brian Friel produced at the Royal National Theatre. But before we got to see the show we had to make it to the theatre, and the walk there was a lot of fun. We took the underground most of the way there, but then went out to cross the Thames on foot. Walking across the bridge allowed us to get a much better look at the river that we had taken a coach across earlier that day. Then there was a nice riverside walk with several great looking places to get food, all leading up to the National Theatre itself, a theatre whose architecture definitely reflected its significance.
We then began the climb up 7 flights of stairs to get to our seats, and once we entered the theatre I immediately knew that I would have something to enjoy in this production: the design. The script itself isn’t my favorite, but the level of production that the National Theatre put into this show was definitely a spectacle worth seeing. I instantly loved the circular scenic design, which featured the foundation of the Mundy house and the surrounding yard and field. I was amazed at how real the landscape looked, and the raked stage really helped to sell that illusion. However, what was by far my favorite element of design and the play as a whole was the mass of strings that were hanging above the stage. The strings filled the area above the field, and at first I figured it would just be an abstract piece of set dressing but it ended up being the most interesting projection surface I have ever seen. They projected images of the sky onto these strings, creating an effect that somehow made it look like there was an actual sky above the stage. Even though it was clearly a projection, the three dimensionality of it made it feel real.
The other main thing that interested me was the lighting of the show. I’ve heard that lighting design in England tends to lean on the dimmer side, so I wasn’t surprised to see that this show followed that trend. For the most part I liked this approach, it added a dramatic element that I like, however, seeing as we were sitting up in the Circle, it made it even harder to see actor’s faces at times. That being said, there were some specific lighting moments I liked, particularly during the dance sequences whether it be the one with all the sisters or the ones with Gerry and the different sisters. When Gerry danced with Chris there was a beautiful golden light that hit them from stage left to enhance the moment, and I thought it was a very successful choice.
Overall, the show was definitely worth seeing, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to sit through it again. That being said, the level of design I saw has definitely made me want to catch another National Theatre production while I am here. I have seen several posters in the underground for their production of The Crucible, and the publicity photo does make it look pretty cool.
Theatre in London U of A 
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