During our study abroad trip in London, we students have had the opportunity to view various kinds of theatre productions. One type of theatre that we have viewed is known as fringe theatre. Fringe theatre is theatre that is produced outside of the main theatre institutions, and that is often small-scale and non-traditional in style or subject matter. The second play that we viewed is actually in the category of fringe theatre. The play was called Jules and Jim and was performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre.
Jules and Jim tells of a love triangle. Jules (Samuel Collings), an Austrian writer, moves to Paris and through a shared love of the arts becomes close friends with Frenchman Jim (Alex Mugnaioni). This friendship is so close that it is suggested more than once that they may even be more than friends. On a trip to Greece, they become transfixed by a statue of a goddess, in particular her smile. So, when Jules meets Kath (Patricia Allison) and sees that same smile on her face, it is love at first sight. Unfortunately, Jim feels the same way. Over three decades and through World War I, the three remain connected in a triangle of friendship and romance.
I really enjoyed how the production crew of this performance did not try to do too much. It reminded me that in theatre, sometimes less is more. We don’t always have to show the audience every little thing. Sometimes we can even end up showing them too much. I enjoyed the lack of an official set or props. The play production truly left so much up to the imagination of its audience. This play sets out to captivate its audience with the close proximity between the seats and the stage and they succeed at doing just that in my opinion. I found myself not really needing a set. The actors used the space around them and the few props they had such as tables and chairs in such a creative way that I wasn’t pulled out of the story even once. Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch. I found it a little silly at one point when they showed Kath swimming by having her go behind a glass tank/window filled with bubbling water. It kind of felt like just an excuse to show off that this low budget theatre could afford such a cool technical device. Nevertheless, I still felt so enthralled by the romance and the telling of this beautiful story because of the how close I was to the actors. I could see every furrowed brow of concern or every wrinkle in a frightened forehead. I found it easier to pay attention to the story and become more connected with the story.
Besides seeing Les Mis, this is the only play that has made me cry on this trip. I thought the acting was superb; they really made the characters feel like real people to me. I was so close to the set, that I felt like I was just a ghost on the stage watching all of the drama unfold before me with no way to stop it. The actress who played Kath did a terrific job at making me despise her character, but also understand her plight. Kath can be very selfish, but it is very clear that as a woman in her time, she simply just wants to have control over her own life. I also really liked the actor who played Jim because I felt like he really brought the chemistry between him and Kath to life. He did things like play with the broken string from her pants that just showed that he was in love with her. The way he looked at her felt so real and raw. I almost got butterflies just by the way he would gaze at her or lean his head down, longing to kiss her. The tension between the two actors was so beautiful, yet tragic to see.
I think my favorite thing besides how close we were to the stage was the transitions between scenes. The production used lighting and sounds to transition from scene to scene in such a unique way. It made the play flow so smoothly and each scene fell into the next perfectly like dominos.
I was surprised by how much this play emotionally moved me, but then again, I am a sucker for a good romance. I am so happy that this production is making tremendous feats in fringe theatre by captivating its audience up-close. While, I can’t look up at a ceiling covered in naked angel baby butts holding trumpets in the heavens or have my bag checked by a security guard who didn’t actually look to see if I had a knife, my experience with fringe theatre may be better than any of the experiences I have had at the high end ones. The intimate audiences, the nontraditional theatre elements, and the creative liberty–fringe theatre just does something that main institutions can’t emulate. Dare I say fringe theatre is the finest of all theatre?
Theatre in London U of A 