Thoughts on Maurice (Above the Stag production)
Now that (very sadly) the stage production is over, and there is no threat of spoiling it for those of you beautiful people planning to see it, I wanted to share some of my thoughts:
*Tom Joyner was FANTASTIC! Hands down! After I adjusted to dark-haired!Maurice, I came to appreciate Tom’s ability to convey Maurice’s constant state of “being in a muddle”. I mean it was beautiful! In fact, I think my favorite line from this script is when Maurice tells Alec “you’ll have to learn that I’m always in a muddle” - I was like, YES that’s my boy!
*Leo Turner’s Scudder was also superb! When I first saw those promo photos posted by @expo63 [X], I immediately thought that the more muscular and “burly” Scudder fits well with what I picture when I read the book (except with Rupert Graves’s face). :-) Leo also gives this presence as Scudder that is irresistible – as if you can’t look at anyone else in the scene but him. His looks are just so striking - I’m sure that was intentional on James Wilby’s choice.
*I LOVED RISLEY!!!! Oh my goodness, I cannot express how much I enjoyed Tom Elliot Reade’s Risley! I really liked how Risley sort of appears as Maurice’s first exposure to another gay man (one who is confident in himself and doesn’t give a shit about what other people think) and who plants the seed in Maurice’s head to, in essence “talk, talk, talk” – to always discuss/experience things, rather than suppress or remain silent.
*Max Keeble’s version of Clive made me dislike the character even more than I thought possible. I mean, Hugh Grant’s version has a very slight hint where you feel a little sorry for him - though that could be Merchant Ivory’s twist with Risley’s disgrace. So, Clive is even more frustrating to see and Max’s bluntness and arrogance just made me want to punch him. Which works just fine for me, as I know from Forster’s Terminal Note that we’re not supposed to like Clive.
*Please do not, however, assume that this means I found Max’s performance unconvincing! If anything, his effect on me further supports how amazing Max was at conveying Clive’s nature. I thoroughly enjoyed Max’s performance and would suggest that Forster would likely give two thumbs up for this version of Clive. :-)
*I absolutely adored Lily Knight, who played Ada/Anne - she was lovely and had fantastic expressions! She gave Anne the extra layer of cluelessness that you picture in the novel and fits so well with Clive’s new state of being in the second part.
*I literally laughed out loud when Kathryn Worth’s Mrs. Durham just emerges, stomps her cane, and says “I had to ring twice! TWICE!”. By the way, that is the only moment we got to see Mrs. Durham, which was enough for my tastes as she is truly an unpleasant woman.
*Also, I loved the props - you could tell who in the audience had seen the film before because they laughed clearly at the very film-like scenes - i.e. the crawling through the window; the rug rolling; etc.
*Crispin Redman’s Rev. Borenius felt like a combination of himself and Simcox, if you compared this performance to the film. I actually did not like him! In the film and the book, I feel like Mr. Borenius is very similar to Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice - he’s just ridiculous and all you can do is laugh at him. But in the play, he kind of has this menacing side that Simcox (from the film) exhibits.
*James Wilby did SUCH a wonderful job directing this stage production!! As one of the gentlemen I sat next to in the audience suggested to me, James faithfully married the film and the book in a very stylistic way. He chose an excellent cast that delivered Forster’s story perfectly! And James delivered on adding more nudity to the story – showing how aesthetically beautiful it can be when attempting to show intimacy between two characters.
*Finally…OMG OMG OMG my favorite lines from the book were in the play!!! I wanted to cheer like hell when I heard it: “I was yours once until death…” Best part EVER! <3 Am I right, @queerclivedurham? ;-)
You are VERY right! Hearing those words gave me goosebumps. I may have told all three boys individually how glad I was that they kept those lines in haha! <3 I must say, my feelings about the play are basically identical to yours. The Mr. Collins comparison is spot on! I felt so knocked about by Max’s performance that I actually felt bad meeting him in person and thinking “Oh well…he’s actually really sweet and intellectual.” because he came across so very differently on stage. I still didn’t hate Clive at all, as some people very much do, but the combination of Max’s forceful Clive coupled with Tom and Leo’s perfect chemistry didn’t leave me with the bittersweet longing that the film did, like, at all. Also, I think because they were all quite tired by the final weekend, Max was actually toning it down a little (he was much quieter in certain scenes), whereas Tom actually seemed a little edgier in the same scenes, which struck a balance that I personally quite liked (get it Maurice!!). They all did such a good job, I just can’t imagine doing all those shows on the daily!
*enthusiastically agrees with your comments*