Stewards and Pages - Luke Treadaway
Joan - Anne-Marie Duff
Bertrand de Poulengey - Ross Waiton
Duke de la Tremoullie - James Barriscale
The Archbishop of Rheims -James Hayes
Gilles de Rais(Bluebeard) - Gareth Kennerley
Captain La Hire - Finn Caldwell
Charles (The Dauphin) - Paul Ready
Dunois - Christopher Colquhoun
Richard - Angus Wright
Chaplain de Stogumber
Peter Cauchon (Bishop of Beauvais) - Paterson Joseph
The Inquisitor - Oliver Ford Davies
Canon John D'Estivet - William Osborne
Canon de Courcelles - Simon Bubb
Brother Martin Ladvenu - James Ballard
The Executioner - Jonathan Jaynes
Ensemble - Michael Camp, Eke Chukwu, Simon Markey, David Ricardo-Pearce
Directed by Marianne Elliott
Designed by Rae Smith
At the Olivier where it belongs - K 14
Celeb in the audience: Andrew Davies
My evening began earlier in the Cottesloe where I attended a 'Platform' with Paul Miller as he discussed The Enchantment. So young and so talented.....and frighfully posh. Very interesting start to my cultural delights.
Entering the Olivier tonight (as so many nights) was a beautifully calming experience. It always reminds me of a really well designed church and I cannot express how disgusted I would have been if they had staged this production at the Lyttelton. I endure that auditorium but I can only think of one production that actually felt right in it (The Far Side of the Moon) - that actually needed a space like that.
I digress. Saint Joan is as remarkable as a revival in London is likely to be. Humour has been injected in almost all the right places allowing the space for Joan to be the bright shining light of passion and serenity. My only grip here is the silliness of the French Court. I think it was just a tad overplayed on the night I saw it but I'm sure it is more balanced normally.
I cried during the trial when she burned. I think the staging of the burning was either having a bad night or just a tiny bit too subtle but I would love to see this again.....time permitting.
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