Sarah Ruhl’s two-hander traces the relationship between the poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell — a platonic yet highly charged connection. Drawing on the roughly 400 letters they exchanged from 1947 to 1977, it’s a record of their passionate artistic commitment and moments of personal turmoil.
It was an odd friendship — intellectually close, even though geographically distant. They habitually sent each other poems, and their correspondence often revolved around their conflicting ideas about phrasing, details of the past or the politics of the literary world. Bishop’s hallmark was precise observation, coloured by a tendency to correct herself. Lowell was more voluble.
Director Ellen McDougall has hit upon the idea of presenting the piece with two different actors at each performance. They mostly sit at desks at either end of the stage. Without having rehearsed, they pick their way through a script that punctuates the letters with whimsical interludes. The nature of the material means it’s frequently static, but there are droll flourishes — Bishop showing off her pet toucan, Lowell flicking pills across his desk, and the pair of them capering in a shower of Corn Flakes.
McDougall puts great faith in the dexterity of the actors, and that’s repaid with fresh, spontaneous performances. Last night’s duo were Jade Anouka and Jonjo O’Neill. Anouka’s radiant stage presence may be at odds with Bishop’s famous shyness, but she captured her tenacity and restlessness, while O’Neill brought a watchful, bemused charm to Lowell. Later in the run Tamsin Greig will appear, as will Tim Crouch and Hattie Morahan, promising very different interpretations.
Inevitably, given the lack of rehearsal, there are hesitations and a few mangled lines, but it’s not long before the intensity of the poets’ bond is established. The complexities of the relationship can’t be conveyed in 100 minutes, but even if Ruhl’s exploration of the writers’ intimacy is a little too restrained, it’s playful and poignant.
Until February 9 (020 7229 0706, gatetheatre.co.uk)
