Marianne Elliott last collaborated with Simon Stephens, with his adaptation of Mark Heddon’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. This time round Elliott has revived Stephens’ Port, which she directed at the Royal Exchange in 2002, her last play in Manchester.
I thought that the Cottosloe would have been the obvious choice to stage Port. Somehow the National Theatre have defied the average Lyttleton audience and produced a brave alternative. The programme itself informs that the:
Lyttleton isn’t an obvious place to stage Port since it was written for a theatre that is in the round and for much of the time it is a two hander
It is interesting to see the Theatre making a difference, a very brave and admirable development.
The people were a mix of a younger audience with many high stilettos in sight. Northern accents were heard from many directions, leaving me with a nostalgic feeling.
Port is split between eight scenes, 1988-2002, Rachel’s (Katie O’Flynn) life tragically passing simultaneously stirring various emotions. Although there is sympathy majority of the time, in one scene her actions do later reap consequences.
Although the play is set in Stockport, a large town in Greater Manchester it bares a lot of similarity to any town in the north. It is Rachel’s early life that recalls working class memories of the north-east, rows of council terrace houses replaced with tower blocks. It was particularly listening to obscenity and watching violent scenes that stirred feelings of discomfort, yet the last two scenes erase those feelings. I have heard many people comment that it is offensive to northerners however plausibility is the one and only reason behind any offence. Although nothing explosive takes place, I strongly believe that Stephens’ depiction of English life ignored in tourist guides vividly guides you through Rachel’s life in Stockport. The final line of the play leaves the audience with optimism. Just Port being shown at the Lyttleton does a lot for Stephens’ message.
The Audience Experience 