Review: BIRD GROVE at Hampstead Theatre

But first, what do we know of the life of novelist George Eliot beyond that she was born Mary Ann Evans in November 1819 on the Arbury Estate in Warwickshire? Third child from the second marriage of Estate Manager Robert Evans who lost his second wife to breast cancer, it appears Mary Ann assumed the role of de facto housekeeper to her father and brother Isaac, whilst continuing to study French, Italian, German and piano. She read voraciously and harboured ambitions to write at a time when women were mere chattels and discouraged from thinking. She also fell under the enigmatic spell of Charles and Cara Bray who were deemed religious free thinkers and dangerous radicals, not least by Mary Ann’s governess the ardently evangelical Ms Lewis. And so the scene is set for a thoughtful, intelligent and determined young woman (during the upheaval and instability of late Georgian England), to assert her agency, strike out on a new path and set a benchmark — through her authorship of Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner and Daniel Deronda — whose supremacy could only be challenged by perhaps, Jane Austen.

Directed by Anna Ledwich, the cast of this intelligent and emotionally substantial play is an absolute privilege and a joy to watch. Central to proceedings is Elizabeth Dulau as the forthright young woman who knows her own mind yet tempers her determination through a genuine love and affection for those around her, most notably her father, played with a genteel gruffness by Owen Teale.

The company of Bird Grove. Photo by Johan Persson

Talk about chip off the old block! When Robert Evans digs-in his proud working man’s heels over a matter of religious principle for fear of societal approbation, he demonstrates exactly from where his daughter obtains her determined genes. As her brother Isaac, Jolyon Coy proves the unwitting bad boy of the piece, attempting to facilitate a marital match early in the play between his headstrong sister and an entirely ill-suited suitor Horace Garfield, played with a deliciously toad-like, scene stealing chutzpah by Jonnie Broadbent. Meanwhile Sarah Woodward as fretful and spinsterish matron Miss Lewis, times her awkward interjections over a porridge breakfast to devastating effect. The remaining characters Charles and Cara Bray (Tom Espiner and Rebecca Scroggs) portray their free radical leanings lightly over apple cake and crinolines, leaving their weirdly interesting friend Monsieur Lafontaine played by James Staddon to explain away his early use of crystal therapy. When Staddon later appears as the executor to Mary Ann and Isaac’s father’s will, he assumes an altogether more intimidating and judgemental persona, arguing cruelly in favour of women knowing their place.

Sarah Benton’s set, which makes effective though not intrusive use of a central revolve, lends considerably to the period and bookish air, without ever imbuing a fusty or soporific feel. Through the actors’ generous performances, the evening remains light yet intellectually impressive, whilst managing to give full rein to the emotional suppression which women undoubtedly must have felt (and by which many still feel constrained). The writing is sharp, well observed, accessibly period, and deliciously delivered. As such, I cannot urge you enough to go and see this intense and powerful drama which is hugely entertaining and speaks volumes about the quality of the source material and those who have been charged with bringing it to life.

Performances of BIRD GROVE (which was the name of the Evans family home), continue at Hampstead Theatre, where it plays with an interval, until 21st March. This reviewer would stake a Georgian sovereign or two on a well-deserved West End transfer.