Ents: Arts

Review: Paradise Lost

By Jessica Nangreave
Published: 19/10/2009

Being half way through John Milton’s Paradise Lost myself I was intrigued as to how Milton’s script could be adapted for theatre. I’m pleased I followed my curiosity as I found the beauty of Milton’s original script really shone through in this wonderful production.

The script had been taken directly from the original text, which was done justice by the array of talented actors performing it. Selina Thompson played a wonderfully sinister Satan and the first half of the play was eerily dark. Satan’s fallen angels gave a first-rate performance, particularly a demonic, gurning Moloch played by Shelley Firth.

The set design was impressive; ladders hanging from the ceiling illustrated the snakes and ladder effect of Satan’s miserable fall into Chaos and his hope of reining Heaven. A red, backlit curtain was a creative symbol of the portal to hell.

After the interval the set was changed to represent the Garden of Eden, using white drapes and green-hued lighting. By changing the set during the interval it successfully reflected the contrast between the two halves of the play. Overall it was simple but effective.

The second half of the performance began very differently. A well cast Eve, and a charming Adam played a harmonious couple, there seemed to be a genuine affection between the two. Eve, played by Sarah Raine, was brilliant alongside Satan, who gave a compelling performance tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.

The clear-cut costumes served their purpose, the difference between good and evil was shown with black and white. This approach worked particularly well at the end of the play when Adam and Eve are banished from Eden they are given black clothes to wear.

It was a really good turn out; almost all of the seats were taken during the performance. Of course everything gets busier around freshers’ week, but there seemed to be genuine interest in the play. The cost of the tickets was five pounds, a bit more than usual for a SuTCo production. However the price was justified, and after speaking to others that had seen the production it seems this was a shared opinion.

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