Chapter Eighty Three - "My Cousin Rachel"

Well, what a performance! Upon visiting the Richmond Theatre to see the penultimate showing of My Cousin Rachel, I went into this production with an attitude akin to someone paying a house-call on a familiar friend – the storyline of this tale being well known to me, having read the novel, and subsequently having seen the 1952 and 2017 movie adaptations.

Before the drama began, I tried to converse with a fellow theatre-goer about Daphne du Maurier’s tale, although all I managed to establish from her was a preference for Rebecca. To be honest, I don’t think she understood my questions, so rather self-consciously I returned to my thoughts.

I was seated up in the heavens (the Upper Circle), which gave a surprisingly decent view of the stage. The players, when they appeared, were not as tiny as I had feared!

So, on to the play. There was the expected opening line, “They used to hang men at Four Turnings”, but then the time jumped forwards suddenly, to after the moment of Ambrose’s death. It was interesting (and unique) to have the whole backstory of Ambrose, and Philip’s subsequent visit to Italy following his death, happen ‘off stage’ so to speak, but with hindsight this approach made sense, considering that the main backdrop on stage was that of the Ashleys’ living room (or whatever the correct term would be), with table, fireplace and portrait of the late Ambrose.

Another unique element to this production, for me, was provision of a backstory to two particular characters (omitted, as I recall, from the film adaptations, though I may be wrong). First of these was Louise, dear and loyal, a friend to Philip throughout. We learn a bit about her childhood, and there comes later on in the play, an amusing discourse about how she has a “bewildering vocabulary of curse words”! The second character to be given some background was the servant boy, Tom, who suffered a limp following an accident in the factory where he used to work. I don’t recall him being mentioned in much depth, if at all, in previous adaptations. As far as I was aware, Secombe was the only servant.

As with all theatre productions, I love how the lighting and scenery are used to maximum effect to create illusion and movement. This production was no exception. I loved the creation of the firelight glow, the sudden scene changes, and the background rainfall. I’m still wondering, in fact, how the candlelight was created, and how the fire swelled just for an instant when a letter was thrown upon it to be burned.

The acting was admirable, in my opinion, and grew on me as the play continued. At first I was inclined to think that Rachel’s accent was too English (vis a vis Call the Midwife, which given the actress, would have been understandable). However, as time progressed, we were treated to little hints of Italian here and there, better enforcing the feeling that this lady was indeed a foreigner to Cornwall. The Italian (accurate or not, I could not tell) came to the fore in the scene with Rachel and Señor Rinaldi, on which Philip intrudes. I agree with Nick Kendall, when he remarks that “Italian is so noisy” (although in a different context, referring rather to Rachel’s prospects as a language teacher, had not Philip generously – perhaps ill-advisedly – intervened).

There was plenty of humour too, with quotes such as “A flash of ankle, and you behave like chimpanzees” (Rachel, on the attitude of men towards beautiful women), and Philip’s response when Secombe remarks on the good it does a person to see a lady of a morning: “Then put on a frock and look in the mirror!” Secombe, specifically alluding to Rachel, says “The moon can send ladies far out of their minds – though they don’t have far to go.”

As you are probably aware, the drama takes place in part over Christmas time, and so it was with a sense of unexpected gladness that I was treated to a tuneful rendition of ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, with harmonies – although alas, Rachel was unable to reach one of the high notes, which was particularly noticeable. I wonder, did Louise really play the piano? If so, bravo!

The rotating stage was used effectively throughout the production, but particularly at the high point of Philip’s birthday eve, as he announces his intent to wed Rachel (to a rather colder reception than he would have liked). This was balanced against the light-hearted scene of receiving the birthday presents – a model of himself, from Tom, and a drawing of Secombe, from Secombe – surely put in for light relief.

The climax of the play seemed rather abridged, in my opinion, with a hasty account of Philip’s feverishness and paranoia (much extended in both book and films). There was also no scene with Miss Pascoe coming to stay (although a female companion is requested by Rachel). As Rachel leaves for her walk, no Laburnum seeds were found, in this version, upon Philip’s searching of her belongings (a trunk, rather than her room), and so her ultimate guilt over Ambrose’s death is again left in doubt. Alas, Philip’s efforts to save Rachel from her fate are moments too late, and rather poignantly he repeats the opening lines “They used to hang men at Four Turnings”, this time obviously alluding to himself, as he cradles Rachel’s lifeless form – this, a take I’d never seen done before, but strikingly effective.