A wet Thursday night in Huddersfield might not be the best night to go out to the theatre but surely a town this size can produce a bigger audience than this for what, on the face of it, sounds like a populist play? The Lawrence Batley is a splendid venue but to have so few bums on seats makes me fear for the future of drama in Huddersfield. While the 1971 film Get Carter starred Michael Caine and the Tyne Bridge, the book, and now Red Shift's new play, is set in an unspecified Northern town within reach of Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Bridlington. All we know is that the town lies in the shadow of its steel-works whose blast furnaces serve as some sort of analogy for hell. This is the home town to which London gangster Jack Carter returns to investigate and avenge the death of a brother who he has not seen in years. This is the second in a series of plays in which Red Shift explore novels which have given rise to big films and you have to admire their courage. Is it possible to put a film like Get Carter to one side so easily?
 | | Is Glenda ( Angela Lord) Jack's femme fatale? |
Adapter and Director Jonathan Holloway certainly believes it is. He writes in the programme: "I want to make exciting theatre that draws on big timeless themes and which transports the audience. Film and TV are about actuality. They take it there and show it to you. The theatre is about ideas and relies on a contract with the audience, who are required to bring their imaginations to the event." And this we certainly have to do in a production in which six actors play at least 24 different parts and one set stands in for many locations. Telling this story in less than two hours means it moves at a considerable pace but I'm not sure that some of the narrative doesn't get lost along the way. Certainly there are ideas here. The north of England is described as a "colony". This suggests the relationship between the crime bosses in London and the local would-be mafia is reflected in many other aspects of life. And Jack, although seemingly the hunter, is a man without a future. He's told: "You might be tough Jack but you're square." Those were the days! While the racist language used grates on modern ears it rings true for the period and for characters like these. Even Jack, the hoodlum, has his dreams. This is his last 'job' before he departs for South Africa, or so he hopes. The actors move seamlessly between scenes and this makes for a good ensemble performance but this approach does not leave much room for characterisation. But, however you look at it, Carter is central to the play – he is never off the stage. Jack Lord as Carter gives an energetic but somewhat emphatic performance and if you've seen the film it is impossible not to make comparisons. Michael Caine, an actor who really understands how to perform in front of a camera, was chilling in the role. I think I might have left the theatre slightly more contented if the drama had continued to unfold in the way it was doing as it approached the interval. In the second half, though, some of the action had to be directly related to us by the actors, making me wonder if this book was really suited for adaptation for the stage. It also raises the question of whether it is possible to do 'noir' as successfully on the stage as you can with film or on the printed page. I'm not so sure. Perhaps if you haven't seen the film you will come away from the Lawrence Batley with a more positive impression. But, at the end of the day, this is a brave attempt by Red Shift to bring this novel to the stage. Get Carter is at the Lawrence Batley until Saturday March 11th, 2006. | 
