What if we could be a fly on the wall at key moments of rehearsal for the films of Marnie and Witchfinder General? John Logan’s new play Double Feature attempts just that.
Dramatising one real person is often challenging. Here we have four: directors Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) and Michael Reeves (1943-1969); actors Tippi Hedren (1930-) and Vincent Price (1911-1993).
Wisely, both Ian MacNeice (‘Hitch’) and Jonathan Hyde (‘Vinny’) stop short of full interpretation of their characters’ recognisable voices and personalities, instead choosing to suggest them.
The setting (designed by Anthony Ward) is a country house where the action of both stories takes place, simultaneously for most of the play with lines echoed and situations mirrored or contrasted.
They aren’t in the same place, though, but in different countries at different times. Both films have reached an impasse, and power plays are in force.
This play is a delight for film buffs who know the titles, the players, and the back stories. It runs at a sharply paced 95 minutes and boasts an economy in plot and script.
Hitchcock and Price are the screen veterans; Reeves (Rowan Polonski) and Hedren (Joanna Vanderham), the newcomers. This is a play about people, with the industry they work in a secondary concern.
Personal, professional, and generational conflicts raise their head; sex is explicit in Hitch/Hedren’s world and left as a tantalising hint in Reeves/Price’s interaction.
Jonathan Kent’s production is stubbornly uncinematic (over at the Donmar, The Human Body takes a very different approach with extensive video work – this might have worked in moderation for Double Feature).
I liked the idea that all four characters are present at once in one set as the stories flip (and sometimes join in with the same script line, different context).
There are some off-colour jokes and at least one moment that led to a ripple of disgust across the audience. Double Feature is nothing if not ambitious, with mental health, sexual assault, workplace bullying, body image, and career frustration all on the agenda.
Lighting (by Hugh Vanstone) draws our eye to the right piece of action while allowing us to observe the stillness in the other story; Paul Groothuis’s sound design is suitably atmospheric.
It is likely this play will appeal to cineastes, movie buffs, and film nerds who know the titles and the people in the story – however, the programme offers useful profiles for those who don’t.
We know, of course, that Witchfinder General got made, with Vincent Price giving the most restrained (and possibly the best) performance of his career.
Despite its retitling as The Conquerer Worm for the US market, the film remains a chilling example of Reeves’s talent and his collaboration with a difficult actor.
As for Marnie, it was completed, but Mary Rose, the role dangled before Hedren with strings attached, was not. She has since written extensively about her experience of working with Hitchcock.
Double Feature is an interesting experiment that doesn’t quite come off, although as a cinema fan (particularly of Price), I found it very watchable and well-executed by all concerned.
Double Feature is at Hampstead Theatre’s Main House until 16 Mar with tickets here.
***.5
Image credit: Manuel Harlan