Blue Orange Theatre stages new adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover
It’s been more than 85 years since D H Lawrence wrote the novel ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’. It caused a scandal back then and, strangely enough, it still does.
Blue Orange Theatre will be staging a brand new theatre adaptation of the work next month (March). Both the casting and rehearsal procedures have been in depth and the controversy is already raging. But why all the fuss? Well perhaps it’s because stage is a much less forgiving medium, particularly when it comes to nudity and sensuality. The lights are up, the audience is on three sides and whatever happens, happens. There’s no concealment.
The search for a Lady Chatterley was extensive. The role involves both nudity and scenes of sensuality. Many actresses would not be willing to do this, others might not be able. So it was vital that the actress knew exactly what was expected of her before rehearsals began. The same applied to the actor playing Mellors, the Gamekeeper, and it was here that director Tina Hofman discovered that for all their talk, men are far less confident when it comes to appearing naked on stage. In the end, Emily Summers and Marcus Fernando won the roles. They had never met before, and yet soon they would be playing scenes together of strong sensual intimacy.
“I was not prepared to compromise with these scenes,” said Tina. “Lawrence wanted the sensuality and nudity to be something natural. Normal and natural. It would be totally wrong to try to conceal it.”
The rehearsals also had to be carefully arranged. For the first time, the doors to the theatre were locked, as some of the more intimate scenes were explored.
“It was just myself and the two actors,” continued Tina. “And very little by way of costume! We all found ourselves testing our personal boundaries to the full. It really was quite exhilarating.”
Lady Chatterley’s Lover runs from 7th March – 16th March at Blue Orange theatre. For more information or to book tickets please visit the website www.blueorangetheatre.co.uk.
