St. Joan at the National Theatre

Last night I went to see the classic English play 'St. Joan' by George Bernard Shaw at the Royal National Theatre. Shaw was inspired by the canonization of Joan in 1920. This was a big hit in the 20s and 30s, and apparently every actress would have died to play Joan in that time period.
While the play may be a classic, this adaptation was not classical. This was a modern, 'artsy' production, but not in a bad sense. From what I could tell, it was Shaw's play, but presented differently. Battle scenes were represented by banging chairs on the floor and sticks on corrugated aluminum, while the transitions were set to haunting eastern-inspired vocals.

The play itself was interesting, but a bit long-winded. One scene had three people debating at a table for at least 20 minutes, and there was at least one more scene with the same problem. Perhaps the British accent impeded my ability to follow the dialogue effectively, but the emotion behind the dialogue seemed forced and over-acted. The main actress, in addition, adopted a forced country accent which did not help her character, which was definitely played as more of a madwoman than one of strong conviction. Her acting, too, seemed over the top.

The production was interesting, but not riveting. The set was imaginative and the style was interesting, but the acting fell through on key parts. Also, the seats were uncomfortable.

Anyway, we're planning a trip to Cardiff in Wales for the weekend. Should be a good time!