The Winslow Boy review: let down by taking “the safer option”

Even without knowledge of the historical context of The Winslow Boy, the opening scene, in which a militarily uniformed youth takes centre stage under a solitary spotlight, immediately places the play in the run up to the First World War. As the spotlight fades, the audience becomes aware of the décor – a living room, fairly typically decorated in the style of the middle class of the early 20^th century – and the time period clearly establishes itself.

The ease with which the audience is able to glean the historical and social context is indicative of the play’s tone throughout. This largely naturalistic performance gently led its audience through the story of a young, innocent Naval cadet’s pursuit of justice, which swept along his family, his legal team and eventually the consideration of the greater public.

This largely naturalistic performance gently led its audience through the story of a young, innocent Naval cadet’s pursuit of justice

The story itself, based on real-life events, bears the foundations for a relatively engaging performance. Centred around a trial of a personable youth, who is falsely accused of stealing a small sum of money and subsequently discharged from his naval college, the plot allows the audience to invest in the protagonist’s plight.

Aden Gillet shone as Arthur Wilson, the father of the accused cadet, aided in part by his having most of the best lines. Another standout performance was that of Soo Drouet who played a very believable and charming maid to the family; she provided light relief, even in this rather breezy production. Timothy Watson, of Archers fame, played an emotionally muted, intimidating barrister, and was a welcome bleak injection to the otherwise sunny characters we had met up until his entrance.

The play failed to draw out the broader concepts of justice, equality and the fundamental principles of democracy

However, the play failed to draw out the broader concepts of justice, equality and the fundamental principles of democracy from what was quite a naturalistic, cosy performance. All attempts at this felt contrived or a little ham-fisted.

Take for example, the set: comprised of a relatively typical living room, it did not change substantively for the whole performance, and was not used as any space other than the one which it represented – the entire play effectively happened in one room. Though this was initially effective in allowing the audience to place themselves in the world of the characters, such absorption was rather unpleasantly broken when it became clear that the backing of the walls was not opaque, but made of mesh. As well as making the audience aware of the actors’ entrances and exits off stage, this allowed the columns in front of the supreme court to be beamed through from a projection on the back of the stage. Though one can see the rationale for this – to keep in mind for the audience the importance of a fair trial – this could have been at all times inferred from the script and acting. As previously mentioned, the path along which the play led its audience was narrow enough to leave no room for confusion or independent thought.

So much of what was challenging in the tale of The Winslow Boy is relevant now

This was a shame, as so much of what was challenging in the tale of The Winslow Boy is relevant now. The pursuit of justice at a significant, almost iniquitous financial cost to the defendant; the ramifications this has on family relations; the near impossibility of standing up to a state-led institution such as the military: all these resonate with current affairs. Legal aid is becoming ever more restrictive and the difficulties in attaining state accountability are clearly demonstrated by events such as the Grenfell Tower fire. If the audience were able to draw comparisons with these issues they could have been not just entertained, but engrossed.

Instead this performance arguably took the safer option and narrowed its scope to the matter at hand, stylistically spoon-feeding the audience and thus preventing any incentive for analysis or comparison. This is perhaps intentional: the shallows presented by this performance were quite comfortable to bathe in. However so much more could have been achieved by injecting a little tempest that may have allowed the boat to rock.

The Winslow Boy plays at the Birmingham Rep until 3rd March. 

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/the-winslow-boy.html