Written and performed by LipService (Maggie
Fox and Sue Ryding), ‘Withering Looks’ is a satirical insight into two of the
most prominent novelists of the 19th Century, Emily and Charlotte
Brontë.
On stage, LipService comprises of
Audrey (Fox) and Olivia (Ryding) who introduce themselves as two contemporary
historians who are ‘just potty’ about the Brontë sisters, and have decided to
bring their history to life. Anne Brontë has just popped out for a cup of
sugar, and does not feature heavily in the play due, as it is explained, to reduced
government funding of the Arts after the credit crunch, meaning that Audrey and
Olivia cannot afford a third actress.
The play is essentially a spoof
biography set within the framework of a GCSE revision class, whereby previous
exam questions, such as ‘How did the Brontë sisters write their novels?’, are
explained with helpful assistance of physical demonstrations, reducing the GCSE
English curriculum to its most obvious and hilarious form.
These classroom scenes are set
against a creative portrayal of the Brontë imagination, satirised but never
undermined. Despite financial restrictions, the duo successfully answer the age
long questions which lurk behind the Brontës’ literature, such as, are there
really spirits who wonder the moors? Who is the Brontës’ mysterious neighbour
and what secrets is he hiding in the attic? And, perhaps of less interest to
the GCSE student, really what is with Olivier’s accent in the 1939 MGM Wuthering Heights?
Fox and
Ryding successfully transport their audience from the 19th Century
Yorkshire moors, with its dress ‘swooshing’ winds and relentless risk of
tuberculosis, to the painful memories of the GCSE class, and finally the refuge
of MGM’s Hollywood classic.
Indeed,
the polarity of these settings may seem a lot for two recession stricken Brontë fanatics to take
on, however, Ryding and Fox approach these dynamic settings with subtle yet effective
set designs. Whether it is agile cottage walls which reveal the bleak moors, or
breakfasts tables which double up as school tables, the duo recognize their
restrictions and invite the assistance of audience’s imagination.
Withering Looks creates an atmosphere comparable to a pantomime, encouraging the
audience to clap along with songs and to poke fun at the actresses. Alongside
these child-like antics, Ryding and Fox maintain a solid admiration for the sisters.
They approach their biography by celebrating how the Brontës imaginatively
created a world beyond the secluded walls of their Haworth cottage. Well, the
two of them that is, Anne never does return from buying the sugar…
