Olga & Marie-Therese from Picasso’s Women
by Brian McAvera
Reviewed by Sue Marks at Madcap Theatre, Wolverton, Milton Keynes on Thursday 9th October 2008 on behalf of Catherine Brian for UK Theatre Network.
Picasso’s Women is presented by The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company whose credo is in their name. That is, the emphasis is on the play, using only a suggestion of costumes, set and props. This is the first production from this new professional theatre company and they are unique in Milton Keynes in that their aims, as listed in the programme, are: to produce challenging and thought-provoking work from the classical canon, to modern plays and work from new writers.
Picasso’s Women is a thought-provoking piece of theatre, which, in its entirety, is a series of eight monologues telling the stories of Pablo Picasso’s eight wives and lovers from their point of view. Two monologues have been selected for this production: Act One is the story from his first wife Olga; Act Two is the story from Marie–Therese (17 years old and hence illegal under French law) whom he lived with in a flat across the street from his marital home. It may well be that these two were selected because of the contrast between them. Olga is clearly disappointed with the relationship and with Picasso as a husband and lover, whilst Marie–Therese appears to be fulfilled and wanted no other man.
I thoroughly enjoyed both monologues which were performed to a high standard. Caroline Mann played Olga, Picasso’s wife, who bore his only legitimate son. Olga was clearly disappointed with their relationship and felt undervalued by him, both intellectually and as a woman. This was a powerful performance and effectively captures the character of a woman who has been described as intelligent and driven, but also as rigid, tyrannical, obsessive and possessive. Miss Mann’s characterisation included all of these traits and certainly displayed many of the more known aspects of Olga’s personality. Olga was a dancer who worked extensively in Europe with the top ballets and Miss Mann portrayed her as theatrical and dramatic.
Marie–Therese is played by Pam Ryder who gave an entirely different performance, and was a wonderful contrast to Olga, accentuating the physical aspect of a woman whose interests revolved around swimming, mountain climbing and gymnastics. She was a physical fitness fanatic and certainly during the time she appeared in Picasso’s paintings possessed a voluptuous figure. From this performance it is not difficult to imagine why Picasso was attracted to her. There is sensuality and fun in Miss Ryder’s portrayal and I felt like Marie-Therese was having a personal conversation with me. Unlike Olga, this character has a positive view of her relationship with Picasso and appears to have found it fulfilling. Miss Ryder gave Marie-Therese an almost silly, child-like personality – a total contrast to Olga.
I would recommend that you go and see this excellent production and I for one look forward to further work from this innovative new theatre company.
Picasso’s Women plays Madcap Theatre, Creed Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes MK12 5LY until 11th October 2008.
Tel: 01908 320179. www.madcap.org.uk www.playsthethingtheatrecompany.co.uk
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Picasso's Women (review) - Fri Oct 17
Reviewed by Matthew Taylor
As I pretentiously opined to Tony afterwards, a one-person monologue is a lot like jazz. It can (and probably should!) spiral off in different directions, changing pitch, rhythm, tone and melody - but it is a Very Tricky Thing Indeed to pull off without a lingering feeling of self-indulgent noodling. Because there’s only one voice, that voice is dependent almost entirely on the quality of the writing and the shrewdness of the performance in order to keep people zoned in. Luckily both were in evidence on the night in question! Phew! Makes the Art of the Reviewer a pleasant one at least! Free reign for my convoluted metaphors!!! ;-)
The Play’s The Thing Theatre Company are a new professional endeavour from the minds behind long-time local favourites of mine, Pepper’s Ghost. In Theory I think this means that all the people involved have Equity cards… in Practice – judging by Picasso’s Women at least - it’s more of the same that I’ve come to expect from Pepper’s Ghost anyway: high-quality productions bringing Good Theatre to the back streets of Milton Keynes. And I can’t do anything but applaud that!
Picasso’s Women is an interesting project on paper, as well. A series of eight one-woman plays by Irish playwright Brian McAvera, they’re designed to be performed in whatever combination or quantity a company might choose. They can stand alone, or act as companion pieces – the only real linking theme is the absent subject, Pablo Picasso. Each monologue is delivered by one of the wives, mistresses or other various women in the life of yer actual famous painter.
Cos he sounds like a bit of a scumbag, to be honest. Or at least his Women seem to think so. A mendacious short-arse with issues that could fill many a frame. And yet they loved him too. On the night, we were greeted by two of the eight plays, the stories of Olga – his first wife, a Russian ballerina – and Marie-Therese, his mistress of long standing (and one of his “muses”). And they’re contrasting figures – Caroline Mann’s Olga is hard-faced, stony (but made so by her treatment by Picasso), while Pam Ryder’s Marie-Therese is giggly and naïve – on the surface at least.
And these were textured performances. The jazz in full effect. Olga moves from stern to wistful and back again deftly, reaching a crescendo where she cracks open into tears. Marie-Therese riffs on the ditzy blonde motif but turns on a sixpence into darker waters with such balance that you’re thrown every which way, a no-nonsense defender left for dead by the skilful attacking play. If I can mix my jazz/football metaphors for a moment. And the end of her play delivers a sucker punch any bit as devastating as a defeat in the 94th minute. Genuinely unsettling.
Both actresses were impressive, as you’d expect from a professional company. But the words are the key – especially in the monologue game, as I said up top. It's a funny old one. Crucially, my attention never flagged – the skill with which the characters were drawn and brought to life really was head-noddingly good. I’d be interested to see more of the Picasso’s Women plays in fact, although I think they made the right decision limiting it to two on the night.
An eye-catching canvas then, well drawn. To add a third strand of metaphor into the mix. Freeform Reviewing Jazz. I don’t know much about Art, but I know what I like.
