Reviews

The Guardian (3rd June)

The world that Shaun McCarthy draws in Beanfield feels both close and far off. It's 1985, and a convoy of hippy travellers is heading for a gathering at Stonehenge. The police and the Tory government, emboldened by their handling of the miners' strike the previous year, have other ideas. That clash, over what McCarthy's protagonist, Steamer, refers to as "a rather buggered field of beans", seems ancient and unlikely now, but the recent change of government gives everything a new, sour edge, acknowledged by McCarthy. Voting Cameron and Clegg in during the recession is, he writes, "like changing cabins on the fucking Titanic".

This vigorous, bold play, intensified by its teensy 50-seater venue, is full of lines like that: witty, angry, likable. The story is nothing new, centring on a romance between the roughly hewn Steamer and posh girl Annie in her one moment of rebellion, and dotted with archetypes. It doesn't pretend to be novel, either, throwing references to Shakespeare into key moments and scenes. "Thatcher," we hear, "she was a character straight off of Shakespeare's darkest pages."

This blending works well, reminding us that the battle before us, between the powerful and the powerless, has a long heritage. And it's knowingly done, often for laughs, building a strong sense of community with its audience. The play is sometimes rough around the edges, but it's all done with tremendous spirit and some notable performances. Ben Crispin, as Steamer, is a force of nature on stage and brilliantly watchable; Eli Thorne is terrific both as a brutal, vicious police officer and a drugged-up anarchist; and Georgie Rennolds shines as Diane, caught up in the convoy with life-changing consequences.

The Stage (2nd June)

Treading the balance with skill, Shaun McCarthy’s new play brings a dramatic dream-like glimpse of another world. His carefully researched story presents facts, yet takes care to examine perceived ideas and establishment views, as in June 1985 when a peace convoy of new age travellers converges on Stonehenge.

In what is undoubtedly the strongest piece of theatre offered at Exeter’s newest venue this season, David Lockwood directs a well-balanced ensemble that continually holds and intrigues audiences as it plays out a compelling drama.

Theatrical devices marry the rich language of Shakespearean rhetoric with modern vernacular as with impeccable technique five actors take on a multiplicity of roles.

Driving and shaping the story Ben Crispin’s instinctive and intuitive Steamer looks back at events, engaging his audience and setting the scene with clarity whether actively involved, or unseen onlooker.

Katie Villa, a poised and confident Annie, asserts her individuality, rejecting middle-class roots to travel with Steamer. Georgie Rennolds is engaging as local girl Diane, swept into the midst of a free-loving fraternity that includes Benny and Lex (Ben Simpson and Eli Thorne).

Designer Philip Wyatt contrives an ingenious multi-functional set, a paraphernalia-festooned framework representing idealist Steamer’s entire world.

But a coterie of drug-dealers reveals a darker side to this idyll; some are spoiling for a fight. Faced with a four-mile exclusion zone that prevents the travellers from setting up the 14th Stonehenge Free Festival and with a heavy police presence, the ensuing Battle of the Beanfield spirals into a violent and shameful conflict.

Devon Life (5th June)

News and Media Republic (4th June)

It begins with a Shakespearean-style prologue from convoy member and new-age idealist Steamer, played by Ben Crispin, who delivers each line with conviction, generating a powerful empathy with his portrayal of a young man disillusioned by a harsh childhood, seeking a Utopia, which is about to be shattered irrevocably.

Joining him on the road is Annie, a young woman who differs from many other members of the procession by coming from a wealthy, middle-class background. Constantly teased for being ‘posh’, her unstable convictions dissolve as events unfold. Katie Villa gives an authentic performance that will resonate with anyone torn between two worlds, unable to truly belong to either, and feels lost and drifting in searching for their reason for living.

Another genuinely responsive character is that of chicken farm hand Diane, whom Georgie Rennolds plays with an engaging sense of lovable whimsy, as a young girl drawn into the world and politics of the convoy.

Eli Thorne and Ben Simpson both give solid, versatile performances as both fellow travellers and their villainous police-force counterparts, with a particularly impressive speech delivered with blazing fervour by Thorne on the eve of the battle. Both Rennolds and Villa also slip into state-approved alter-egos as the police or members of English Heritage without a murmur, helped along by an inventive and mobile set designed by Phil Wyatt, depicting everything from a psychedelic mini-bus to a domestic scene in Birmingham with ease. Occasionally the on-set scene changes were a little clunky, making it hard to hear what a character was saying as a van interior was dismantled around them, but overall changes were made with minimum fuss.

Beanfield has been directed by David Lockwood of Particular Theatre Company with skillful precision and impressive vision. From the subtle lighting by Rachel Duthie to the live music from Ben Goldstone, each aspect of Beanfield’s production has been thought out and implemented with a comprehensive understanding of what makes good theatre alongside McCarthy’s script.

I have not been moved to give a standing ovation since seeing Tosca at the Prague State Opera, but as the lights dimmed on the final scene myself and many other audience members leapt to our feet whistling, cheering and stamping at what is certainly the most accomplished and successful production that the Bike Shed, and possibly, Exeter, has seen so far this year.

Remotegoat (2nd June)

Of the events near Stonehenge around June 1st 1985, busy author, Shaun McCarthy has thoroughly researched the facts. Tonight, on its nationally forgotten anniversary, his account - without distortions - was justly dramatised in David Lockwood's disturbing, entirely memorable, successful production.

Despite these facts, 'Beanfield' is a true love story and like most such stories, is tragic. The names are fictional; the progress of relationships - buffeted by factual events - imaginative, but 'true-to-life'.

The story begins with Ben Crispin as the alpha male, 'Steamer', directly delivering a prologue, setting the scene with inspiration from Shakespeare's 'Henry V'. And the Bard continues to contribute generously throughout the performance, to good effect. Spotting the quotes adds greater pleasure to following McCarthy's lively dialogue, including relevant speeches quoted from people who were there.

Crispin gives powerful commitment to the role, engaging his hearers with authority yet also, fraternal warmth. 'Steamer' is of today, retelling and re-living his experiences, not only of the 'Battle in the Beanfield' but of how he and others have fared since; separating, re-uniting, and so on. Never less than convincing, Crispin carries the narrative as a father carries his child, held firmly because inestimably valued.

Therein hangs the whole story, the love stories and the tragedies; not mortal but still tragic and yet hopeful, in a philosophical sort of way.

'Steamer' is accompanied by middle-class 'Annie', a role in which Katie Villa excels for her composure and understated desperation as her hopes for finding love and purpose in life are constantly threatened. The quality of Villa's presence enriches the emotional depth of the action, thereby tacitly ennobling the couple's domestic drudgery. After her transformation, Villa's character grows even more holistic, as her suffering intensifies.

Georgie Rennolds makes Diane, the 'due-to-be-politicised' farm-worker, lovably sympathetic and real and (as does Ms Villa beside her) also performs dutifully as police officer and committee-seat occupier. Ben Simpson and Eli Thorne double effectively as Peace-convoy buddies and Officers of Law & supposedly Order, adding spicy varieties of life to a comprehensively scripted play, while not cluttering the stage with excess bodies.

A varied soundscape, with sinister drumbeats, designed and played live by Ben Goldstone, colours the visual scenes and verbal content that Rachael Duthie has lit remarkably well without too many lamps. Lighting for both house and stage is adequate yet limited, enhancing the semi-clandestine atmosphere of the basement venue.

Set design by Philip Wyatt, ingeniously copes with limitations of space and various scenes; windows from old buses and a plethora of odd materials simulate mobile decor. Costumes, appropriate, sought-out, altered or made by Holly Henshaw, range from jumble-sale couture to immaculate professionals, 'tho' on-stage quick changes don't always admit a perfect fit, but this doesn't much detract from the performances.

In August,the play upgrades to Bristol's dynamic Tobacco Factory which can't be a bad move.