Noughts and Crosses
February 15, 2008
Noughts and Crosses
Venue: Northern Stage
Date Reviewed: 14th February 2008
Noughts and Crosses is dramatic and thought provoking play presented by the RSC and will no doubt play to packed theatres of schoolchildren and teachers on its tour.
While there is no questioning the first class acting and excellent direction, which brings the piece to life, there is however one big problem with the stage version that cannot be overcome.
I came fresh to the story with an open mind knowing it was like a modern day Romeo and Juliet. My research showed that the original book by Malorie Blackman is interpreted in many ways; it could be black versus white, Protestants against Catholics, set in Spain and refers to the Basque separatists, dealing with racial hatred or just mans ignorance to each other. It is not until you are engrossed in the novel that you become aware that the noughts are white and crosses are black.
This is the problem on stage, immediately you know Callum is white and his girlfriend, Sephy, is black so we are faced with a racial problem from the word go and there is no way around that.
The story of young couple , played by Richard Madden and Ony Uhiara is well handled. We find out his mother had been the nanny for the girl, until she was suddenly sacked two years ago. While Sephys father is a leading cabinet minister who rarely comes home, her mother tries to hold her marriage together by being the dutiful wife is hiding a drink problem and turning a blind eye to his affairs.
Meanwhile Callums family are on a downward spiral of destruction, as his father and brother join a militant party which results in the bombing of a shopping centre. His father accepts the blame when caught and despite having the best lawyer around, paid for by a mystery benefactor, he faces the death penalty.
But nothing can keep the young couple apart until she is sent to boarding school. If only the letter she sent Callum had arrived a few minutes earlier their lives may have been very different, just as in all good stories.
But by the time she returns Callum has changed and he uses her to strengthen the militant party profile, of which he has become a member, while trying to hide the love that they both share. Ultimately, he cannot do that and she falls pregnant, causing her father to try and reach a deal with Callum to save his political career. This makes Callum face the ultimate sacrifice and finally the lovers are separated forever in a thought provoking climax which is excellently staged.
The production holds your attention and the direction, by Dominic Cooke (who also adapted the novel) keeps the story very clear, but unfortunately, it is over long. Shortening the two and a half hours running time would help the attention of the schoolchildren, those who sat around me were becoming slightly restless towards the end.
I felt uncomfortable at the start when the play seemed to focus on black against white racial tension, but as the story unfolded it did grip me and I felt involved in the story, but wished it had just been a bit shorter.
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