The Elephant Man

Synopsis

'John Merrick has no hope nor expectation of relief. In every sense his situation is desperate. His physical agony is exceeded only by his mental anguish, a despised creature without consolation.' The Elephant Man is the moving portrayal of John Merrick. Hideously deformed at birth by a rare disease and later used as a freak attraction by nineteenth-century circus owners, Merrick is befriended by a young doctor named Dreves, who provides him with a home at the London Hospital. Here Merrick undergoes a painful self-analysis that strips bare Victorian preconceptions about normality and the parameters of faith. Even those who love him can't help him from his horrible affliction. A raging success both in Britain and on Broadway, the play sparked huge interest in its subject and led to the 1980 film starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins. The Elephant Man was first produced in 1977 at the Hampstead Theatre, with David Schofield in the title role.

Our Review:

10 April 2007

David Lynch’s 1980 black and white movie of The Elephant Man, starring John Hurt as John Merrick, the hideously deformed but “human” phenomenon of the late 19th century, may well have obscured the deft theatrical qualities of Bernard Pomerance’s original 1977 play.

So it is good to be reminded of them in this admittedly unevenly acted, cheap and cheerful revival by Creative First, directed by Bruce Guthrie in the smaller, coffin-like studio of the Trafalgar venues.

Written in 21 short, sharp scenes – the very construction is redolent of fringe plays of the period; this was a powerful collaboration at the time between director Roland Rees for Foco Novo and Hampstead Theatre – we follow John Merrick from freak show prominence to high society fame through the attention to his case history of Dr Treves, anatomist at the London Hospital and later surgeon to King Edward VII.

It is a superb story, as we are taken right into the soul of a man too upsetting to loo...

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Latest User Review

Johnnyboy - 12 April 2007:

I was most impressed by Marc Pickering's portrayal of the John Merrick - I found it really affecting. However I feel he was somewhat let down by the rest of the cast who by comparison with his humanity seemed so wooden. The beginning with the anatomy lecture was most effective. One point: I have read that the playwright gives instructions in his production notes that the part is not to be played with the use of any make up or prosthetic effects. But it did look as though John Merrick had some sort of make up effect on his arms and chest? Did anyone notice this - or can anyone involved in the production shed some light on this. ...

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