Synopsis Described by Priestley as an "adventure of the theatre", Johnson Over Jordan is a journey through the past and present life of Robert Johnson, recently deceased. In order to reach the Inn at the End of the World and begin his final voyage, Robert must first negotiate not only the bureaucracy of the Central Offices of Universal Assurance and Global Loan and Finance Corporation but also the bright lights, strong drink and beautiful girls at the Jungle Hot Spot night club. Johnson Over Jordan is an ambitious, dreamlike piece of theatre and, ultimately, a deeply moving account of a very ordinary man's life. Quarry
Rarely before has a series of plays been so hyped, nor so eagerly anticipated, as the JB Priestley season at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. This all started months ago. And never has this theatre had such a buzz about it on entering the doors.
So, where to start in the re-evaluation of Priestley's collection of work? The ever-popular An Inspector Calls? No. In a moment of what would appear to be sheer madness, the work chosen to kick off the season by director Jude Kelly and her "Priestley: The Next Generation" cohort Patrick Stewart is what was, in its day, Priestley's most ill-received play.
Miraculously, Johnson Over Jordan, considered by contemporaries to be the writer's most spectacular flop, has been turned today into the most spectacular of productions.
As the audience enters the auditorium, there lies Stewart, as Robert Johnson, atop his deathbed, his family gathered to say their fond farewells. Then, as the video projection (designed by Mic Pool, with lighting Chris Davey) illustrates the popping of clogs, Johnson leaps into the afterlife. The play also leaps into life as Johnson begins an extremely vivid and posthumous look back at the events that led to his present circumstances, aided by video, photographs, friends, family, fictional characters, Rae Smith's design and the plinky, plonky live piano of composer Sarah Collins and Emma Garner.
The depth of Priestley's expressionistic writing and the unpredictable mix of realism and fantasy by Kelly and co result in a real headswim of a work. This is Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (characters burst through a huge polystyrene backdrop), this is Joe Orton at his filthy best, meeting Alan Bennett (references to Lancashire are omitted in favour of more popular Yorkshire ones) in a seedy bar and night-club littered with socio-freaks and possibly owned by German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It is both abstract and real, heaven and hell, funny and moving, Orwellian and Huxleyan, life on earth and life on stage.
Johnson Over Jordanworks in the most stylish manner and Kelly was right to return to a play that has not been performed for 50 years. Kelly, Stewart and the other nine cast members do Priestley an enormous service here.
I laughed and I was also, genuinely, moved to tears. As Stewart headed off on his long walk into the shadows of the valley of death, I wanted to kiss him.
Cannot believe Dave Windlass has given this unmitigated disaster 5 stars. I have not been so bored by a production in the last 12 months and can think of noting good to say about it. The costume design is a mess, the performances competant but not outstanding, the direction and pacing is dire (the nightclub scene was excruciating), the set design really hinders the action (I longed to throw the bricks at the designer!) the music unremarkable and again works against the play and the use of sythesized voices was a very bad decision. Do yourself a big favour and miss this - go to the excellent Dangerous Corner at the same theatre instead. - USER: Whatsonstage.com
20 Sep 01
Good God - five stars for this mess? In 1939 JOJ was an interesting failure, in 2001 it's a vintage interesting failure (not improved by updating it to the present day). From what I could hear of the dialogue when it wasn't drowned out by the music and sound effects, the play is for the most part badly written and deeply uninvolving; it lasts for about 100 minutes but it feel more like three hours. I saw a Saturday matinee at which the theatre was little more than half full (word of mouth?), and as the audience came out the sense of dissapointment was almost palpable. What little enjoyment I could find in the piece came from the superb use of projected images, although the "talking books" scene and Johnson's final walk into eternity were beautifully done. This overblown production is a complete waste of Patrick Stewart and his fellow RSC stalwart Bernard Lloyd. - USER: Whatsonstage.com
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