Bargain Theatreland
Sikes & Nancy: A Review
James Swanton's adaptation and performance in his one-man show Sikes & Nancy is one of the best interpretations of all things Dickens I have ever seen (that includes by fiction and other texts too). Swanton is a consummate performer and delivers the multitude of characters in Sikes & Nancy with totally brilliant differentiation and conviction, all whilst in the same black costume - who knew how expressive a black trench coat could be? - In Swanton's hands it practically floats around the stage. The facial expressions are borderline gurning and magnificent; his physicality is so utterly graceful and fluid that you barely notice him switching between characters, and each one has a clearly defined physicality and manner of speech, making narrative comprehension easy. Swanton is also in possession of the most expressive hands ever, which aids his fluidity of movement and makes Sikes & Nancy a fantastic feat of theatricality to experience.
With only six wooden chairs, the dark, dank atmosphere of Dickensian London is conjured, including London Bridge and surrounding alleyways. Swanton moves effortlessly around the stage, over and around the chairs taking the audience with him atop the roof tops and into the depths of Fagin's Lair. Coupled with Matt Leventhall's brilliant lighting design, which does what all great lighting should, giving the performance all the light and shade required to make it a joy to watch.
The narrator is a clever device and helps to keep the audience up to speed with this fast-paced, action driven piece - and the mellifluous voice Swanton uses in this role lulls you into the darkest depths of the narrative. Swanton has made some very clever lexical choices when scripting this production, as each word spoken evokes the atmosphere more and more. The most brutal and delicate moments of the piece come together in the horrifically violent murder of Nancy - Swanton demonstrates real performance power here delivering an impassioned speech as Nancy, which is preceded and followed by an equally powerful speech as Sikes.
Swanton’s brilliant performance and dramaturgical skills are thoroughly deserving of a large audience. I sincerely urge you to go and spend an hour in Studio 2 revelling in this gory tale, masterfully performed by Swanton.
Emily Jones (13th December 2014)
With only six wooden chairs, the dark, dank atmosphere of Dickensian London is conjured, including London Bridge and surrounding alleyways. Swanton moves effortlessly around the stage, over and around the chairs taking the audience with him atop the roof tops and into the depths of Fagin's Lair. Coupled with Matt Leventhall's brilliant lighting design, which does what all great lighting should, giving the performance all the light and shade required to make it a joy to watch.
The narrator is a clever device and helps to keep the audience up to speed with this fast-paced, action driven piece - and the mellifluous voice Swanton uses in this role lulls you into the darkest depths of the narrative. Swanton has made some very clever lexical choices when scripting this production, as each word spoken evokes the atmosphere more and more. The most brutal and delicate moments of the piece come together in the horrifically violent murder of Nancy - Swanton demonstrates real performance power here delivering an impassioned speech as Nancy, which is preceded and followed by an equally powerful speech as Sikes.
Swanton’s brilliant performance and dramaturgical skills are thoroughly deserving of a large audience. I sincerely urge you to go and spend an hour in Studio 2 revelling in this gory tale, masterfully performed by Swanton.
Emily Jones (13th December 2014)