The Admiral Crichton, J.N Barrie’s comedy about social class and division is just as relevant today as it was when first performed in London in 1902, with the 2022 Palm D’or winning film The Triangle of Sadness using Barrie’s story as a framework.
Crichton, played by Andrew Eddey, is the loyal butler to the Earl of Loam (Timothy Bennett), who doesn’t believe in the natural order of class divisions. His fellow aristocrats are embarrassed by his monthly tea parties where servants are treated as equals. Despite the ideology of his socially progressive master, Crichton himself believes that class and rank are the natural conditions of civilisation. When the Loam family along with two of their servants take a pleasure cruise, they find themselves wrecked on a tropical island, where natural capacity towards survival changes the rank of each person in the group. The resourceful and handy Crichton finds himself at the top of the new social order, leading to a range of moral and ethical choices amongst the castaways. You can see where Gilligan’s Island got their ideas from, like being able to build some of the modern luxuries of civilisation out of coconuts and driftwood.
The staging was great, with each environment brought to life by the set design and construction team. All the technical details such as sound and lighting were also superb, so the backstage team did a commendable job to support the performers. The direction by Steven Hopley was strong, bringing the story to life with a natural sense of timing, but I found that some of the humour was lost in the desire to use appropriate accents. The choice of delivery for some of the dialogue was also a little confusing at times, but that could just be a matter of taste. The performers still did a great job with each character. They were all well cast and seemed to be having lots of fun on stage. Andrew Eddy played the eponymous Crichton with an air of calm intelligence and dignity befitting a dedicated butler, while Timothy Bennett perfectly embodied the endearing, socialist-leaning Lord Loam. While I liked all the cast, the particular standouts for me were Amy Tustian as Lady Mary, one of Lord Loam’s three aristocratic daughters who becomes Crichton’s island fling, and Isabelle Serafim, playing the maid Tweeny.
The story has now been explored in all sorts of productions since it was first performed, and while the topic is no longer new or controversial, it’s still a fun evening at the theatre with some great performances and light-hearted comedy that carries with it a message we shouldn’t forget.
The Admirable Crichton is currently playing at the Genesian Theatre in Rozelle until the 16th of May.
To book tickets to The Admirable Crichton, please visit https://genesiantheatre.com.au/events/the-admirable-crichton/.
