A cast of eight reinterpret The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 19th century short story, which is a collection of journal entries written by a woman whose physician husband has confined her to the upstairs bedroom of a house he has rented for the summer. In the story, the woman is forbidden from working and has to hide the journal from the physician, John. As her confinement goes on, the yellow wallpaper in the room becomes all-consuming. At one point the woman writes in her journal: ‘That awful paper began to laugh at me’.
Company 37, from Cheltenham Ladies’ College, present The Yellow Wallpaper with eight young women playing the central character. They represent the different thoughts of the one woman, sometimes speaking collectively, sometimes completing each other’s sentences and thought processes. Together they are able to beautifully portray her worsening state of madness as she descends into psychosis. Their combined movement works well with the simple set of two iron bed headrests and matching white nightdresses as their costumes. Sometimes they work together as a pack, backing into a corner, while other times they all disperse, going their separate ways, mirroring the woman’s confused state.
The piece would have been more memorable, however, if each of the respective characters embodying the one woman were more distinctive. It would be nice to see some of the performers take a second look at the accent they are trying to put on as well. Some were more believable than others, but it wasn’t clear what sort of collective voice they were trying to give to the woman. Ultimately, although a well devised play, the wallpaper appears to be peeling in the nooks and crannies.
