Brothers Karamazov review, The Lord Stanley

In Camden, above a pub in a side street, literary Russia is in full bloom. Soviet born writer/director/impresario, Victor Sobchak, is using the space above The Lord Stanley to stage a series of dramas that he has either translated or adapted from the Russian originals. This month, on a stark, spare set that feels eerily authentic, we've an adaptation of Dostoevsky's last novel, The Brothers Karamazov.

Brothers in harms

The story of the brothers is complex and this production does little to ease understanding. Old man Karamazov has made his fortune. His four sons all want a bite for different reasons. One loves a woman who speaks like a mechanical doll. Another is epileptic, born on the wrong side of the bed. The third is a philosopher and the fourth a priest. They all hate their father who is subsequently murdered. Who's responsible?  That's the story, but the tension in the piece centres on the belief systems of sons three and four. If the Church didn't peddle the myth that we are all immortal - and can therefore be held to account in the next life - would the social framework which keeps us in order, dissolve?

This debate provides the most interesting interludes. The rest of the play just helps fit the pieces together. As a result, the characters are either polished or dull. There's no in-between. The dud female love interests have risible lines. Some of the speech is sloppy and hard to understand. The compensations are Jeremy Cagan, a striking old man Karamazov, and Christopher Wickenden who steals the show as the disabled brother, Smerdyakov. Ewan Benfield is an elegantly argumentative Ivan and Patrick Neyman does a great turn as the devil.

In conclusion: Anyone buying tickets for an adaptation of Dostoevsky knows it's going to be an uphill journey. Thankfully, drink is available in the downstairs bar to help lubricate and free the mind.

References
Brothers Karamazov, tickets