Culture

Review: DramSoc’s Saint Joan

I urge you to watch this play, it is on until Saturday evening.

Ruby Lydford

20 Feb 2025 — 4 min read

On October 19^th 1924, the beloved poet of my early twenties, T.S. Eliot, reviewed Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, after its premiere in London. Though he held issue with Shaw's portrayal of the titular character, he wrote that the play "seems to illustrate Mr. Shaw's mind more clearly than anything he has written before." Just over one hundred years later, on the evening of Wednesday, February 19^th , I was thankful to Imperial College Drama Society for inviting me to similarly review their production. Though, admittedly, we are both a little less decorated and 'highbrow'.

Saint Joan Advertisement Poster **DramSoc**

It is safe to say that I was tentative and slightly apprehensive approaching this two-hour thirty-minute production by one of the great playwrights of contemporary theatre. I will admit, I have a habit of being incredibly picky when it comes to theatre. I like my Shakespeare modern, dialogue quick, men in suit-and-tie, performances subtle, and chemistry intimate. Unfortunately, for the drama society, I was well acquainted to Saint Joan prior to their performance; I am not willing to curb my standards. Thus, I was overly aware of the difficulty of the play and its high volume of demanding monologues. I am surprised and pleased to say that the drama society rose above my expectations.

To start with a qualm, to get it out the way, I did not expect the cast members to be such fans of 'the method'. The ensemble was already in character, voices and all, while audience members were arriving, and the lights were on. They gave little improvised quips and broke the fourth wall many times. I am traditional; I am not one for an immersive theatre experience. To be in character, and reveal that character before the lights have darkened, and Shaw says 'go', feels overstepping of the writer to me. Similar off-script, lights-up activity took place during the interval.

The play abruptly began with a forthright performance from Vaisnavi Ravichandran as Robert Lord of Baudricourt. The portrayal was energetic, angry, and compelling. I was absolutely convinced that this was a discourteous older man. Though the dialogue was at an incredible speed, it was completely understandable and plausible to character. A performance that really brought the vigour required for opening a play.

Trinity Stenhouse was subtle, modest, and controlled as the archbishop. Her voice was stern, with great clarity, and her posture perfectly stiff. I personally loved the use of platform heels cleverly hidden under the white robe to give the tall, overbearing height and stance needed for the role. Abigail Greneux-Bhajun gave an energetic, stentorian performance as Joan of Arc, The Maid of Orleans. Jack Childs was humorous and likeable as the page; he had great comedic timing. Courcelles, played by Saanvi Singh, deserves a mention for a small, yet strong performance.

In his programme note, Childs writes he "disapproves of the amount of French in this play", and while I will say this is funny, it is also ironically fitting to the distinct lack of French-ness in this production. There was an overwhelming, strong sense of Englishness though, owing to one particular character, that made up for this.

The first section of the play had an unmistakable happiness among the actors. One could tell that the cast were having a fantastic time, and this brought an energy to the stage. Perhaps there could have been slightly more nuance and anxiety underneath it, considering the themes, but this was corrected later.

The moment that Sophie Stevenson as the Earl of Warwick, Benjamin Meacher as Chaplain, and Roman Lewis as Cauchon entered the stage, the mood entirely shifted. They brought a sobriety and sombre attitude to the room. This talented trio were so captivating that one could not help but root for them; they justified to me why they were right, and I, too, was convinced that Joan should die. I am not sure this is intended to be the message of the play, unfortunately, but the strength of these actors was so undeniable that they compelled it to be the result. Meacher gave a gritty, tortured, believable performance. I really felt that I was seeing a man scared of God and justice. The banging of the metal stair barrier on his way down during his breakdown was an impeccable touch. Lewis gave, I believe, a purposely subtle performance. He felt genuinely holy and suspended my belief that he truly believed in God. His character was nuanced, changing, and his accent gave a nice touch of contrast. Later on, in the second half, Daniel Rattner as the inquisitor was on this same high level. He was vindictive and menacing. His copious amounts of Roquefort eaten certainly paid off. These four actors really sold this production.

However, I feel I owe complete honesty in this review. There is one performance in this play that had me completely allured above the others, dressed as the flag of England. Sophie Stevenson gave a decisively attractive performance as The Earl of Warwick. A flawless one, even; I have absolutely no criticism to offer. She has a wonderful cadence to her voice, immaculate pacing, subtle humour, tactful body language, body expression, facial expression, subtle comedy, tone; she made it all seem natural. I learned after the show that Stevenson does not attend Imperial College, rather she is a Royal College of Music student. To this, I am not surprised.

The lighting and sound were very good, with a particular recognition to the elements of the stake scene. I expect no less from an Imperial tech team. I liked the costuming, it was cleverly done for an amateur drama show. Well done to the cast and crew. A valiant effort for a difficult source material.

I urge you to watch this play, it is on until Saturday evening. My convincing reason to you is the dangerous performance from Stevenson.