Review: Am I Turpin? by MHP Theatre

IF you are a regular reviewer of the work of MHP Theatre then there is one thing for sure: you just don’t know what to expect next. They take on a variety of works.

On this occasion it is the work of young playwright, Antonia Goddard.

Unknowing that she is imprisoning one of the most dangerous outlaws in the country, Abigail visits the curious man in the end cell each day, bringing him his meals and letters.

The piece centres upon the relationship between Abigail played by Linda Helm-Manley and The Prisoner played by Dan Powell.

This work demands a lot from the two main actors. The have to fully develop their characters and make you believe. Linda does portray a woman with little self esteem and indeed a prisoner of her own circumstances but with a desire to break free. Born in disruptive circumstances, she yearns for a conventional life but more than that, she believes she can achieve it with just a little bit of help.

The prisoner, on the other hand, in habited such a world but lived a life of chaos and notoriety. He is a man eaten up with frustration and anger. If that was the direction given to Dan Powell then he played the part to perfection, as he lives out what could be his last days from the confines of a prion cell.

The cell scenes are “interrupted” by a number of scenes using the “citizens of York”. These scenes, entertaining in themselves, keep the narrative running but also paint an accurate piece in eighteenth century York. As does the narration from the town crier (especially the interval declaration).

In many ways, this is a classic Hobbesian piece, where life is very much “nasty, brutish and short”.

The director, Michael Branwell has used all his skills to produce a wonderfully choreographed play that blends the growing symbiosis between gaoler and prisoner but also bringing to life, the times, the people and the moral maze confined within all four walls of a prison cell.

Once again, it is a credit to Harlow’s thriving drama scene that we can see such fascinating theatre.