A Clockwork Orange ****

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival 2012

EXCERPT: “With an all male cast, and such a hero, I can quite understand the directorial decision to make homoeroticism an absolutely essential part of this interpretation.”

With A Clockwork Orange’s focus on youthful gang violence, linguistic playfulness, and still-prescient questions about the morality of removing the right to choose wrong, it seems inevitable that a version of the play will make an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Action to the World’s production of Burgess’s play showcases a stunning lead: Martin McCreadie’s rippling muscles and eyeliner-laden piercing blue eyes are quite mesmerising. With an all male cast, and such a hero, I can quite understand director Alexandra Spencer-Jones’ decision to make homoeroticism an absolutely essential part of this interpretation. To a certain extent, this erotic element is a real strength: the hair ruffling, kissing and masturbatory activities the droogs indulge in is extremely good at highlighting the power dynamics behind their relationships. With knowledge of where the story was going to go, at first this interpretation seemed interesting and provocative, raising implicit questions about the relationship between homoerotic instincts, power status among men, and the brutal rape of women. However, as it became apparent that this was an utterly homosexual interpretation and that women were taken out of the mix entirely (with raped wives becoming raped men), the play lost a crucial dimension to it. I strongly disliked the actors’ excessive camp-ness, which didn’t feel intrinsic to Burgess’s characters: it felt more like a gay troupe of dancers wanted to have their cake and eat it on stage.

Other than this, I liked the physicality of the piece: beautifully choreographed, the violence felt very real, especially when Alex smashed a milk bottle and the shards of glass weren’t cleared up – I felt constantly on edge as the cast acted around and on it. The dance movements were good, though it was a shame that the most skilled parts were shown in near blackout. I would have liked to see more interesting choreography better aligned with the plot’s execution, rather than presented as an extra. Furthermore, although those familiar with the plot would have understood the travesty of tainting Beethoven for Alex, the production hadn’t actually properly showcased Alex’s love for classical music so his screaming reaction to it at the end might have seemed a little inexplicable to those not in the know.

All in all though, a powerful performance by Alex and strong sensuality all round made this a gripping show – though perhaps marketing tactics weren’t explicit enough: at least 15 middle aged men left during the performance, clearly uncomfortable with its homosexual wont.

This production of A Clockwork Orange was shown at the Pleasance Courtyard. To find out more information go to the Ed Fringe website.