Not for the faint-hearted

1:04pm Thursday 25th October 2007

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SEXUAL obsession, revenge, hatred and a murder or two thrown in as well - it's not a night for the faint-hearted at Malvern Theatres.

The Changeling, a dark tale by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley depicting a bitter love triangle, has been thrilling crowds since 1622 and is still eliciting gasps and murmurs from the audience.

This is in no small part due to the power of the performances from the English Touring Theatre cast, surrounded by a forbidding set that, with a few subtle changes in the gloomy and atmospheric lighting, moves between castle surroundings and lunatic asylum with ease.

Beatrice-Joanna and Alsemero are in love but her father wants her to marry de Piracquo, while she loathes disfigured servant Deflores, who is obsessed with her.

Beatrice-Joanna, an intelligent but thoroughly unlikeable woman, orders Deflores to murder de Piracquo, thus setting in action an inevitable chain of events, giving Anna Koval a chance to deliver an extraordinarily accomplished performance - astonishing when the programme notes say she's a recently graduated RADA student and this is her first professional engagement.

Adrian Schiller as the obsessed Deflores, delivers a wonderfully drawn portrayal of a man who becomes, ultimately, Beatrice-Joanna's nemesis.

The play is not without its flaws: the biggest being the asylum sub-plot sitting uncomfortably alongside the main action, making The Changeling feel like two plays rolled into one.

But since it's been around for more than 400 years I'm sure I'm not the first to have said that. With a production and cast like this one it deserves to be around for another 400.

The Changeling is at Malvern Theatres until Saturday, October 27.