Ockham’s Razor TESS: Review

Theatrical experiences are rarely all good or all bad. Sometimes a reviewer wants to rave about certain aspects of a production, while other features leave him cold. So it is for me with this physical theatre adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel, Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

Let it never be said that you don’t get your money’s worth from an Ockham’s Razor production. The energy, skill, daring, stamina and sheer brute strength of the performers (five women and two men) are, quite understandably, rewarded with a standing ovation at the close of a performance which runs at approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes, including an interval.

Against these positives must be set certain shortcomings of dramatic structure and adaptation. Lots for the eyes and ears to enjoy, but the heart is never quite drawn out.

When the local pastor jokes to Tess Durbeyfield’s drunken, good-for-nothing father about the family being related to the noble, powerful and wealthy D’Urbervilles, the first domino falls in a chain that will carry the decent, caring and, at that point, naïve Tess via accident, exploitation, bereavement, injustice, dishonour and rejection, onwards towards the gallows.

Her sottish, ne’er-do-well father being in no fit state to transport beehives to market (a financial necessity for the family), weary Tess volunteers for the task. Sadly, she falls asleep at the reins, with disastrous consequences. In desperation, her mother prompts her to try to claim kin with the rich D’Urbervilles.

The show opens with Hanora Kamen, as the older Tess, stepping down from the gibbet to narrate to us her sorry personal history. Kamen’s voice is clear and well-articulated, but the overall effect of this device (a storyteller, off to one side of the action) is to pull our focus away from the physical  actions being portrayed, and thus to undermine the emotional impact of unfolding events.

Ballet often works by keeping to simple, well-known storylines. Tess’s biography is complex and no doubt challenging to get across without narration. It might help, however, to have our narrator, the older Tess, more connected physically to her younger self, perhaps even seeking, albeit vainly, to intercede on her behalf, or to urge her (and those around her) to act differently, to try to alter the unalterable past. Put the audience close up to where it hurts, rather than drawing them aside and away.

This lack of emotional engagement is especially regrettable given that there is so much else to admire.

The wit and daring of a scene in which the cheeky milkmaids compete to flirt with and capture the attention of Angel Clare (Nat Whittingham) – the love of Tess’s life  – is a joy, concluding with a breathtaking ‘tower of women,’ which draws a spontaneous round of applause. A scene in which Angel gallantly helps the four women across a flooded stream is inventive and hilarious, yet also touching in the way he and young Tess (Lila Naruse) respond and bond. 

Tess’s first encounter with the villainous Alec D’Urberville (Joshua Frazer) is another powerful interlude. Alec’s adroit mastering of a human-sized ring is physically menacing and replete with sexual overtones, and the way in which Tess unwittingly finds herself encircled is visual storytelling at its finest. More of this in future productions, please.

There is a lot of balancing on planks, as the cast ruggedly construct and dismantle elements of the set. Lauren Jamieson, Victoria Skillen and Leah Wallings are all outstanding here; most memorably, when Tess’s world is literally turned upside down, their physical contortions are unforgettable.

I leave it with you. You won’t be moved to tears, though you may be brought to your feet.

Ockham’s Razor TESS is at Home, Manchester from 5-7 June 2025.