Theatre Review: A Clockwork Orange Brings Relevance To Reformation
What is better? To be a bad person or a forced good one? In an world where discussion on “PC” natures are writhing in tension, where a Health Care Bills that could kill millions is genuinely being discussed in a “Christian” way, and bending or standing during an anthem has left a nation further torn in its race relations, A Clockwork Orange brutally confronts something we rarely discuss…. redemption. Can the wickedness of man be reformed? How? For an hour and a half you will be enthralled by A Clockwork Orange at New World Stages.
Brilliantly directed by Alexandra Spencer Jones, A Clockwork Orange heavily relies on its cast to drudge up the droogie world of one of my favorite writers, Anthony Burgess. In a relatively bare stage with only James Baggaley’s lighting to build a world, Jonno Davies is absolutely riveting as our protagonist/ anti-hero, Alex, This play is not easy one to digest, but Davies grabs you by the heart, mind, and even throat by leaving you gasping with his energy. You watch him like a rocket zooming through one bad decision after the next, but, in typical good person form, you hope for his redemption. Alex is a thief, killer, and rapist, and you witness him commit all these acts by age 15. Yet, Davies elaborates Alex’s charm and vast intelligence to make you wonder if, one day, he could link the two become better for humanity. Moreover, you grow to love Davies’ madness so much, you wonder if you are actually capable of forgiving so much? Yet, he is not alone. Each cast member stands out, at various points, for the multiple characters they play and how they use their bodies as canvases for the various “reformation” methods or beatings they will receive.. A Clockwork Orange has handfuls of themes that are not easy to absorb or even desirable. Prison reformation, evil as a phase, vengeance, government corruption, angst youth, and the interchangeability between police and gang brutality are all squished into 90 minutes, but Jones does it with a brisk attraction. You simply feel immersed by “orange” and “milky” situations that leave you happily uncomfortable and you listen to the epic soundtrack Glenn Gregory and Berenice Scott have chosen to make music Alex’s biggest salvation and torture.
A Clockwork Orange has left me salivating over challenges that my brain may not always want to connect to, but need to do so for this day and age. After all, if humanity works on a spectrum, then how that spectrum works must be figured. Does it move according to age or experiences? Are people naturally good or bad, and from there its jolts? Can you be redeemed if you do not feel you need to be forgiven? Whether we are pushing humanity to a brink or breakthrough with so much darkness, is the essence that Jones has drawn out from the plethora of Burgess work. Yet, I am happy that Jones chose to use the British version of A Clockwork Orange to leave the crowd with a final, little bit of hope; evil, eventually, tires of being itself, which can make it turn into love. For More Information On A Clockwork Orange And To Buy Tickets Click Here.
Location: New World Stages – 340 West 50th Street, between 8th & 9th Avenues Time: 90 minutes no intermission
