Theatre Review

Intense, innovative ‘Night Watch’ at Gamm

By DON FOWLER
Posted 1/24/19

Warwick’s Gamm Theatre has snatched another U.S. premiere straight from England.

“The Night Watch,” Hattie Naylor’s adaptation of Sarah Waters’ best selling novel, is directed by Tony …

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Theatre Review

Intense, innovative ‘Night Watch’ at Gamm

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Warwick’s Gamm Theatre has snatched another U.S. premiere straight from England.

“The Night Watch,” Hattie Naylor’s adaptation of Sarah Waters’ best selling novel, is directed by Tony Estrella and stars a mix of Gamm veterans along with talented equity actors from the Boston area.

The three-act play (one intermission) is told in reverse order, beginning with the aftermath of World War II, followed by a return to the Blitz in 1944 and 1941.

The story follows five people as they struggle to survive both during and after the war. Their lives intertwine in a variety of ways, including illicit (for the ’40s) love affairs and attempts to find themselves amid trying conditions.

The lights dim. “Where or When” is appropriately playing on an old stand-up radio. We meet the survivors of the war and learn important things about them. Then we are taken back to London during the war and we learn more about their relationships, their troubles and their loves and losses.

The acting, as we expect from Gamm, is first class, but you really have to pay attention to follow the relationships and how they connect. Several characters play dual roles.

The utilitarian set serves as a present day service office, a destroyed church, a home, the streets of London, and a prison cell.

“The Night Watch” is a tale of survival, not just from the war but from relationships that develop and insecurities that surface.

The period piece may be a bit of a history lesson for many in the audience who were not born then, and the view toward lesbianism has changed quite a bit.

“The Night Watch” is at Gamm, 1245 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick, through February 10. Call 723-4266 for reservations.

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