Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell is a great story that suffers from overproduction
Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell
NAC English Theatre Presentation
By Trina Davies
Directed byPeter Hinton
Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell is a story about love between two geniuses – the famous inventor of the telephone and a woman of exceptional intellect and strength.
Mabel Gardiner Hubbard (later Bell), who lost hearing to scarlet fever when she was five years old, coped with a world of silence with enormous willpower. Thanks to her curiosity, intellect and love for life, she achieved what a woman of her time would rarely dream of.
In Trina Davies’ portrayal of the couple, Mabel is the stronger one. She knows her mind – she knows what she wants and how to get there. Alec lacks her determination and self-confidence; it seems that it’s only his passionate love for her that pushes him forward. They have their differences, but they still complement each other, making them good life partners.
That Trina Davis throughly researched Bell’s life is obvious. Not even the smallest detail escapes her, which is an accomplishment and a problem at the same time, especially if the story is to be staged. Staging a biography is never an easy task for theatre directors, and it proves challenging for Peter Hinton, as well.
The play feels like a dramatized documentary meant for TV rather than for the theatre. Lapses in time break the flow, often resulting in the presentation of a shallow sequence of events instead of uncovering a deeper layer of the couple’s relationship. Although the actors are superb, without exception, the production is overproduced, rendered flat by its constant outbursts of passion and hindered by too much of everything, starting in its narrative. The author tries to capture every moment of Bells’ life, including the time of death of each character, most of whom the audience barely gets to hear speak. As a result, the natural pace is often interrupted, the focus is lost, and the audience never has a chance to feel close to the characters. This wandering from one life moment to another leaves the events and characters disconnected. The whole story stays on the surface and deviates from its essence – the connection between Mabel and Alec.
Overuse of technology, a cluttered stage and lingering special effects also distract from the heart of the story. As the play takes place between the end of the 19th century and the year 1923 (the year of Mabel’s death), the choice of a seemingly 1940s costume for her is, to say the least, puzzling. As everybody else is wearing period costumes, are we to assume that it is supposed to show how different Mabel is in contrast? Unfortunately, this is never made clear.
Still, the story is worth exploring and there are some memorable moments, which show its potential. The scene in which Mabel reveals to Alec the extent of her loneliness, trapped in a life enveloped in silence and all but abandoned by her husband is compelling. Here, Tara Rosling’s potent and beautiful performance touches on reality and gives life to the play. Mabel, the way Rosling builds her, is the only truly intriguing character – very human with her faults, and very heroic in her perseverance through very challenging circumstances.
As the saying goes, “less is more.” Nothing could be more true for Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell. Although there are some good ideas, the execution misses the mark. It fails to show the spirit of Alec and Mabel’s relationship. In an effort to tell more, the director stripped the story of true connection and emotional depth. The concept itself is not bad, but it needs a good editor.
Silence: Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell plays in National Arts Center from October 19 to October 28.
A Grand Theatre (London, ON) Production
Nationa Arts Centre English Theatre Presentation
Written by Trina Davies
Directed by Peter Hinton
Cast:
Suzanne Bennett – Gertrude Mercer McCurdy Hubbard
Graham Cuthbertson – Alexander Graham Bell
Catherine Joell MacKinnon – Eliza Bell
Andy Massingham – Gardiner Greene Hubbard
Madelyn Narod – Berta (Roberta) Hubbard
Tara Rosling – Mabel Gardiner Hubbard (Bell)