Scaramouche Jones at The New Red Lion Theatre

Scaramouche Jones at The New Red Lion Theatre

08 November, 2010
by: Naima Khan

Scarmouche Jones is a great opening play for The New Red Lion Theatre

In the midst of an ongoing debate on the ever-increasing number of theatres in London, The New Red Lion proves exactly why London can have as many venues as it wants so long as they do something new. Brilliantly acted and superbly staged, the theatre's first show, Scaramouche Jones, highlights some of its best points, as well as its potential to stir up the London pub theatre scene. It's a pub space that's also a theatre, which spits in the face of traditional 'stages' made of floor space in pokey rooms hidden up staircases.

On arrival you'll spot a neon sign, blacked out windows and probably walk all the way around the building before you find the door. Once you do find it, you're welcomed into a haze of sofas and cafe tables, a looming bar to your left the and a proper stage to your right – elevated and everything. There's not a drop of natural light in sight.

I should say how much I love traditional pub theatres that suffer no guilt over squireling away their audience to higher floors. These tucked away performance spaces have showcased some of the best theatre and most impressive staging I've seen. But The New Red Lion is an example of another kind of pub theatre, the kind there should be more of in London, the kind where the lights go down and pub-goers become theatre-goers, drinks in hand sitting at their tables or lounging on sofas. And then the show begins.

Tonight it's Scaramouche Jones by Justin Butcher, the story of a hundred year-old clown told by the highly skilled Tom Daplyn. The thoroughly English sounding, pale-faced Scaramouche, who's also a gypsy from Trinidad, plans to die at the turn of the Millennium or what he calls “the arse end of the 20th century”.

Having lived a hundred years of adventure, pain and triumph, all he has left to do is tell his story before the fireworks begin. Daplyn embodies the crotchety old clown before he transforms himself into a child searching for his mother. He becomes a young man thrust into pan-global adventures, a Holocaust gravedigger, and once again a clown. Daplyn and director Jonathan Constant highlight the sweet contradictions in this mournful story told with startling energy and vibrant imagery. The much heard but never seen musical director Sarah Bodalbhai cleverly allows the audience to escape into the story with music and sound that's as rich as the script.

In exploring his own identity, Scaramouche highlights the evolving social identities of the new Millennium. Tom Daplyn delivers a classic performance that captivates and engages. He pulls together Scaramouche's conflicting characteristics to portray a fully formed character and a thoroughly absorbing story teller. It sets up the NRL nicely to become a home for storytellers, comics and some great London fringe.

Scaramouche Jones runs at The New Red Lion Theatre until 13th November

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Naima Khan