Birmingham’s Crescent Theatre’s production of “The Night Watch”, based on the highly acclaimed novel by Sarah Waters, opens on 12th July and runs until 19th July.
At one point in Hattie Naylor’s moving adaptation, one of the characters says that she is ‘brimming with secrets’. Which is also a neat encapsulation of the play itself – a story of illicit love and everyday heroism that follows the intricate details of three love affairs both during and after WWII.
Audiences follow Helen (Beth Gilbert), Kay (Grace Cheatle) and Julia (Jess Shannon) – all three secretly lesbians – along with Viv (Annie Swift) and her troubled brother Duncan (William Gripton). They are ambulance women, conscientious objectors and secretaries, and they all have a story to tell.
‘It’s such an important story,’ says Beth Gilbert, who plays the character of Helen Giniver, who runs a dating agency. ‘To be able to look at these queer characters and how they were affected by the times that they lived in. It’s a big shift from the time most of us are privileged to be living in now. It’s especially relevant to my character, who’s entangled in a love triangle with two other women but is probably the one most constrained by the societal norms of the time and the assumption that there will, ultimately, be a husband.’
The experience of queer people sits at the very heart of Sarah Waters’ historical writing, and that’s something which Beth and her fellow performers have discussed throughout the rehearsal process.
‘Our director Michael [Barry] has been brilliant at reminding us about the time that the characters are living in, and an important part of that is the language they had. There was no language to describe a lot of these LGBTQ+ relationships and there wasn’t the language to talk about mental health either. People can crave that definition and they didn’t have any of it.’
Another intriguing aspect of “The Night Watch” is that it runs in reverse. The story begins in a shattered post-war Britain, and slowly rewinds into the very heart of the Blitz. That means secrets are revealed in a roundabout way, as something that might seem innocuous in the first half of the show suddenly becomes painfully relevant in the second half.
‘It’s been a fascinating rehearsal process,’ adds Gilbert. ‘Actors most always rehearse scenes out of order, but with this play you do have to shift your mindset. When you’re doing Act One, you have to remember that it’s not technically the start of the story!’
Throw in The Crescent’s oft praised attention to detail when it comes to period costume (‘I get to wear an absolutely fantastic pair of silk peach pyjamas on stage!’ enthuses Gilbert), and the stage is set for a memorable night at the theatre.
‘I think this is a really important piece. The story is just beautiful. It presents real people and real relationships interwoven together. I think it’s got the making of a great show.’