The Sun Also Rises (The Select)

by Philip Fisher

New York based Elevator Repair Service have a singular view of the theatrical experience, concentrating on a tone of ironic attachment throughout a production that lasts for close to four hours. This fits well with the translation of Hemingway’s early novel to the stage.

Viewers focus on a single set, which comprises a large bar. However, they are then asked to use imagination to conjure up other scenes, aided more by an inventive soundscape than sophisticated visuals.

The story, which must at the very least be semi-autobiographical, is divided into two very distinct halves. The first shows us the bohemian expat set in Paris during 1924, when so many famous names set up in that city. After the interval, the focus moves to Pamplona in the heart of bullfighting country.

The tale is narrated by Mike Iverson as Jake Barnes. He is a journalist and drinker, like every other man on show in thrall to the beautiful English divorcee Brett, Lady Ashley, played by Lucy Taylor.

The story is as much hers as his, since during the play, we see our narrator, a put-upon Jew who packs a nasty punch, an even drunker than the rest British aristo and finally a matador bedding her.

The novel relies on atmosphere as much as anything. Director John Collins creates this through the use of sound, supplied often with great wit from decks on stage. Costume is also important, which makes the use of contemporary clothing odd. Above all, it is the narrator’s words that open up Hemingway’s plot and characterisation, on to which scenes involving others are superimposed.

By the end, one gets a good feel for the novel and particularly in the bullfighting, something special to behold. Whether this is enough to justify attending such a long play rather than reading the novel, will be a matter of individual taste.

View the original article on the British Theatre Guide website here.