The CTC brings E.M. Forster's classic play to new life
If you’ve ever had the misfortune (or pleasure, depending on how you look at it) of staying in a hotel, then you likely understand the importance of having a nice view from your room.
Staying in a room with an unpleasing view can alter the entire stay in said hotel, especially if you’re traveling abroad and happen to stay in a room without a view in Italy, like Lucy Honeychurch and her cousin do in the play “A Room with a View,” which opens this weekend at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre.
“A Room with a View”, the 1908 novel by E.M. Forster which was later adapted into a play by playwright Christina Calvit, a BBC film, and a 1985 Helena Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith movie, follows the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young woman who is touring Italy for a week with her cousin and chaperone, Charlotte. While staying in Florence, she is introduced to a Mr. Emerson and his son, George, a young man whom Lucy later discovers she has an interest in.
The Emersons come to the aid of Lucy and Charlotte in regards to the room without a view scenario, but once back in their home country of England, Lucy must figure out how this meeting with George, someone she may not have originally seen as a potential lover, is going to impact her upcoming marriage and, inevitably, the trajectory of her life.
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s production, which is directed by Scott Dunlap, features a cast of 11 who portray 22 different characters. The role of the young lovers, Lucy Honeychurch and George Emmerson, is played by Gwynne Jones, a Theatre-Centre newcomer, and Jeremy Campbell, who is more experienced with the CTC. Jones explained that playing the role of Lucy Honeychurch has been exciting because much of the action in the performance is centered on Lucy.
“She gets to be in almost every scene, so I get to watch a lot of the tomfoolery that goes on. My character gets kind of thrown into all the excitement, so that’s nice,” explained Jones. “There’s a traumatic event that she witnesses, so that’s exciting. It gets me rescued by the knight in shining armor of the play, so that’s almost every girl’s dream, too.”
While Jones said that it was exhilarating to play the role of Lucy because of all the excitement, romance, and tomfoolery, she also explained that feeling out Lucy’s character has been challenging as well. Jones has quite a bit of experience in theatre; she’s performed with the Colonnade in East Ridge and with Back Alley Productions before they moved to Lafayette, GA. She started performing at a young age, and immersing herself in the role of different characters has been something Jones truly enjoys.
“The biggest challenge for me, which has been this way in multiple plays, is just feeling out the character,” Jones said. “I’m feeling more success in this production than I have in other plays; this play has gone well. But [Dunlap] is so good at directing and allowing me to open up with the character.”
“What we’ve been focusing on for all the characters, not just mine, is trying not to change them or interpret them into some funky, new idea. To some degree, that’s going to happen, because we’re all different people,” explained Jones. “But we’re trying to be as true to those characters as possible and really just let them speak.”
The cast started rehearsals for the production in mid-March, and Jones explained that they’ve been on a pretty tight rehearsal schedule, practicing nightly Sunday through Friday, with exceptions. However, she said that both the cast and Dunlap have been incredibly nice and welcoming, and they’ve been very enjoyable to work with thus far.
Jones also mentioned the set, which she said is quite fanciful and is definitely something to look forward to. There’s a lot of emphasis on lighting and light projections, and props rise and fall from the ceiling. There are also multiple set themes throughout the show, such as clouds and trapezes.
“Honestly, the set is so much fun. There’s a trapeze theme throughout the book, but we’re not acrobats, so I get a swing, and other people get to sit on the swing,” said Jones. “As one of our cast members mentioned, it’s very avant garde. The swing represents a piano half the time (sometimes it’s a dresser), but whenever someone is swinging on it, they’re playing piano.”
“A Room with a View” opens Friday night at 8 p.m., and it will be performed each Thursday-Sunday through May 13. If you’ve ever wanted a chance to experience the Edwardian era of British history coupled with the romance and comedy found in “A Room with a View,” then you definitely don’t want to miss the CTC’s performance of this classic.