The Turn of the Screw

Our first installment of the Bold New Works for Intimate Stages Initiative at Creative Cauldron was our 2015 adaptation of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw". I had vaguely been familiar with the Henry James novel (I read it back in high school) but it never quite had stuck with me. Creative Cauldron Artistic Director Laura Connors Hull had suggested the classic to me as an idea for our first show under the commission. I was not totally sold about the idea, as it really didn't speak to me upon the first suggestion, but I decided to mull it over.

I tried to read the book again and got easily bored. I watched a BBC film version and was similarly bored.  Psychological tension with sprawling estates and period costumes just didn't seem to be a fit for the Cauldron's intimate 90 seat black box. Laura advised that I watch the black and white adaptation of the story re-named "The Innocents" starring Deborah Kerr. That turned out to be the window into my brain that was needed. The absence of lush color allowed me to focus in on the story more.  To really boil it down to what the major events were.  I started to write an outline.

Being a Downton Abbey fan, I started to see the show through that lens, with the wonderful dichotomy of the Victorian era falling away amidst the uprising of modern technology. As the story concerns a teenage boy (Miles) seemingly blossoming into adulthood and discovering sexuality, the metaphor of leaving the past behind for new and fancier objects. Whether those objects be a camera given as a birthday gift, the new music that a valet (Quint) brings into the house via a new contraption called a "Victrola", or the new Governess, Miss Giddens. All are his new playthings.

Mrs. Grose is the cipher of the piece.  She knew what happened in the past, and is slow in disclosing the truth to the new Governess. She clings to the past and is the representation of everything that happened in Bly House before Miss Giddens got there. She is the old part of the house resenting the new that came in and changed everything. She holds all the knowledge and secrets of the past and is slow to disclose these to the new governess. The past hurts her too much.

Then there is Quint and Jessle. The Valet and Governess of Bly House of the past are still very present as Miss Giddens signs on. She sees them as current staff, although they are both long dead. Mrs. Grose doesn't know how to take these reports by Miss Giddens. Throughout the course of the show, we see the history of Quint and Jessle, and how their presence and impression on this house has never left.

The Children. Miles and Flora run the house, and Mrs. Grose and Miss Giddens take their orders from them. They know their Uncle is in charge, so their choices are protected by them. A crumbling, haunted estate that children are in charge of ...this is Bly House.

So what happened that night? We never tell you that. Are there ghosts? That's up to you to decide. We wanted to keep in line with the novels' goals. This tale is really about our own comfortability with the past or our lack of ability to accept it. If you want to license this show, I promise you a very lively discussion will be had by all when it is over. That was always the exciting part of this show - how many audience members had so many different opinions on what actually happened at the end of the story. When theatre spurs such lively discussion, it has done its job. Check out more info, including reviews and licensing information HERE.

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