Typical, you wait 76 years for a dance production about lesbians and then two come along at once. Gentleman Jack is a true story based on the life and times of Anne Lister, who was from a coal mining family; for once not the pick and shovel end but the ownership side. She acted as an integral part of the family business but had to deal with the other entrepreneurs in the field, and obviously, this being in the Victorian era, that presented major problems. Living life on her own terms she took this as a challenge rather than an obstacle, refusing to be written off by her male counterparts, in fact, she became the prominent figure in the industry. It was not until after her death that her diaries were discovered and the secret of her sexuality revealed to those outside her immediate social and family circle.
The setting is Halifax and begins with Anne Lister upsetting one of her competitors, Christopher Rawson, by first giving his workers a dressing down and making them work harder, then interrupting a meeting of local businessmen, of which he is one, to present her plans for expanding her family’s business. They close ranks, even refusing to shake hands and so she leaves for home, Shibden Hall. She interrupts her uncle, aunt and sister as they are having tea and enthusiastically presents her plans to them. Although unsettled by her aggressive demeanour, they support her with unconditional love.
Gemma Coutts as Anne Lister, sharing a moment with Sake Shirai as Mariana
Speaking of love, she then has a tryst with her lover Mariana, who has arrived at the hall, and presents her with a love letter. Fortunately, from this point on, she writes of her feelings every day, thus providing the material for a book, a television series and this ballet; such foresight.
Anne’s letters and diary are represented in human form by a Chorus of Words
Out on a walk one day Anne comes across a young woman, Ann Walker, an heiress, accompanied by her aunt who also acts as permanent chaperone. The young woman is impressed by Ms Lister’s attitude to life which leaves a lasting impression on her.
It is then back to the male dominated world of business where she is treated even more discourteously than the first time, with the men dismissing her plans out of hand and giving her the bum’s rush.
Again on a walk, Anne bumps into Mariana who is with her husband, Charles Lawton, a very staid character, their marriage seemingly for convention’s sake rather than love or affection. The two women manage to slip away for a few moments of pleasure, thinking that their secret is safe from Mr Lawton, until he reveals that he has found the love letter, which leaves Mariana with a stark choice. She opts for the safe path and walks away with her husband, thus causing a great deal of heartbreak for Anne.
Gemma Coutts as Anne Lister about to get a good hiding from a group of thugs.
Later that day, still grief-stricken, Anne doesn’t notice a group of men following her who encircle her and beat her up. Battered and bruised she goes home, where her aunt takes care of her and she confides everything. Her aunt is very understanding and her compassion and support spurs Anne into taking a break from Yorkshire and heading to Paris. She has a great time there, amongst like-minded women and her zest for life is restored, so she comes to her senses and returns to Yorkshire, obviously.
On her return, Christopher Rawson arrives unexpectedly at Shibden Hall asking for Anne’s help in solving a pay dispute with his miners. She agrees to help him out, and they shake hands. When she has sorted the miners out Rawson invites her to his home, a cold, soulless place, the epitome of Victorian values. Who should also be there but Ann Walker, again with her aunt, who is Rawson’s wife. Despite their efforts, the two women become smitten with each other and follow this up with a secret meeting at which Ann Walker’s inexperience of life and trepidation about the situation is overcome.
The Rawsons have organised a ball at their house and all the local businessmen and dignitaries are there with their partners, including Charles Lawton and Mariana. Anne Lister arrives fashionably late with Ann Walker on her arm, becoming the focus of the whole room. Seeing the pair so obviously in love, Mariana is distraught and tries to make up with Anne, but she is shunned so leaves with her husband.
Charles Walker and his wife are appalled by the situation and tell Ann that she must live a conventional lifestyle for the sake of the family and business. The two couples fight and Anne and Ann run off together to go through a secret ceremony to act as a sort of marriage. A symbol that actions carried out in private, but in love, are more powerful that those conducted in public, only for appearances sake.
The ‘wedding’. Rachael Gillespie as Ann Walker and Gemma Coutts, Anne Lister, tie the knot with the Chorus of Words.
Now that the synopsis is sorted, I can get down to the presentation, which was absolutely breathtaking. Northern Ballet have reputation for being great storytellers and this production can only enhance it.
The first scene included a gibbet, warning of the perils of transgression from the normal template of life. For those unacquainted with the term, a gibbet was a structure looking a lot like a gallows but was normally surrounded by a cage. Miscreants would be hanged from it and their dead and dying bodies left on display to deter others. The only other place to employ such a device was Hull, which led to the old saying, ‘From Hell, Hull and Halifax, may the Good Lord Deliver us.’ There is still a road called Gibbet Street in Halifax.
George Lang as Christopher Rawson in front of the gibbet.
Once the action proper began, the set and props really came into their own. As is the norm nowadays, the cast did a lot of the scene shifting, which was incorporated almost seamlessly into the piece. I doubt that Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev were ever called upon to unleash their inner Chuckle Brothers, but, had they been, they could not have done it any better, with not a ‘To me – to you’ to be heard. The Set and Lighting Designer, had exercised a great deal of ingenuity when devising the props, as they comprised several large bookcases in domestic settings but, when turned round, became video screens displaying moving images of the outdoors when the action shifted to the moors. Speaking of moving, there was also a treadmill hidden in a period frame allowing Anne to partake of her walks.
There was also a good deal of humour in the work, one particular scene is which Christopher Rawson and his wife, try to separate Anne and Ann after inviting the former to his house, was hilarious.
Rachael Gillespie as Ann Walker and Gemma Coutts as Anne Lister, try to get better acquainted despite the efforts of George Liang as Christopher Rawson and his wife, Alessandra Bramante, to keep them apart.
Being a ballet, there were the traditional movements, some being done on pointe. Rather than have the performers keep their faces in neutral, however, their expressions were used to enhance the piece even further. Obviously, the eponymous character, played by Gemma Coutts, was in every scene and stole the lot of them. No mean feat as the whole company was superb. As well as doing a lot of face acting and conventional dancing, she had the part nailed with her overall demeanour. Sir Laurence Olivier once famously said that, when given a part he began by getting the walk right. Ms Coutts appeared to be of the same school of thought as her body language was spot on. Although clad in a man’s suit, hat and waistcoat, she never went full-on spear side, never letting us forget that, although assertive, something accentuated by the use of her stick in order to command attention and obedience, she was still a woman. Returning to dear, dear Larry, her use of the treadmill summed everything up for me, her gait was brisk and purposeful, whilst at the same time, graceful and feminine. Her transformation between strident and heartbroken at the beginning, to carefree in Paris and tender in her relationship with Ann, stunning.
A further bonus was that the original music, composed by Peter Salem, was played by a live orchestra, as it will be in all of the tour venues, under the baton of Daniel Parkinson and Leader, Winona Fifield. The choreographer was Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and the Creative Consultant, Sally Wainright, who wrote the television series.
I urge you to go see this work if you possibly can, it was flawless in every aspect and will appeal to aficionados and ballet virgins alike. Should you not be able to get to the Leeds Grand Theatre, where it runs until 14th March, the tour calls at Sheffield, Nottingham, London Sadler’s Wells, Norwich, Salford and, like Anne, back to God’s Own County, ending in Bradford at the Alhambra from 3rd to 5th September.
For full details of everything to do with Northern Ballet, please go to https://northernballet.com/
To see what else is coming up at Leeds Grand Theatre see https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/?theatre=leeds-grand-theatre&genre=live
Photographs
1 Tristram Kenton, 2 Scott Salt, 3, 4, and 6 Emily Nuttall and 5 Colleen Mair
Tyke It To The Limit 