Salisbury Playhouse – until 26 October 2019
Reviewed by Leanne Caplis
4****
Showing until 26th October 2019, the incredible adaptation of Hugh Whitemore’s Breaking the Code is brought to the transformed Main House at Salisbury Playhouse by Wiltshire Creative.
This production does more than just tell the story of Turing, played by Edward Bennett, cracking the Engima Code during the Second World War. This show reveals the life of Turing from child to man. From his friendship with Christopher Morcom (Hubert Burton) and his love affair with Ron Miller (Joey Phillips) to his demise following the betrayal of his nation when he was put on trial and humiliated over his sexuality.
Edward Bennett, as Turing, is one of the most believable actors I have seen in a long time. His ability to deliver with such passion huge amounts of dialogue, without faltering, made me believe he really could be the genius that was Turing. Bennett acted out Turing perfectly; his awkwardness, his stammer and his close relationship with his mother Sara (Caroline Harker) all came across perfectly.
For me, the in-the-round staging created a much more intimate experience than usual and getting up very close to the actors meant I was more absorbed in this fascinating story than ever before. It is therefore right that both the Creative and Production teams have a special mention in this review.
I found I had to use my porridge (brain) to keep up on more than one occasion. Moving between different periods of Turing’s life without scene changes and costume changes briefly caused confusion although once I became absorbed in the dialogue I was able to catch up. It also took me a while to realise I was seeing the ghost of Christopher Morcom during his many appearances throughout the play when he was constantly in Turing’s thoughts.
Sadly there are those who won’t know the story of Turing and how he was so influential in enabling the Allies to defeat the Nazis in the Second World War. As such I believe it would be a hard show to watch and follow without prior knowledge. Also, whilst there is mention of the work at Bletchley Park there is little about him breaking the code. For those, like me, who think this is going to be a re-hash of The Imitation Game it isn’t, and it could leave some disappointed as a result.
I observed the audience several times throughout this show and they were all engrossed in the production. During the interval and at the end of the show it was evident that people were thoroughly impressed with the show and the reviews for Bennett were echoed by many.
An emotional rollercoaster of a show which is a must see. I, myself, am overjoyed that Alan Turing will shortly appear on our £50 notes and this production hammered home every reason why it should be so.