Breaking the Code has seen life before on the stage of the Royal, as back in 2003, Philip Franks took to the role of Turing in a very well-received production. So, what of this brand new version directed by the Royal & Derngate's artistic director Jesse Jones? Does it live up to Turing's legend?
At its head, of course, Alan Turing, played with a captivating, comical, saddening and powerful strength by Mark Edel-Hunt. Hardly off the stage, this is both a tour-de-force performance and one of huge commitment. He brings Turing's mannerisms and social ticks to the role in a believable, but uncaricatured way, and performs some complicated monologues assertively. It is a fantastic performance, one of many in this play.
Providing the emotional strength to the play is the delightful Carla Harrison-Hodge as Pat Green, Turing's work colleague at Bletchley Park, who grows a fondness for Alan that he is unable to return in the way she desires. Their relationship stays strong, and there is a delightful coda to their own story later in the play. Susie Trayling is always in control as Alan's supportive mother, Sara, and this particularly comes to the fore in the scene where Alan confesses his sexuality to her. She whips through her emotions in a mixture of sadness, anger, and finally support.
Whitemore's play is an absolute gem, evoking a range of emotions, from funny to poignant and sad. There is also a brilliant structure to it, weaving Turing's timeline back and forth throughout. It respects its audience to be intelligent enough to grasp this as well, cleverly engineering the structure and where we are in Turing's life without sledgehammering it with obvious scripting. You soon become fully understanding of this after just a couple of scenes.
The set from Jonathan Fensom is a simple gem, full of gorgeous wood panelling, which allows it to dress the scenes upon it with a chair or table. Lighting from Johanna Town is also excellent, with simple switches between and within scenes, including during a police investigation where Turing makes his statement. It helps provide context to the scenes without overplaying them. Context is also assisted by the clever and unobtrusive sound created by Robin Colyer, with simple cues heralding a switch of time and place.
Breaking the Code is admittedly a very wordy play, and what some might feel is a little dry in action. However, if you love your plays where you have to listen and absorb and not get carried away in the lightness of the world, Breaking the Code is one of the best you might find at a theatre at this time.
A cracking play full of first-class performances and a cleverly crafted script.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
