Review of ‘Alterations’: “A fine pattern handled by unfitting tailoring”

The National Theatre launches this new revival of Michael Abbensetts’s 1978 play, exploring the struggles of a Guyanese immigrant striving to fulfil his dream of becoming a London businessman. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its needle-sharp premise ends up coming apart at the seams.

The say the world belongs to those who dream big. To dream is, in fact, to find purpose. And to find purpose is to give meaning to our lives. A wish is the only possession nobody can steal from us. And yet, it is usually the first one to go when we give up on our efforts – and most importantly, ourselves. High hopes come with high sacrifices. And on our way to the top, we’re likely to drop more than we are prepared to spare.

This month, the National Theatre has welcomed the revival of Alterations, Michael Abbensetts’s 1978 play depicting the trials and tribulations of a Guyanese immigrant trying to establish himself as business owner in London. Struggling to keep his tailoring shop afloat, but determined to fulfill his ambition, he will neglect anything else around him – ignorant of their equal relevance until it’s too late.

Nobody can resist a premise with such philosophical poignancy. That may be the reason why it seems to be verging on the line of the cliche – with a plot that, should no unique vision be brought into the picture, is bound to cause little more than a predictable turn of events and not too enthusiastic reaction from its audience. Director Lynette Linton has attempted to solve the issue through Trish Cooke’s additional contributions – making the material more accessible to today’s viewers albeit set in its original time period. But regardless of any fine attuning, the piece is still a few cuts and patches away from being sewed up.

We can’t, of course, blame a narrative from decades ago for lacking the innovativeness it may have had back in its day. But we can wonder about the reason of bringing it back when there’s no stimulating factor in it. Every element in its narrative feels overused and unsurprising. We can see what’s going to happen from a mile away – and still, we are made walk that mile with barely any other inputs other than a rather repetitive structure.

The same things occur over and over again, with nothing else to show for than a not too satisfying conclusion – and a character arc that, apart from the bad news in the end, looks as if going nowhere. As a result, we can’t really attach ourselves to the personages – we understand their journeys (sort to speak) but they are deprived of the complexity that would make them human; and therefore, significant to us. Once the archetype is drained, there’s nothing else to exploit – and by that moment, our interest in them is long gone.

We can appreciate the cast’s endeavours at making our evening more exciting. In that regard, they all do a superb job that’s carried out with tremendous success. There’s great flair and chemistry among every performer – many of them, also flaunting infectious presence, depth, and intricacy in their deliveries.

A first mention is earned by Colin Mace as Mr. Nat, exuding naturalness and charm in his portrayal, and endowing his character with a sense of inviting familiarity that’s truly reinvigorating. On the other hand, Arinzé Kene’s rendition in the main role of Walker is also worthy of praise – making him extremely likable and sympathetic, and thus allowing us to condole his flaws for the cause his pursuing.

There are many ways to describe a classic. And probably, everyone has their own definition in their book, too. Alterations doesn’t fit mine, however. Bringing some truthfulness into it, unable to channel it through a similar level of freshness and sincerity, the play fails to match the strength of its themes – executed through a slightly banal tale that may display some introspection but not sufficient action to make it work adequately. It would be far-gone to say that its storyline come unraveled – but certainly, it has issues at holding its own thread.

All pictures credit to Marc Brenner.

Alterations plays at London’s National Theatre until 5 April. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara