Impressive display from cast sees stage show flying high

Voted as one of the top ten British movies of the 20th Century, Robert Alan Evans’ stage adaptation of Kes is currently flying high at Perth Theatre.

At only an hour long, there is a concern that there’s no time to get totally immersed in Billy’s emotional journey in which his recalcitrant ways are replaced by a caring and passionate mien while he rears and trains a young kestrel.

However, the intimacy of the Joan Knight Studio provides the perfect atmosphere and, with no interval, there is nothing to upset the flawless flow under Lu Kemp’s direction.

Barry Lines’ original story of A Kestrel For A Knave finds young Billy forever kicking back at authority with little support at home from a bullying big brother and a mother who thinks he’s a “hopeless case”.

One of his many misdemeanours is the theft of a kestrel from a nest and this fosters a great interest in falconry.

As the kestrel improves through his training, so too does young Billy’s outlook and ambitions. But there’s no accounting for family interventions...

It’s an impressive display from both Danny Hughes (Billy) and Matthew Barker, who plays everyone else, including Billy’s mum!

They receive well-deserved plaudits, but they will not be slow to acknowledge the contribution from the off-stage experts.

It must be noted that no kestrel was harmed – or even present – in this production, but due to the excellent sound and lighting plots by Matt Padden and Lizzie Powell, respectively, you could almost feel the whoosh of the bird flying around the studio.

Props from set designer Kenneth MacLeod serve to symbolise a plethora of scenes denoting Billy’s home, school, out in the fields, in the shops, etc – a commendable use of limited space.

Kes is at Perth Theatre until November 16.