“The man who digs the biggest hole isn’t the man with a shovel. It’s the man who owns a mining company…”
Greater Than I Can Bear, co-created by and starring Nicholas Alder as Abel, is an hour-long production which fuses topics concerning class conflict, biblical mythology, and complicated sibling relationships. The play opens with two brothers, Cain and Abel, attempting to rebuild their relationship after Abel has ‘class-hopped’, leaving Cain behind in the rural English countryside where they grew up. The performance took place at Riverside Studios, an intimate location for this modest play. Although Greater Than I Can Bear made several insightful comments about class struggle and effectively portrayed the whimsical nature of the Bible, at times it felt like the play bit off more than it could chew.
Although the actors (Alder and Luka Knight, who played Cain) successfully exploited their limited stage space, the set design could have created a more immersive nighttime atmosphere. A monotonous green light shone on the actors, occasionally fading to black as they transitioned between scenes or changed their outfits. However, a colour like midnight blue or even purple may have been a better choice to reflect the darkness and eeriness of the night. Additionally, the scene changeovers could’ve been smoother, rather than hurried switches that made the audience acutely aware of movement happening behind the curtain.
However, Alder’s performance was phenomenal and the backbone of the entire production. They mastered each role they played, reminding me of James McAvoy’s impressive performance of drastically different characters in the film Split (2016). Alder’s commitment to each role paid off and I would not be surprised if they went on to achieve many accomplishments in the future. The chemistry between the brothers was somewhat authentic, although their differing national accents were odd given that they both were meant to have grown up in England.
The script created some humorous moments, especially spurring a few audience laughs when the brothers performed a hilarious rendition of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. However, there were a few writing inconsistencies, often mixing generally modern references with random outdated terms, such as referring to getting a girlfriend as getting “myself a honey”, a phrase I haven’t heard in my 22 years of life. Additionally, there was a lot to say in such a short period, often meaning that the audience couldn’t fully comprehend or appreciate the poignant points being made. Although my +1 and I agreed that our limited biblical knowledge certainly didn’t aid our understanding of the production, I am unsure as to whether even the most devoted Christian would be able to understand all of the play.
A large disclaimer before the production began was that it was still in its ‘R+D phase’ and ‘open to any suggestions’ the audience may have. Therefore, this review is largely based on what will hopefully make up the skeletal structure of the production rather than the polished product. Greater Than I Can Bear has a lot of potential, it just needs to be made aware of its limitations. Perhaps a less ambitious version of this play would’ve been better. Instead of portraying both extremes of the class conflict struggle, a more realistic, nuanced approach to this ever-relevant debate would’ve allowed the audience to keep up with the production and take more away from it. It is very difficult to both master the topic of class conflict and reenact the bizarre nature of the Bible, let alone effectively complete these in ¾ of an hour. This production should listen to the age-old phrase that less is more and distil its ambitions to allow the audience to fully appreciate Alder’s exceptional performance and the challenging messages that this play has to offer.
Hammersmith Riverside Studios
Playwright: Nicholas Alder & Francis de Lima
Cast: Nicholas Alder & Luka Knight
Duration: 60 minutes