Gaslight, written by Patrick Hamilton in 1928 about a married couple in Victorian England, is, as the name now suggests, entirely centred around the notion of “gaslighting” but is actually cited as the origin of the term describing the then unnamed form of psychological abuse. But what exactly does it mean to gaslight someone?
“When you gaslight somebody you are emotionally torturing them, by making them feel that whatever is happening is actually their fault…but you are actually the one orchestrating the whole thing,” Keith Allen explains, who plays Detective Rough in the latest Anthony Banks production of the play.
The story follows Jack Mannigham and his wife Bella, played by Kara Tointon (known for her role of Dawn in Eastenders). While Jack (Rupert Young – BBC’s Merlin) is out socialising without her each night, Bella becomes uneasy in the house on her own, noticing objects disappearing and the flickering of the gas light: “it all revolves around the brightness and dimness of the gas light in the room. Because they indicate whether somebody’s in the house or not…it’s a device used to create tension, it’s rather clever actually,” says Keith. Originally created as a purely artistic stage visual designed to incite confusion, the gas lights now have a double meaning.
Keith’s character Detective Rough arrives as a pivotal point in the play when the narrative shifts from confusion to realisation… “He does carry the whole plot,” he says. “If I give you any more I give it away, so I can’t really say any more but I can tell you that he’s a terrier with a bone, he will not let this one go. And I sense that what motivates him is that he feels as if he’s been passed by, I think he’s very class conscious, he’s a bit suspicious of the ruling class and he doesn’t feel as though he belongs, so he’s got a chip on his shoulder I think.” So how much of Keith Allen do we get to see in the play? “A hell of a lot,” he laughs “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing!”
The tour started in Birmingham in January and has gone well, says Keith; “I’ve been to some very interesting places, really fucking dull places, horrible places and great places but I’m in Richmond now, nearly home in Cardiff. I’m so looking forward to it. I mean I love doing the play but it’s just touring, Jesus, it’s just you’re left with so much time and I try to fill it the best I can, but it’s very tiring doing nothing!”
So what kind of night are the audience in for? “They go away from it slightly frightened, made to laugh, and had a very enjoyable evening, with the sense that not a great deal has changed since then. One, when he [Patrick Hamilton] set the play and two, when he wrote it. He set it in 1870 and he wrote it in 1938, so unfortunately, the whole problem still exists. Even more so now I would have thought, or more aware of it,” he says. Most recently in pop culture in the BAFTA nominated The Girl on The Train which Emily Blunt’s won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her portrayal of a woman being gaslit.
The play finishes in Cardiff’s New Theatre on the Saturday 18th.
words RUTH SEAVERS