There are few people who haven’t studied Barry Hines’ “A Kestrel for a Knave” at one point or another, and if they haven’t they’re likely to have seen the Ken Loach’s film, so it’s unsurprising that the story of Kes is a fondly remembered one. Rob Evans’ adaptation with Catherine Wheels Theatre Company invite us to escape with young Billy Casper, as he does with his Kes.
Billy (played by James Anthony Pearson) is a young boy seeking escape from a life of drudgery – and impending mining life – as he rears and trains his own kestrel. Throughout we see an older Billy looking back at his younger self (Sean Murray), also playing with ease the various figures who surround Billy in his life.
Gill Robertson’s direction concentrates heavily on movement – with some exemplary choreography by Janice Parker succeeding in transforming Karen Tennent’s resourceful set into a variety of different worlds: the shop where Billy does his paper round; the school classroom and even the woods where he first finds Kes. As Pearson leaps and bounds around the different levels of the set, we’re taken on Billy’s journey with him.
This is ultimately a coming of age tale, and Evans’ adaptation concentrates on the transformation Billy feels when he is with Kes – the freedom he has compared to the stifling claustrophobia of the family home. It’s a testament to the creative team that this performance is so slick – all 70 minutes of this production feels fresh and evocative. A touching look at the potential of childhood, and it lives up to its past reputation.
Kes tours until November 2, 2011.
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