Caryl Churchill

Churchill explores the various ways women have coped with ambition and maternity in fable and history. At an imaginary dinner for a modern woman celebrating her promotion at an employment agency, famous characters from history join her to talk to each other and share their stories: Griselda and Pope Joan, Isabella Bird, Lady Niho, Dull Gret. Scene 2 brings us to the more concrete present, where we see what has earned her this promotion, how she treats and coaches the women she places. Act 2 reveals what her life has cost her, and others, and what it might mean to give up everything to be Top Girl. Very much of its Thatcherite time, but still relevant.… (meer)

A Number... of Clones
Review of the Theatre Communications Group paperback (2003) of the original Nick Hern Books paperback (2002)

If you've followed my reviews for a long enough time, you will have likely noticed that I have somewhat of an obsessive interest in the music of the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. This causes me to document all sorts of related offbeat items such as listing books with rel="nofollow" target="_top">Fictional Characters Who Love Arvo Pärt or books with Poetry Inspired by Arvo Pärt alongside books about the music of the composer himself.

See photograph at https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8d3360f4cb69bede4fcb2e77e4a114a14c9389c6/0_27_240...
Actors Lennie Henry and Paapa Essiedu in the 2022 revival of Caryl Churchill's "A Number" at the Old Vic Theatre in London, England. Photograph sourced from the Guardian.

So when I saw a recent review of a revival of Caryl Churchill's play A Number (2002) which included the lines:

Turner’s production is beautifully rounded – and spiky. Every aspect presses on Churchill’s themes. Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, an insistent set of variations, is woven between scenes.

I was obviously going to follow that up with at least a reading of the play.

Churchill's play deals with the subject of cloning. Over the course of 5 scenes, a father named Salter meets with different versions of his son, one named Michael and two named Bernard (called B1 and B2 in the script). The same actor plays all versions of the son. The dramatic tension of the play involves each of the sons confronting the father after learning that they are only 1 of perhaps many copies. There is also uncertainty about whether the father is telling the truth to all of them. Each son feels betrayed in their own way about not being unique and one is even set on murdering the others.

This was an interesting play about the ethics of cloning and it certainly sets up a terrific set of variations for the younger actor in the piece to play different versions of the same person. I was pleased to discover it due to its musical interlude association.

Trivia and Link
Caryl Churchill's A Number first premiered in 2002 with Michael Gambon and Daniel Craig in the father and sons roles.
See photograph at https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4f9c496a0fb2f173be063898807c2d1a2b5a1271/0_0_2464...
Actors Daniel Craig (who played the sons) and Michael Gambon (who played the father) in a promotional photograph from the premiere performances of "A Number" in 2002 at the Royal Court Theatre. Image sourced from The Guardian.

A Number was adapted for a television film version in 2008 directed by James MacDonald and starred Rhys Ifans as the sons and Tom Wilkinson as the father. A trailer for it can be viewed on YouTube here.… (meer)