D.H. Lawrence divides people, not only his work but also the man himself.
But Dunedin playwright and director Keith Scott believes he should not be dismissed because of current sensibilities, as doing so dismisses all the good qualities his work possesses — his ability to create emotional drama out of everyday situations, his extraordinary ear for dialogue and his ability to create atmosphere.
Scott discovered Lawrence (1885-1930) while studying English at university 50 years ago when he read the author’s 1922 novellas, including The Fox, a story about two women living on farm during World War 1 who have to deal with a fox attacking their hens and then the arrival of a soldier into their female world.
"I just liked the story. The other two I wasn’t so keen on. I’ve always had some sort of attraction to this particular story. And it’s never really left me for some reason."
He liked how the story was different from Lawrence’s other work as the characters are all very vulnerable and Lawrence does not push or force the reader to think his way as he does in other works.
"He’s just drawing us [in]. We’re drawn into this story because we want to go there, because we want to find out."
At a similar time, Scott had his debut on the Globe’s stage in a French production of Moliere’s The Miser — putting his stage one university French to use.
When he came back to Dunedin in 2010 and got involved with the Globe theatre again he had the idea to revisit The Fox.
"I thought I’d like to do something with The Fox, because I think The Fox would work as a stage play. So it’s had a very long gestation period."
He now realises it was lucky it did not come to fruition back then as his script turning the novella into a play was in its infancy.
"I got sidetracked by a few others. And I’m glad I did, because it wasn’t ready."
"A lot of critics are saying, this is where Lawrence is at his best and at his most powerful and his strongest. And I would agree with that, actually. The novels are difficult. And they’re not all good."
The Fox has been dramatised before. First in a movie in 1967, which Scott describes as "just awful, it was a salacious, sensational sex movie" nothing like Lawrence’s work and then in 1981 American playwright Alan Miller wrote a stage play which was "equally as bad for different reasons".
"He Americanised the language, changed a lot of the dialogue and he changed the ending completely."
Scott is a firm believer in being true to the original work if adapting anything for the stage and researching Lawrence’s history was part of that.
"Because without Lawrence’s original language and imagery and dialogue, then the play is just nothing. It’s just a story. It has no meaning."
So he felt his production needed to be as true to the words on the page as it could be.
"I felt the damage needs to be repaired."
While it has been relatively easy for Scott to incorporate the structure of Lawrence’s story, as it is confined to 1918 England and largely written in dialogue, much of it is Lawrence describing the thoughts and behaviour of the characters.
"That was a challenge. The stage doesn’t allow us that luxury. But you can’t just transfer it because these characters, even though they’re not simple, they don’t have the intellect of their creator. So that needed to be worked around."
He initially considered using monologues but "tried and failed", finding the words became contrived and overused. A suggestion of using a narrator was dismissed quickly, as to Scott it is cheating.
"If you’re going to have a narrator sitting on the stage telling you what’s going on, you may as well just read the book and be done with it. So I gave up that."
At the end of the play he uses monologues, finding it worked as the two main characters step away from the play to address the audience.
"They’re not hearing each other speak, that’s when I could ramp up all the sort of glorious imagery and symbolism and power of Lawrence’s writing. So I was glad that worked because it just seemed to be right for that particular part of the drama."
He also wanted to ensure all of the themes and motifs of Lawrence’s writing shone through, such as duality, which sees not only the characters in opposition to each other but also being conflicted within themselves.
"When I was looking at the way I was going to present this on stage, and just looking at little sort of dramatic moments which were going to work well on stage, then I kind of amplified that dualism and that conflict."
The author’s feeling for nature and the natural world permeates The Fox, Scott says.
"Which leads on to probably one of the other big themes, is this theme of being conscious. And consciousness is a really important term for Lawrence ... This blood consciousness, being aware of this larger circumambient universe is, as far as the story goes, the awareness of it or the need to achieve it or the complete ignorance of it. It is this striving for a state of mind and existence which was approved of by Lawrence."
The story is more about love, than a love story. Lawrence rejected romance and sentimentality in favour of a non-verbal connection between two people that was almost predetermined, Scott believes. As it is a Lawrence work there is the question about whether or not the two female characters are in a relationship or not. Scott does not believe so as Lawrence usually made it clear in his works but did not with this one.
"I think it’s up to the individual to make that decision. Personally, I don’t think so, because it was very common during the war and after that women did live together. They needed that support without the men, and particularly women who were older, or either older and still spinster, if you want to use that horrible term, or a widow, war widow."
The play premiered at the Gryphon Theatre Wellington in July with reviewers describing it as a "bold move" and "brave new work". It was a first for Scott as he did not direct it.
"So it was an interesting experience for me, and a good learning experience just to shut up and don’t say anything, just appreciate the moment. And I have to say, there were some pretty spine-tingling moments, where I thought, this is just so right. They have just got this so right."
So, Scott has brought the play home to stage at the Globe. It has been six years since he staged Richard II at the theatre and he has brought together much of the team who have worked on his pieces before, such as costumier Charmian Smith and set designer Ray Fleury.
This production will be the 12th he has done for the Globe and it’s been almost 50 years since a Lawrence play was seen in Dunedin. The Globe presented The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd in 1977.
Scott says he hopes audiences accept that it is a work that draws a person in, causing them to see life through a different lens — Lawrence’s lens.
"It becomes intriguing. It’s drenched in symbolism so I think the audience will hopefully think ‘what does this mean? What is behind these words?’."
To see
The Fox, Globe Theatre, February 26 to March 8. "The Titan Lurking: Bringing Lawrence to the stage", Dunedin City Library, February 21, 2pm.
D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
Lawrence wrote novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, travel books, literary criticism.
1911: His first novel, The White Peacock, was published
1915: Lawrence published The Rainbow which was banned in Great Britain for obscenity
1960: Lady Chatterley's Lover published in Britain was subject of unsuccessful court case brought on grounds of obscenity and was banned in the United States, Canada, Australia, India and Japan.
After World War 1 he moved to Italy and never returned to live in Britain
