The Eighth Doctor, Charley and C’rizz arrive in London in 1851. There they discover a plot to unseat the government and dethrone the monarch.
The Eighth Doctor, Charley and C’rizz arrive in London in 1851. There they discover a plot to unseat the government and dethrone the monarch.
OTHER LIVES
Part of the appeal of Doctor Who has always been its ability to go anywhere and do anything, and the concept of the historical has witnessed quite a renaissance under the direction of Big Finish — not even the new series has ventured down the path of the pure historical as of yet. But the Paul McGann range of plays has been notably short on historical stories — fortunately, this gap is filled admirably by Other Lives, a delightful Dickensian romp by Gary Hopkins, the author of… the horribly grim The Last? Funny how these things work out.
Other Lives is indeed a Dickens pastiche — perhaps closer to homage — featuring not only Dickens’ knack for oddly-named grotesques but also his social awareness: the play deals heavily with the various social strata of Victorian England. The central conceit — the Doctor, C’rizz, and Charley each have doubles living “other lives” in the time of the Great Exhibition — is used to great effect in a manner reminiscent of the Hartnell era: the characters are split up, each trying to return to the TARDIS. But the various situations encountered by the characters are often diametrically opposed, allowing the listener a view not just into Victorian society but also into the mental states of the TARDIS crew.
Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor is sidelined for much of the first half of the play, reduced to performing magic tricks to barter his way into the Exhibition and being imprisoned when he fails. He takes center stage in the second half, however, as he is mistaken for the husband of Georgina Marlow (a very sympathetic Francesca Hunt) and attempts to extricate himself from her affections. The central conflict here — the Doctor as traveler vs. the Doctor as domestic man — is one of the important conflicts of the Doctor’s character, and is something we have seen explored time and again in the first two seasons of the new series. McGann has often been described as the most “human” of Doctors, and his sensitive, quiet performance in these scenes provides quite a revelation: this Doctor finds the concept of family life quite appealing, and indeed it seems that the only thing stopping him from taking Georgina’s offer is the fact that he’d be living a lie as a different man. We don’t see this side of the Doctor’s character too often, and it’s fortunate that an actor of McGann’s caliber is there to bring it out.
Charley, meanwhile, falls into what could best be described as a comedy of manners involving the Duke of Wellington (Ron Moody) and his associate Mr. Fazackerley (Michael Hobbs). Though Charley is arguably the lead character of the play, these scenes are also the shallowest — Charley’s briefest conflict is the night she spends alone on the streets, and this incident is used merely for smell jokes the next morning with the Duke. This segment is quite charming, however: Moody and India Fisher have wonderful rapport, with Moody’s fatherly affection coming across as incredibly sweet, and Hobbs’ indignation at virtually everything is hilarious. Fisher, too, is a revelation: for the first time in countless releases, her cheeriness is genuinely endearing, perfectly fitting the tone of the play.
Lastly is the journey of C’rizz, who conceals himself in the TARDIS for the first episode before emerging, only to fall into the clutches of Jacob Crackles, Esq. (Mike Holoway), manager of the local freak show. C’rizz is imprisoned and put on display for the amusement of passersby — a dark, radical opposition to his acceptance and camaraderie with the TARDIS crew — and, while not on display, attempts to persuade Maxi the Midget (Peter Howe) to help him escape. C’rizz is violently opposed to his imprisonment, and this once again brings his inner demons to the fore: upon finally having Crackles at his mercy, C’rizz does something violently nonspecific to him at the behest of the voices in his head. A resolution to this ongoing thread is probably going to be necessary within the next release or two, but for now the buildup of suspense is intriguing. Aside from C’rizz himself, though, this segment also provides a tragic look at the character of Maxi. Howe gives the character a certain heroism, but also a sadness in realizing that he depends on Crackles for his survival just as Crackles depends upon him for income.
The play is not without its flaws, primarily concerning the variable tone. The freak show scenes feel particularly awkward in comparison with the rest of the play — Hopkins doesn’t seem sure how dark to make them, and so C’rizz’s realistic suffering is juxtaposed against Holoway’s very broad take on Crackles. The edges between the Doctor’s scenes and Charley’s scenes could be smoother as well. However, these are relatively minor complaints — Hopkins, on the whole, shows a real talent for this sort of writing.
The production is magnificent: David Darlington is asked to capture a wide range of environments with almost unimaginably varied background noise and yet manages to make everything sound perfectly realistic. I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to attend one of these exhibitions, and I’d like to think that I now have a better idea. The music is excellent as well, with a subtle appeal. Gary Russell turns in high-caliber direction: though the play takes place across a wide range of locations at a variety of tones, the pace never slackens nor does the progression of events become confusing. The cover is fine, too — but they really need a new shot of Conrad Westmaas.
Other Lives might not be a perfect release, but it’s close. An intelligent, literate script, fine performances, excellent sound design, and even an appealing Charley all work in its favor, and only some tonal inconsistencies keep it from reaching the top of the charts. A fantastic return to form after the decidedly average Scaredy Cat, and perhaps, finally, an indicator of an eighth Doctor renaissance.
Highly recommended.
9/10