Everyone knows the story of the Elephant Man. Don’t they? We thought we did too, and were surprised to discover there were facts we did not know when we went along to the New Wolsey Studio to watch the New Wolsey Young Company deliver their interpretation of this famous story.

For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, The Elephant Man is the story of a man, a man grotesquely deformed since a young child, with excess skin, hardened and likened to that of an elephant. John Merrick endures his physical affliction quietly and without blame or question. He evens shows understanding for the mother who left him as a young child, unable to cope.

As a young man, Merrick endures further torment as the freak, a circus act, to be stared at, and to cause shock and distress to others. It was the chance passing of a local surgeon that led Merrick into a world of compassion and tolerance, of care and tenderness.

The New Wolsey Studio was the perfect venue for this sensitive and intense adaptation, being smaller and more intimate than the New Wosley Theatre, allowing the audience to get close to the actors, and in doing so establishing a closer and more personal connection with the characters.

As a group of young people this was a well constructed and connected performance. The ensemble and ‘the rush and the hush’, as I called it gave an added tension and depth to the play. The introduction of Merrick to the audience, and the use of illustrations along with the graphic description of his ailments were as clever as the acting of the lead, Dominic Crane, who without any prosthetics or props other than a cane masterfully delivers his role.

The after-show discussion was fantastic, and gave the opportunity for the audience to learn more about this group of talented young actors, how they work together and how the performance developed over time - as well as some of the accents.

I haven’t shared the parts about the story that I didn’t know, and I haven’t explained the meaning of ‘the rush and the hush’. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Go along for yourself, and be drawn into a world of quality performance and stylish story telling.