Precise reimagining of My Cousin Rachel has an atmosphere all of its own at Sheffield Lyceum

A touring production of Daphne du Maurier’s novel My Cousin Rachel, stylishly adapted and reimagined by JosephO’Connor, has a sure grip of the period (the middle of the nineteenth century), the location (Cornwall), and the psychology of the characters. It has elements of the Gothic novel and the mystery story, but has an atmosphere all of its own.

Helen George and Jack Holden in My Cousin Rachel. Photo by Manuel Harlan.

In du Maurier’s fictional world, the psychology of her characters is laid bare – as if they were case studies. The result makes for a compelling experience.

Philip Ashley is emotionally stunted, socially privileged, and suspicious of anything which doesn’t conform to the narrowly masculine ethos of Ambrose, his deceased and much-loved guardian and cousin. Jack Holden plays him with quivering intensity, swinging wildly between paranoia and infatuation. Ambrose’s widow, Contessa Rachel Sangaletti, is deeply resented by Philip (he suspects she was responsible for the death of her husband) when she arrives in Cornwall. Helen George plays her with just the right mixture of haughty pride and desperate humility. The charge between these two is at the centre of the play and has a profound impact on everyone else.

The set and the music reinforce the almost operatic quality of the dialogue

Christopher Hollis as Guido Rainaldi provides some comic relief, as well as illuminating the xenophobia, misogyny and financial dilemmas which underlie much of the action.

Directed with precision and pace by Anthony Banks, the play ends on a teasing and ambivalent note.

My Cousin Rachel is at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until Saturday, January 25.