Calais

The life, loves and legacy of Lord Nelson provide the inspiration for the penultimate offering in the Traverse’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint season - April De Angelis’ Calais. Directed by Tamara Harvey, this new play looks at the effects of living in the shadow of the admired historical figure through the eyes of his family.

Named after the setting of the play, Calais concerns itself with the lives of Horatia Nelson (Louise Ford), the illegitimate daughter of the late Lord Horatio Nelson, and his former lover, Emma (Joanna Bacon). Beginning some time after Lord Nelson’s death, after both women have fled to France in order to escape Emma’s considerable debts in England. Life without Nelson and his wealth is difficult, however, and when Jacques Fournier (James French) arrives to collect their overdue rent, both women must face up to some difficult truths about themselves in order to follow their uncertain futures.

De Angelis in renowned for using various and famous historical figures in her plays, and Calais is no exception. Her choice of subject matter is an interesting one. While Nelson was the most celebrated Admiral of his time, with his victory against the French and the Spanish at The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 being Britain’s greatest Naval victory, De Angelis looks beyond his military career and focuses on his somewhat controversial personal life by concentrating on the two most important people in his life, his daughter and his lover.

However, while these women too have achieved notoriety simply by association with Nelson, they struggle to escape his reputation, his notoriety, and their own expectations of each other. And therein lies De Angelis’ message concerning the pressures of fame, the labels that we place on apparent heroes, and the associated stresses of being intimately involved with someone so universally known.

While this message is still relevant today, given the rise of the cult of celebrity, Calais’ plot and characters are understandably outdated and at times alien. Harvey’s production is a faithful and approachable affair, with strong performances throughout. But it is Bacon's performance, in her turn as the embittered and alcoholic Emma, that makes this play so appealing.