"The Mansfield Case'

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 6

"The Mansfield Case'

Bv

HOWARD McNAUGHTON

“The Case of Katherine Mansfield,” compiled and performed by Cathy Dow-nes.-Court Studio Theatre, Christchurch Arts Centre, April 22 to 26. Running time: 5.15 p.m. to 9.45 p.m. “You revolt me, stewing In your consumption.” With characteristic tact, D. H. Lawrence exprssed his view jf the Mansfield case: the Self-pitying, self-dramatising, iften pretentious expatriate, groping for immortality through her writing yet fated !o be remembered chiefly for per lungs. The “case” seems rich in dramatic tension, and has of course frequently been adapted for stage and screen: however, it is further complicated by “the case of Mansfield’s fiction,” the dualities of which are still a matter of considerable contention. 'The woman'’andher writings are capable of being combined .withjuridically dif-

ferent results: here, they simply reflect each other, so that the subject is monumentalised, but one could also select the writings more interestingly to compile a “case against Katherine Mansfield.” . Mansfield was, of course, her own best dramatist. She admitted that through her European period she resorted to numerous social roles, and when her fatal illness was becoming overt she took to anatomising herself in schizoid terms. Unleashing the various Mansfields on each other would be a tragicomedy in itself, especially if the terms of compilation were not exclusively sympathetic and illustrative. Individual audience members will be drawn to this show according to their own tastes, and many people will be delighted by Miss Downes’s treatment of extracts' from the 'diaries, the correspondence, and several of the Wellington stories. Others, however, gyvill feel

that the illustrative approach to Mansfield has been indulged for long enough, and that she is now well enough established as a literary saint to merit a more aggressive treatment, exposing the warts as warts. Cathy Downes is more impressive as an actress than as a script compiler, and her range of performance: skills has developed considerably since her last Christchurch appearance. Considering the nature of some of the (extracts she uses, her vocal resourcefulness often commands the attention remarkably, and she also resorts to nervous eye-movement which reflects the subject’s instability well. A few performance mannerisms stick out (needing directorial control),.and there is certainly room for more body expressiveness. But for a 30-year-old actress to hold a stage single-handed for a full-length show is an audacious feat, which promises well for her future farcer.