“You seem so very gay and bold”
I didn’t watch this 2002 television adaptation of Sarah Waters’ debut novel
Tipping the Velvet nor had I read the book so this was all unchartered
territory for me. I vaguely remembered a bit of a Daily Mail-style hoohah so I
was a little surprised at the relative tameness of the first episode but then
after getting through the second, I can see why an eyebrow might have been
raised – I doubt I’ll see Anna Chancellor in quite the same light! Andrew
Davies’ had the unenviable task of condensing Water’s seven year story of
sexual and self-discovery into a three hour television script and manages the
job fairly well, though with a rip-roaring pace that doesn’t always quite allow
the story enough time to breathe.
The story centres on Nancy Astley, a young woman who works as an oyster-girl in
her father’s Whitstable restaurant but who lacks a certain fulfilment in her
life as a relationship with a local boy is failing to make her weak at the
knees. What does capture her attention though is the arrival of a male
impersonator Kitty Butler whose performances leave her transfixed and
ultimately open up a whole new world for Nan, but a world that is full of as
much heartbreak as love, as much pain as pleasure, as she finds herself on the
stage, on the street, on a leash, on her knees, on an incredible journey.
Each episode sees Rachael Stirling’s Nan centring her life on one key
relationship: Keeley Hawes’ Kitty is her first love and the first to break her
heart as their dizzyingly fast lifestyle comes crashing to a halt; the
ever-excellent Anna Chancellor as Diana rescues Nan from desperation only to
entrap her in a much more gilded cage, making her a fascinating study in sexual
ownership and control; and presence of Jodhi May’s kindly Florence offers the
potential of a happy ending but there’s many loose ends to be tied up.
Stirling is very good, though I wasn’t a fan of the narrative device, at
showing the indomitable spirit of Nan who strides boldly on even in the worse
of situations, but the speed with which the story goes means that we rarely get
a chance to see the relationships in her life develop in any interesting or
meaningful manner, time just keeps on rushing by which slightly undermines the
depth of feeling that is meant to be being portrayed. The one truly affecting
strand is Nan’s acceptance of herself as a lesbian and slowly gaining the
confidence to live the life that she wants and in the way she wants.
The nature of the show and its age mean that there’s quite a lot of a fun to be
had in spotting familiar theatrical faces. Benedict Cumberbatch and Sally
Hawkins both appear with a geeky youthfulness, Dean Lennox Kelly is as
delectable as ever (perhaps more so given his leanings here!) and Janet Henfrey
is epic as a lascivious Sapphic grandee. There’s genuinely good work from Monica
Dolan though, as Nan’s sister whose simmering vicious emotion is rooted in the
frustration of not being able to escape the family life in a similar way as
much as in lesbophobia.
Tipping the Velvet was a sillier, even trashier thing than I was expecting
(some may love the shooting star moment but I thought it was tacky) but it was
all rather watchable and generally well performed. I loved seeing Wilton’s
Music Hall pop up as a venue for one of the cabaret acts and some key performances
make it well worth a watch if you haven’t already. I don’t think I’ll be
rushing to watch it again anytime soon though.
Labels: Anna Chancellor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bernice Stegers, Daniel Mays, Dean Lennox Kelly, Janet Henfrey, Jodhi May, John Bowe, Keeley Hawes, Monica Dolan, Paul Ready, Rachael Stirling, Richard Hope, Sally Hawkins