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Bethan Mary-James as Ambitiosa and Michael Keane as Supervacuo. The Revenger’s Tragedy
Nottingham Playhouse**** First
published in 1607, near the start of James I’s reign,
The Revenger’s Tragedy
is a classic example of the
Revenge genre, which has its roots in the Roman Seneca (whose plays were
famously bloody) and to a degree in the great Spanish Tragedians who
coincided with and indeed outlived Shakes Previously ascribed to the virtually unknown
Cyril Tourneur, it has since been attributed, uncertainly but by general
consent, to Thomas Middleton. The principal figure is
called Vindice (Latin vindex
– ‘avenger’) and in seeking a bitter vengeance for the death of his
mistress on the lecherous old Duke, abetted by his brother Hippolyto, by
disguising himself and insinuating himself into the service of the
Duke’s one legitimate son and heir.
The latter’s name, Lussurioso, captures the
self-indulgence and preening characteristics of the whole ruling family,
which includes a bastard and three conspiratorial stepsons. By various
subterfuges Vindice brings about the murder of both ruler and heir, but
ultimately his own demise and that of his conniving sibling too. The Director, Fiona
Buffini, finds herself drawn to plays that ’surprise, delight and shock
an audience, and make them think about the world they live in’: that
applies to Jacobean drama such as The
Duchess of Malfi (which she previously
directed for Nottingham Playhouse) and this play. The language too attracted her: ‘Although quite
similar to Shakespeare, it felt completely different and very modern.’
The play has a brutal underbelly: ‘Many of the characters believe
everything can be bought: they value sex and money. They have no moral
compass. They are out for themselves and they like to wear their wealth’
They’re rather grotesque.’ The production has been set nominally in the
1970s (‘but it’s its own universe’), a period she associates with
‘flamboyance and abuse of power.’ So what was the
outcome? The answer is, very much a curate’s egg. Neil Murray’s set
designs – focused on a series of large-sized awnings descending like
massive Mantegnas to represent a palatial setting, or conversely, scenes
outside, served strikingly well, though there was nothing 20th
century about those. The costumes, all bright gleaming and glossy
silvers and pinks, and indeed grotesquely overstated, seemed to me the
start of the problem. Though any pop group might happily preen in them,
they turned more or less the whole scenario into some kind of Rolling
Stones madhouse. The idea – for this is a madhouse – had merits; but the
result – though one’s not saying Jacobean dress is what was needed - was
more one of distraction and annoyance. There were some nice comic
results: but one couldn’t take these Jon Nicholls’ Music and Sound design fell into the same category. Great blasts of pop music or its equivalent between scenes felt, sadly, not like the evocation of any period, but like pure self-indulgence. They were presumably intended to ratchet up the feeling of tension and a sense of letting go, or of ‘anything goes’: indeed self-indulgence may have been exactly what he sought to capture or parody. But the feeling was trite. More effective were the subliminal or subterranean touches Nicholls infiltrated periodically beneath the text. There was a sense of gentle haunting here which ratcheted up the nervous atmosphere. Lussurioso (Declan Perring) in his bath, abetted by Hippolito (Nathan Clarke) What about the actors? Though often dwarfed by
the production, and its attempt to ‘interpret’, they turned in some very
presentable performances. Alexander Campbell’s Vindice arguably lacked
direction: diminished by starting out in vapid blue jeans, he seemed
somewhat lost on a large stage, and lacking in visual invention. His scenes with his brother (Nathan Clarke) were
often pretty static, though Clarke caught the role of loyal supporter
quite nicely. Campbell really came into his own in Vindice’s two or
three soliloquies, which were delivered with conviction and assurance,
even if squeezing Jacobean revenge convincingly into a virtually up to
date era was more than could be expected of anyone. Paul Brightwell’s Duke lacked any real impact.
Louche, perhaps, and utterly disloyal to others – these were
characteristics he did capture. But roles have to establish themselves
in a way that draws an audience in. Much more striking was Tabitha
Wady’s Duchess, whose speaking struck me as exemplary and who cut, if
not a strong figure on stage, nevertheless an appealing one. Would she
had had more to do. Sadly Mary Jo Randle as the materfamilias of
Vindice’s family was left more or less to fend for herself. A feeble
presence, given telling words but no personality to establish them.
Navinder Bhatti began to make a worthwhile figure of Spurio, the
bastard, but sadly is given too few lines to make much of him. John
Askew (the younger son, who gets executed) likewise. Two characters who really did catch the eye were
the ostensible youngsters, Castiza – the sister whose virtue Vindice is
forced to pretend to cede to the lustful royal family – and the
splendidly named Supervacuo. Every time Isabel Adams – the very young
Castiza – opened her mouth there was a quality of diction that outshone
nearly everyone else. Her stance, or stances made an Michael Keane’s performance was a delight from
start to finish. I could be forgiven for thinking him a schoolboy, but
his adult credits are in fact very considerable. Supervacuo, splendidly
contrived by Keane, had all the detail and subtle, indeed amusing quirks
that made for a memorable character. His power of invention was notable,
and reflected a range of reactions and quality of initiative that often
brought alive a scene that was in danger of drooping.
The other lesser character who definitely made a
mark was Ambitiosa (Bethan Mary-James). Often paired with Keane in
sequences where both were plotting or at least planning, she came across
as both determined and forceful, and like Wady her speaking was
especially attractive. Highest credit, however, has to go to the
half-crazy performance turned in by Declan Perring as Luxurioso, the
Duke’s son and something of a chip off the old block. Poncing around the
stage he struck an amusing figure from the start, but in fact he is at
the heart of the disastrous developments and ultimately the victim
himself of the atmosphere of revenge. The scene where a trapdoor opens
front stage and he indulges in an elaborate bath with scrubbing brush
was a hoot – oddly, one of the few moments of real invention in
Buffini’s production, apart from some crucial cavorting with a skull.
But Perring’s speaking was, blessedly, nearly the best among the major
characters, and on every entry he caught the attention and held it with
great skill. Not a play of which, in this production, one came
away enamoured. More an idle romp, one felt, than a sinister build up of
unpleasantness and bloodthirstiness. In Germany, opera productions like
this are known as ‘Director’s opera.’ Regrettably it was the idea, lack
of memorable moves and overall concept that foundered. As the play
pulled one way, the imagery largely distracted. A pity for an
undertaking that clearly consumed a great deal of work and effort. Runs at the Nottingham Playhouse till Saturday 12
November. Roderic Dunnett 11-16
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characters seriously. It just didn’t add up.
impression, too. A sixth former now a member of the National Youth
Theatre, she clearly has great potential.