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Three rogues
together: Siobhán McSweeny as Dol Common, Ken Nwosu as Face and
Mark Lockyer as Subtle The Alchemist
The Royal Shakespeare Company,
The Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
**** IN A raucous and funny story by Ben
Jonson, The Alchemist tells a humorous story about a doctor called
Subtle, his aid, Face and their voluptuous woman maid, Dol Common, as a
trio of conmen, luring people into their trap to take their money.
When a beautiful widower arrives, Subtle and Face
who were once bound by trickery are now divided between the love and
lust for the woman. The entire night was incredibly entertaining. To
a person who may not be familiar with the plot, it may be uneasy to
follow Jonson’s many tricks and twists, but director Polly Findlay holds
the story with much accord and delivers it with beautiful execution. Each actor has their own striking memorable
characteristic and it is easy to decipher who is who and know exactly
where they fit into the story. Findlay has indeed highlighted the
wonderful talent of the company, giving actors the freedom which leads
to pure delight from the audience. The set is also unique. Helen Goddard’s des There is a constant air of smoke with a fire
burner, creating a hint at the allusion and wizardry that Subtle
possesses. Actors use the set to their advantage and the pit is used as
their experimentation ground, as Subtle hopes to turn metal to gold.
When things go wrong in the middle of the play, a
mighty explosion came from underneath, frightening the audience with
awe. The addition of the band is also a gem. In a delightful pre-set,
they flit from medieval court sounds to playing tunes from action films
of today, getting chuckles from the familiarity from the audience. Like many medieval plays, Jonson has set his
abroad, in 17th Century Spain. The plague is gripping the country and
the only safe place is Subtle’s home, holding the cure for the disease.
Knowing that he has power, Subtle capitalises upon the despair of
others, informing that he may turn any metal into gold and that he holds
the philosopher’s stone, they key to eternal life. The initial characters within the Alchemist’s
home show a tight bond and a deep pleasure in tricking the community.
There are some great farce scenes which are made great by the quality of
the actors who are on point at every single moment. When the trio try to make Dapper (Joshua McCord)
part with all of his money, they take on brilliant disguises as dapper
is blindfolded. The audience know exactly the aim of the trio’s ideas,
but Dapper has no clue. Doll was dressed in a fantastic fairy costume,
using an hilarious fake French accent and even flying to create a funny
spectacle, while Subtle and Face were donned in wigs and masks in order
to complete the robbery. Mark Lockyer as Subtle could be watched all day.
He holds such a confidence and charm to the cunning Alchemist that is
seen like no other. Subtle holds many personas and he flits back and
forth between being real and cunning in order to trick people of their
money. The audience know exactly when he is conning another character
because he lets the audience in on his gags, telling us exactly what he
is doing with small winks or smirks. This makes for some hilarious moments, for
example when Able Drugger happily gave away his supply of tobacc Joshua McCord as Dapper and Mark
Lockyer as Subtle His presence is completely believable and he has
the ability to play the comedy at the perfect moment, but also knows
when he is dealing very serious business, like any conman would. Ken Nwosu as Face is also a wonderful addition to
the gang of conmen. Throughout the play, he has a sweet charm and brings
most of the comedy to the stage. In disguises and trickery, Nwosu takes
charge in developing a warm and likable character. It is interesting how
Lockyer and Nwosu persuade the audience to be on their side, in spite of
the fact that they are cunning robbers. In a farcical play with
tongue-in-cheek gags, mostly played for the entertainment of the
audience, we commend their artistic efforts to make the comedy happen. Nwosu is impressive throughout, always helping
Subtle out in his plans of getting as much money as possible. At the end
of the play he deliberately breaks the fourth wall and talks to the
audience in a stand-up sequence. We are distracted by his funny and
charming words so much that we do not realise that he is slowly
transforming to modern dress from his Elizabethan costume. Suddenly, the
set is pulled down and everyone takes their bow as actors of today. This
impressive curtain call shows the power of theatre, making us believe
the tale of the story and the whole world around it. It was easy to do,
as we were fully enchanted by the superb talent of all the company. Wonderful performances were also given by Siobhan
McSweeny, who played the feisty Dol. She had an impressive talent to
mould her accents in order to charm those around her. Tim Samuels was
also memorable in his portrayal of Sir Pentax Surly, especially within
his disguise as a Spanish courtier, creating some fun and jolly scenes. Jonson’s charming play is a great production of
entertainment and farce. It is to watch to see great acting,
complemented by a funny plot. The audience are in great hands with the
company and Findlay’s direction and the production is a grand reflection
of Elizabethan living and humanity at its best, or worse. To 06-08-16 at
Stratford then at The Barbican, London, 02-09-16 to 01-10-16. Elizabeth Halpin 27-06-16
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transforms the stage to the alchemist’s smoky and dark office. Beautiful
dark tapestries are hung on the back wall and his table is filled with
apparatus and trinkets alluding to Elizabethan medicinal purposes. 
o
or as Dapper handed his whole purse over. Lockyer has taken the dark and
mystical character of the Alchemist within his stride. His sublime
talent and fantastic command of the stage truly is one of a kind. Even
Lockyer’s look is perfectly fitting to the cheeky wizard. He wears a
long grey wig, coupled with dark robes which trail to the floor.