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A universe of lewd hilarity
A mad world, my mastersMalvern Theatres
**** THIS is no evening’s entertainment for
the prude! Thomas Middleton wrote the piece in 1605 when Shakespeare was
still composing his works. However the RSC and the English Touring Theatre
have set the piece in Soho in the 1950s. it is an unrestrained
exploration of a world of sexual decadence and explicitness,
deceitfulness and theft, corruption and the unashamed pursuit of the
lusts of the flesh! The plot is complex but at its heart Sir
Bounteous Peersucker refuses to pass on his worldly wealth to his nephew
and heir, Dick Follywit, so the young man decides to steal his future
inheritance by deceit and subterfuge, aided and abetted by his two
cronies, Oboe and Sponger. Meanwhile Penitent Brothel is a clergyman who
cannot resist the temptations of the flesh, and lusts after Mrs
Littledick, the wife of a controlling, obsessive and jealous husband. Manifold deceptions and impersonations, tricks
and ruses occur, and in the end a tale of indulgent decadence becomes a
moral tale where those who most fool are themselves fooled. The effect of transposing the play into the 1950s
is brilliant and effective. The play makes an immediate impact, carried
along by the swing of the Jazz band and the rock of the songs. The singer who opens the show, Linda John-Pierre,
has a wonderful voice and launches the show with tremendous momentum
which is maintained by the very slick and pacy production overall. The cast adopt an exaggerated farce-style of
performance which maintains a lightness and energy that helps to balance
the fact that the language of 1605 is a challenge at times, but
the cast deliver the lines with great clarity and projection to enable
us to access almost all the lines They manage to find and communicate sexual
innuendo everywhere in the text, graphic silhouettes of sexual activity
will amuse or disturb audience members in varying numbers, and the
colour of the design elements bring added zest, especially with the
Jacobean costumes in the final scene when Sir Bounteous stages a grand
ball. The large cast is led by Ian Redford as Sir
Bounteous whose timing, gestures and facial expressions are excellent.
Joe Bannister as Dick Follywit whose many incarnations include the
prostitute in drag and the robber has mischievous charm; Sarah
Ridgeway’s Truly Kidman, Ellie Beavan as Mrs Littledick, Ben Deery as Mr
Littledick and Dennis Herdman as Penitent Brothel all bring
tremendous character and slickness to their performances assisted by a
very good supporting cast. The imposing and impressive set adapts to provide
the bar, the streets and various homes and provides a show in itself,
sensory stimuli include magic tricks, and the adaptation of Middleton’s
world is hugely effective. The director has achieved a very coherent and
lively vision which makes the show relevant to a modern audience. Like the tabloid press, the play manages to revel
in the salaciousness of the action on the one hand while adopting in the
end a rather high moral tone: Sir Bounteous proclaims that whoever lives
by cunningly fooling others will himself be fooled, and ‘Does he not
return the wisest that comes whipped with his own follies?’ The
explicitness of this play may give offence to some with its carnality
and innuendo, but none can question the brilliance and talent of the
team who combine to bring it to the stage. To 28-03-15 Tim Crow
24-03-15
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