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Elevator review
- Did I enjoy it? Absolutely.
- Would I have understood it had I not read the play before? Yes.
- Was it well acted? Definitely.
- Was it well produced: Faultlessly.
More detailed review:
It was performed in the round, in modern dress. The actors sat around a boardroom-style table on which were two old-fashioned library-style shaded lights and three green telephones of the dial and cradle type. The advantage of this was that when the actors were engaged in dialogue they spoke across the table, and that when they were making an aside (and the play is remarkable for the number of asides) they turned round in their seats to speak to the audience. This worked very well.
There were some stand-out scenes. The first involved the Piracquos, who are essentially necessary to the plot but otherwise underdeveloped characters. Alonzo is the victim of the first killing, Tomazo is his brother who later seeks an investigation and vengeance. There is an early scene in which Tomazo points out to Alonzo that his prospective bride doesn’t seem very pleased to see him, suggesting her heart is elsewhere. Alonzo repeatedly punctuated Tomazo’s argument with the word ‘What?’ (an addition to the text) expressed in a variety of ways, which not only added some much-needed humour to a dark Jacobean plot (the original play has the madhouse scenes for comedy but these had been excised) but also underlining the fundamental naivety of Alonzo and priming the way for Tomazo’s later suspicions. Other important moments included when Deflores picks up BJ’s glove and makes a speech full of sexual innuendo, alerting us early that he is sexually infatuated with BJ.
But the key scene in the play is the moment when BJ realises that Deflores, having killed for her, will not be bought off with money and exile; he wants her virginity. This is the moment when Deflores points out that she, having commissioned the murder, is as guilty as he is, the moment when he rams home the fact that birth and position cannot protect you from the consequences of sin: “Fly not to your birth, but settle you/ Into what the act has made you, you're no more now;/ You must forget your parentage to me -/ You're the deed's creature." This was enacted excellently.
Indeed, every member of the cast turned in a brilliant performance. The singers (Hamish Somera, Kiera Murray and Mikko Juan) had great voices, Mikko almost getting the audience to sing along. Mylo McDonald as Alsemero played a difficult part - nominally the principal but actually more of a straight man for the others to play off- very well. Dane Williams as Jasperino also made the most of a small part (the play never really gives him the opportunity to regret the fact that his love is also a murder victim - but I suppose that’s because they’re only servants). Emma Wilkinson Wright as Vermandera, also a supporting role, was also excellent. I’ve mentioned the Piracquos, ably played by Alex Bird and Olsen Elezi. Henrietta was superbly sexy as Diaphanta, the maid who thinks she’s really got it made when her mistress offers her money to sleep with her bridegroom. Finally the stars. Jamie O’Neill as a heavily pock-marked Deflores was suitably sinister, obsessive and manipulative, and Colette O’Rourke as Beatrice Joanna was brilliant as the entitled young woman who discovers that "Murder, I see, is followed by more sins."
Such a strong cast, together with faultless lighting, sound and effects, suggests a very good director, so all credit too to Ricky Dukes.
Fidelity to the text
They more or less cut the entire subplot involving the madhouse, which scholars believe was the portion written by William Rowley, expect for a contribution to the first and last scenes, so it seems fair to say that what we saw was The Changeling by Thomas Middleton. The 'lunatics' theme was represented by singers; three times the action was interrupted so that some very powerful voices could sing songs which were entirely new to the text.
The only other major change was that Beatrice-Joanna’s father was changed into her mother, necessitating alterations to the text (although these were limited, so that Vermandera seemed to have been a soldier and to have had a wife). Otherwise the dialogue was, so far as I could tell, faithful to the text, apart from occasional extra words.
There were some stand-out scenes. The first involved the Piracquos, who are essentially necessary to the plot but otherwise underdeveloped characters. Alonzo is the victim of the first killing, Tomazo is his brother who later seeks an investigation and vengeance. There is an early scene in which Tomazo points out to Alonzo that his prospective bride doesn’t seem very pleased to see him, suggesting her heart is elsewhere. Alonzo repeatedly punctuated Tomazo’s argument with the word ‘What?’ (an addition to the text) expressed in a variety of ways, which not only added some much-needed humour to a dark Jacobean plot (the original play has the madhouse scenes for comedy but these had been excised) but also underlining the fundamental naivety of Alonzo and priming the way for Tomazo’s later suspicions. Other important moments included when Deflores picks up BJ’s glove and makes a speech full of sexual innuendo, alerting us early that he is sexually infatuated with BJ.
But the key scene in the play is the moment when BJ realises that Deflores, having killed for her, will not be bought off with money and exile; he wants her virginity. This is the moment when Deflores points out that she, having commissioned the murder, is as guilty as he is, the moment when he rams home the fact that birth and position cannot protect you from the consequences of sin: “Fly not to your birth, but settle you/ Into what the act has made you, you're no more now;/ You must forget your parentage to me -/ You're the deed's creature." This was enacted excellently.
Indeed, every member of the cast turned in a brilliant performance. The singers (Hamish Somera, Kiera Murray and Mikko Juan) had great voices, Mikko almost getting the audience to sing along. Mylo McDonald as Alsemero played a difficult part - nominally the principal but actually more of a straight man for the others to play off- very well. Dane Williams as Jasperino also made the most of a small part (the play never really gives him the opportunity to regret the fact that his love is also a murder victim - but I suppose that’s because they’re only servants). Emma Wilkinson Wright as Vermandera, also a supporting role, was also excellent. I’ve mentioned the Piracquos, ably played by Alex Bird and Olsen Elezi. Henrietta was superbly sexy as Diaphanta, the maid who thinks she’s really got it made when her mistress offers her money to sleep with her bridegroom. Finally the stars. Jamie O’Neill as a heavily pock-marked Deflores was suitably sinister, obsessive and manipulative, and Colette O’Rourke as Beatrice Joanna was brilliant as the entitled young woman who discovers that "Murder, I see, is followed by more sins."
Such a strong cast, together with faultless lighting, sound and effects, suggests a very good director, so all credit too to Ricky Dukes.
Fidelity to the text
They more or less cut the entire subplot involving the madhouse, which scholars believe was the portion written by William Rowley, expect for a contribution to the first and last scenes, so it seems fair to say that what we saw was The Changeling by Thomas Middleton. The 'lunatics' theme was represented by singers; three times the action was interrupted so that some very powerful voices could sing songs which were entirely new to the text.
The only other major change was that Beatrice-Joanna’s father was changed into her mother, necessitating alterations to the text (although these were limited, so that Vermandera seemed to have been a soldier and to have had a wife). Otherwise the dialogue was, so far as I could tell, faithful to the text, apart from occasional extra words.
My review of the playscript can be found here.
Summary:
A hugely enjoyable production. I have now seen four classics resurrected by Lazarus (the others being Tamburlaine in 2015, Edward II in 2017, and The Tempest in 2019) and have always been impressed. I hope to see many more in the future.
Summary:
A hugely enjoyable production. I have now seen four classics resurrected by Lazarus (the others being Tamburlaine in 2015, Edward II in 2017, and The Tempest in 2019) and have always been impressed. I hope to see many more in the future.
I'm still working on my theatre reviews, trying to improve the insight of my critiques. So it's always worth reading reviews by more experienced and more skilful critics, such as this one here.
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