Shows Seen

This week I saw two shows. On Wednesday I went to the historic Theatre Royal Haymarket and saw the-always-pleasing-to-the-eye Dominic Cooper in a new revision of Stephen Jeffreys' The Libertine. And on Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Rory Kinnear in The Threepenny Opera at the National Theatre.

The Haymarket, as we call it for short, is in the west end theatre district just a few steps from Piccadilly Circus. The theatre opened in 1720 and is a magnificent structure complete with an elaborately embellished ceiling and proscenium arch. This made it the perfect venue to host The Libertine.

The story is based on actual events in the life of John Wilmont, Earl of Rochester. Rochester was a nobleman in the court of King Charles II and took full advantage of his privileged life. He enjoyed the libations offered at the local water holes, the presentations of the playhouses (which at the time were not the most respectable places to spend time) and the talents of the local working girls. He enjoyed pushing the boundaries and challenging decency. However, he was also a poet and playwright. The play suggests Rochester was a thinker, a skeptic, and was tortured by the hypocrisy in the world and in himself.

Jeffreys' play is text heavy but not difficult to follow. His use of language and character was efficient and effective. Cooper was refreshing and strong in the role of Rochester. He delivered the journey of a complex man with clarity and captured this historic antihero with an ease of craft. The costumes by designed by Tim Shorthall were well balanced between the opulence of the period and the subtlety required to avoid distraction from the performances and text. Shorthall also designed a clever set that was simple enough to morph into the various locations with the use of simple platforms and an ever-changing assortment of background projections.  Overall, it was a lovely way to spend an evening.

Saturday took me bankside to the National. The Royal National Theatre was established in 1963 and is one of the UK's great national institutions for culture. They are a subsidised theatre, meaning they are benefactors of government funding. In 1976 they moved from the Old Vic Theatre to their current home on the south bank of the river Thames. As it was built in the 70's, the National is an example of a modern urban design made of concrete with various levels and shapes. Inside the complex are multiple bars and cafes and a bookshop. Oh and stages, four performance spaces of different shapes and sizes.

I went to see The Threepenny Opera in their largest space, the Olivier. Threepenny is a play with music written by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Elisabeth Hauptmann. The show is based on The Beggar's Opera by John Gay. Many people are familiar with the song "Mack the Knife" from Threepenny which was made famous by Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra.

Threepenny opened in Berlin in 1928 and is one of Brecht's most well-known works. Brecht was a German playwright who made significant contributions to theatre and theatre history. He was a Marxist and used theatre to explore political and philosophical ideas, and comment on society and materialism. To symbolize this, the show is most often produced in a bare-bones, ragamuffin fashion.

The National's Threepenny did nod to the simplistic by using raw wood and exposed hardware in the set design by Vicki Mortimer, but there were several components to the set that was shape-shifting constantly during the show. Kinnear took on the role of Mack, a man not so different from the aforementioned Rochester in that he enjoyed a series of women and found himself tangled in violence and legal troubles. Kinnear did a fine job with Mack representing the underbelly of mankind and how power and position can be a person's downfall. Brecht is a very specific style. He quite literally uses signs with words to make his point clear. So, the understated has no place on a Brechtian stage. The show captured the style effectively and the message that there was no message, was received. Well, Brecht does tell you upfront through the use of a prologue, there is no moral to the story. I am glad I saw it. Threepenny is a classic of the theatre literature canon and this was my first visit with Mack the Knife.

It was an excellent week at the theatre and I see in the adverts there are additional excitements coming soon to London stages. I am compiling a list. I'll keep you posted.

Until next time...
Take care!
-m





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