"Plagues! Confusions! Darkness! Devils!"
Technical
difficulties around health and safety meant that Suba Das’ production of The Revenger’s Tragedy had to be rapidly reconceived from its intended promenade
aspect but little can excuse shining a bright light into the eyes of part of
the audience for 15 minutes. Thomas Middleton’s Jacobean blood-fest now sits
still in the Victorian music hall surroundings of Hoxton Hall, but seriously
lacks the basic thread of storytelling that such a complex play requires.
Vindice is
determined to wreak a terrible revenge on the duke who poisoned his beloved fiancée
and doesn’t care who get sucked into his machinations, whether it is the
corrupt extended family of the duke, or his own (slightly) more innocent
relations. This is a barely comprehensible world of deep selfishness, punctuated
with episodes of extreme violence and illicit lust, and so needs a strong
directorial hand to try and impose if not sense, then at least an
interpretation of great clarity and focused intent.
Unfortunately,
there’s a distinct lack of thematic continuity in the entire production as
concepts are toyed with and then cast aside. Vindice’s initial role is almost
of puppet-master as he controls almost every facet of the opening segment of
the show but this is quickly forgotten as are the distorted video-screens and
voiceovers; a dance interlude in the second half is awkwardly introduced and
executed; Rachael A Smith’s design provides no real clues as to when this is
actually set, the elusive impreciseness proving frustrating throughout.
A sense of
atmosphere cannot be doubted and the second half begins to coalesce into
something more effective as the hall is reconfigured into a chapel, it is also
much shorter which leads to a strange imbalance to the evening as a whole. Tom
Mothersdale does interesting work in bringing the whirlwind of Vindice’s vindictiveness
to life, though could do with checking the sound level occasionally – indeed the
entire production frequently bellowed at deafening volume and combined with the
blinding spotlight, this proved more of a sensory assault than is acceptable.
Running time: 2 hours (with interval)
Booking until
10th November
Labels: Bridgitta Roy, Chris Jared, Danny Horn, Jack Hardwick, Jaime Winstone, Katherine Templar, Middleton, Nana Amoo-Gottfried, Sarah Ball, Tom Mothersdale, Vincenzo Nicoli