by William Shakespeare
Complete Works Theatre Company La Mama until
October 20, 1996
Reviewed by Kate
Herbert around 3 Oct, 1996
Pouring a play into the confines of La Mama Theatre in
Carlton is no mean feat at the best of times but when it is a Shakespeare it is
nigh on miraculous. Of course, performing a mythic poem by Will rather than,
say, the Scottish play, is another matter.
The Rape of Lucrece is an epic verse about the violation of
the chaste bride of Roman commander, Collatine by his friend, the lusting,
saturnine Etruscan Prince Tarquin. With two others, (Wade Beed, Caroline Lee)
actor-director, David Wicks has created a suitable companion piece for his
previous superb solo, Venus and Adonis.
Lucrece concentrates
on Shakespeare's sweet, scented language and abandons the rampant physicality
and dexterity of the earlier Venus. The delicate stillness of the portrayals
with the simplicity and starkness of the production, heighten the fragility of
the language. Wicks allows the words to speak for themselves and finds the
dynamic range within them.
The horror of the rape is not lost in such underplaying. In
fact it could be too intense or melodramatic to overstate it in such an
intimate space. Being so close to the almost tableau effect of images, we might
be swamped. Such intimacy in the playing highlights the focus of the text on
the psychological minutiae of the characters and their detailed observations.
We crawl inside their heads and wander about in the rhythm
of their thoughts and sensations. There were, however, moments when I was craving an emotional outburst, a clutch
at the heart or to be sent into tilt - but this is not the style of this piece.
This exceptional trio interpolate six dulcet and
unaccompanied Renaissance songs to great effect. Wicks, as narrator, shifts
skilfully in and out of focus, engaging us and colouring the canvas. Beed's
Tarquin is sinister and salacious and his rich baritone a treat while Lee's
frail, pale English-rose quality is perfect for the violated Lucrece.
This is a fine theatrical interpretation of a beautifully
crafted text.
KATE HERBERT
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