Charles
III
A Future
History Play
Almeida Theatre, April 7,
2014
Mike Bartlett imagines the future in a world where Queen
Elizabeth II has shaken off her mortal coil and after a lifetime of waiting,
her son, Charles, is the new King. Commissioned by The Almeida and directed by
Rupert Goold, Charles III has been
one of the most anticipated plays of the spring in London, not only living up
to but surpassing all of my expectations.
We begin with the entire company entering in black, the
stage a simple raised platform with two steps, entirely covered in purple velvet,
similar to the alter on which St. Edward’s Chair sits. This funeral procession
segues into the opening dialogue revealing Charles III’s insecurity in his new
role. Meeting with the Prime Minister, Charles is severely disturbed by a newly
pass bill placed before him – government regulation of the press. Uncomfortable
with the implication, he refuses to sign the bill, but lacking the dignity and
force of his mother; he tries to take control with tyrannical displays of power
in the form of tanks and guns. While William is trying to keep the peace and
take control of the English Monarchy before Charles causes its permanent
dissolution entirely.
When one opens the pages of a Mike Bartlett play, it
quickly becomes evident that he writes in his own style of verse, but here he
takes on something closer to Shakespeare’s style. With rhyming verse, shared
lines and a unique sentence structure, this truly lives up to the subtitle that
Bartlett added on. More importantly, who speaks in verse or pros is a very
carefully utilized as the royal family and their equals speak in verse, whereas
those of markedly lower classes, such as a man working in a kebab shop, speak
in pros. And on even closer inspection, the action even falls into Shakespeare’s
five-act structure.
As the confused and grieving heir to the throne and now
new English Monarch, Tim Pigott-Smith delivers an older and more malleable
ruler than England is used to seeing. With a sense of desperate egotism,
Charles is easily swayed by the words of Camilla (Margot Leicester) and the
Leader of the opposition (Nicholas Rowe),
who steer him towards thoughts of definitive authority. A perfect rendition of
what can happen when one is left too long in waiting for power, Pigott-Smith tells
the story of a older man suddenly lost as he is thrust into the seat of power
he may have long ago given up hope of ever achieving. Bartlett address head-on
the question on the mind of many English citizens, will Charles be fit to rule
in his old-age once Elizabeth II eventually does pass from this world?
Supported by a cast of Royals who
look eerily like their true-life counterparts, these men and women give a
deeper insight into a very public family. William (Oliver Chris) is in every
way the young and dignified ruler his role demands, while Bartlett’s Kate
(Lydia Wilson) has an ambition that will either solidify or destroy William’s
chances of being King. With the famous recklessness that we expect from the now
4th in line to the throne, Prince Harry (Richard Goulding) falls in
love and starts to explore a more civilian version of London, looking for
‘greasy spoons’ and wondering into Kebab shops late at night. While just
outside of royalty, the Adam James as the Prime Minister, displays an expert
calm as an uncommonly difficult monarch constantly challenges his authority.
With all the drama and structure of
an Elizabethan history, Bartlett and Goold have created a disturbing piece of
futuristic history. A brave and bold piece of language, while occasional
sounding awkward in the modern context, is expertly structured by Bartlett to
emphasize the detachment of royalty from the plain speech of the average
citizen. In less than three hours, a magnificent and somewhat terrifying
what-if is placed before the audience, and unfolded; Bartlett give a fair
argument to both sides, neither condoning nor condemning the English Monarchy.
No comments:
Post a Comment