(English Touring Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company)
 |
| Sarah Ridgeway & Ben Deery |
London’s
Soho, on the verge of the 20th century’s sexual revolution, may seem
an unlikely era for the ETT and RSC to set a Jacobean play. Yet, Thomas
Middleton’s saucy comedy, A Mad World My Masters, finds new vibrancy in the
late 1950’s, a dichotomous time of sexual frustration and liberation. Phil
Porter and Sean Foley, who also directs a large ensemble cast, have edited this
new version to include the usual ETT live band and, on this occasion, the
divine vocals of Linda John-Pierre.
The
title perfectly sums up this production with an exhaustive collection of
intertwining tales and outrageous characters causing chaos and mayhem. Never
ending double entendre and not-so-subtle innuendo come from all quarters, as
the actors titillate the audience with wonderfully energised performances,
notably Ben Deery as Mr Littledick and Sarah Ridgeway as the ‘virtuous’ whore,
Truly Kidman. Clear diction is vital with this dialogue heavy script and
unfortunately this isn’t consistently achieved and although the music provides
a welcome break between scenes it does result in each act running at a lengthy
80 minutes each.
The
production qualities are exactly what you expect from English Touring Theatre
and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Alice Power’s quirky, adaptable set, is
beautifully enhanced by Johanna Town’s lighting design and superbly dressed
with Samantha Pickering’s costume
This isn’t
for the easily offended but is an enjoyable and fresh interpretation of an old
English classic, offering plenty of laughs through its physical comedy and must
be an utter joy for those having to study it. A Mad World My Masters runs at
Malvern Festival Theatre until Saturday before continuing on tour.
4 stars
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