Thomas Middleton’s THE REVENGER’S TRAGEDY, like most Jacobean plays, puts men centre stage, leaving very little space for women. With the current demand for strong female roles more directors could take the example of Peter Darney. In his version of THE REVENGER’S TRAGEDY at The Rose Playhouse he not only swaps character genders, empowering the female cast but also re-imagines Middleton’s world in a contextually and visually vivid production.Driven by the need to avenge her lover Vindice (Annie Nelson) with the help of her sister Hippolita (Brittany Atkins) plots against the Dutchess (fantastic Deborah Kearne). Meanwhile Lady Antionia’s (Rose Akryod) husband is raped by one of Dutchess’ daughters Junior and so the tension rises minute by minute in a gothic-punk world that is full of violence and sex.
Darney’s adaptation of the text remains quite close to the original and he keeps the rhythm of the piece, yet concentrates on emphasising the power in the strong female characters. The directorial choices are bold and unapologetic and Darney is not scared to create graphic, violent moments. The male rape is performed with a stiletto and takes place at the back of the building. His haunted cry echoes through the theatre. This clever use of the historic building not only adds to the production but also helps to create rich visual images.
As we enter the theatre, red lights are flashing and the entire cast is dancing lustfully creating a strong, atmospheric opening for the tragedy.
Annie Nelson’s professional stage debut is impressive. Her presence and ability with classical text brings truthfulness to her portrayal of Vindice. Brittany Atkins as Hippolita brings a lot of comedy to the role and Deborah Kearne’s sexual portrayal of The Duchess adds a completely new layer to the play, provoking important questions about mature female sexuality.
The use of the four male characters is very interesting, as their presence in the piece seems to be reduced to being sexually objectified by women. In one of the scenes the men wear nothing but gold underpants. As they dance centre stage in a sexual way the audience chuckles. Would we be laughing in the same way if we were witnessing half-naked women dancing for the pleasure of men? Or are we laughing because we cannot take the objectification of men seriously?
The rockabilly Vivienne Westwood inspired costumes add to the enthralling visual world of the play and creates a sense of empowerment in the female characters. There is no doubt that the female protagonists of the play choose to wear their clothes on their own accord, for their own pleasure, not the pleasure of men.
There is nothing new about swapping genders in classical text but this version of THE REVENGER’S TRAGEDY is much more than that. By creating an incredibly violent world ruled entirely by women Darney makes strong observations and challenges our ideas about gender. In doing so creates yet another important and urgent production.
The REVENGER’S TRAGEDY runs at The Rose Playhouse until the 27th of March.
CORRESPONDENCE, a piece of new writing which premiers at The Old Red Lion, strives to be a political work, tackling issues such as the Arab Spring and mental health, however Lucinda Burnett’s play seems more like a badly written episode of TV's Hollyoaks.