April 22, 2008
Ok, I confess it. I know nothing about Ben Jonson. The scope of my literary knowledge of that era does not go beyond GCSE poetry and thinly sliced chunks of Shakespeare. But thirty minutes into Volpone, I was stunned by how easily I (and the majority of the school-aged field-trip audience) became engrossed. Sure, the language was hardly modern, the characters impossible to empathise with, the plot based entirely around their immorality – and yet at the same time it was impossible to not take guilty delight in the pure delicious wickedness of it all. The ‘audacity and sheer gall’ of the lead characters, as director Simon Tavener puts it, is what is conveyed and celebrated on stage, and the cast do a magnificent job of doing just that.
The production uses minimal props and a bare set – simple costume and use of modern props delicately add to the humour when combined with the wit of Jonson’s original lavish text without eve descending into slapstick. Lighting and cues were used to great comedic effect, but what really fills the stage is the fantastic, energetic performances from all the cast. Despite the setback of lacking a key actor on a first night performance, the step-in of Tavener as Mosca gets my hearty kudos, for a thoroughly engaging performance and keeping the cohesion of the script together without even minor disruption to the play. What deserves glorious mention however is Brian McMahon’s compelling performance as the wily Volpone, the fox caught in his own trap. Vivacious and physically riveting, McMahon commands the stage, creating a wonderful mix of sympathy and repulsion from the audience for a character that is utterly detestable and yet whose unabashed vice we cannot help but admire.
Having no prior knowledge of the play, the only thing that could be called a letdown was the absence of an immoral ending. After revelling in vice for the entirety of the play, one cannot but feel disappointment when Volpone and his fellow sinners do not triumph and instead we get Happily Ever After. But fear not – you will not leave feeling moralised at. The Triptych Theatre production must be commended for unlocking the Elizabethan wit of this black comedy and making it accessible, and thereby presenting us beautifully with the mirth that vice can bring.
The production uses minimal props and a bare set – simple costume and use of modern props delicately add to the humour when combined with the wit of Jonson’s original lavish text without eve descending into slapstick. Lighting and cues were used to great comedic effect, but what really fills the stage is the fantastic, energetic performances from all the cast. Despite the setback of lacking a key actor on a first night performance, the step-in of Tavener as Mosca gets my hearty kudos, for a thoroughly engaging performance and keeping the cohesion of the script together without even minor disruption to the play. What deserves glorious mention however is Brian McMahon’s compelling performance as the wily Volpone, the fox caught in his own trap. Vivacious and physically riveting, McMahon commands the stage, creating a wonderful mix of sympathy and repulsion from the audience for a character that is utterly detestable and yet whose unabashed vice we cannot help but admire.
Having no prior knowledge of the play, the only thing that could be called a letdown was the absence of an immoral ending. After revelling in vice for the entirety of the play, one cannot but feel disappointment when Volpone and his fellow sinners do not triumph and instead we get Happily Ever After. But fear not – you will not leave feeling moralised at. The Triptych Theatre production must be commended for unlocking the Elizabethan wit of this black comedy and making it accessible, and thereby presenting us beautifully with the mirth that vice can bring.