For my annual summer visit to Stratford it had to be the latest play directed by Maria Aberg. After loving her
King John and
As You Like It, this time it was a modern dress version of John Webster's revenge tragedy
The White Devil. The play itself is pretty ordinary and predictable. Two adulteress lovers plan the deaths of their spouses, only for the ensuing carnage to raise the body count higher than anything Tarantino could imagine.
What elevated the production above the ordinary was, yes, the production by Maria Aberg and her team. One reviewer remarked that this was "high-concept, director-driven theatre" but not in a good way. But I'm all for it. The staging, the choreography (applause please for movement director Ayse Tashkiran), the set (I cannot think of one better than that designed by Naomi Dawson), the costumes and the music all contribute hugely to our enjoyment.
We basically have three separate stages. The main floor and the two levels at the rear. Most of the time there are actors situated on all three. It is the two rear stages (the ground level with it's glass screen) complete with their own curtains (see below), separate lighting and occasional back projection that make the difference. It's a shame that the acting did not reach the same heights. OK, Kirsty Bushell in the lead role of Vittoria is terrific. However the change of gender for Flaminio seemed strange. This role is the conduit for the whole play and Laura Elphistone does the best she can, but her northern androgynous character seems out of place. The rest of the cast are adequate, it's probably the text that does them no favours.
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