Thomas Middleton & William Rowley, (1622) The Changeling. Dir. Dominic Dromgoole. Shakespeare s Globe. Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London. 1 st February 2015. Image 1 Crossing the Millennium Bridge north from St Paul s to south reaching Bankside, Shakespeare s Globe sits majestically beside the Thames with festoons swaying in the wind and their reflection rippling in the river. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse opened its doors in January 2014 as the newest addition to the Globe family, and from 15 January to 1 March 2015 it was home of The Changeling, directed by the artistic director of Shakespeare s Globe Theatre, Dominic Dromgoole. The play is divided into two plotlines: the story of Beatrice-Joanna (Hattie Morahan), the spoiled daughter of wealthy nobleman, and her disfigured servant De Flores (Trystan Gravelle); alongside the story of Alibius (Phil Whitchurch), a jealous doctor and his servant Lollio (Pearce Quigley), keeper of the madmen. As expected, the performance is overtly traditional, taking the audience back in time to the days when theatre began (though we would not have seen women on the stage). Closely following the original text by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, PAGE 1
Dromgoole weaves an intricate web of romance, tragedy, and satire within the playhouse, reminiscent of indoor theatre spaces long forgotten. With minimal stage directions, Dromgoole had freedom to be creative. I was delighted to see the incorporation of the Globe jig, and share sentiments with Gravelle who expressed, in an interview with Phil Brooks, that in the jig you see actors for a few minutes, as themselves, doing something and enjoying themselves and you get to see a little glimpse into the soul. Image 2 Image 3 The performance brilliantly utilizes the spectacular space that has been created for its very purpose: a paradoxical success. Ionic and Doric columns of naked heartwood sit like a fantastical forest below the heavens (a celestial painted ceiling). The audience leans in from all sides and the musician s gallery floats above the thrust stage that sits in the center of the room. In this informal space, the audience is collected together in sections surrounding the actors on all sides. Actors are able to interact with the spectators sitting close to them, while viewers in the lower and upper gallery are protected somewhat by architectural barriers. Faces flicker from the shadows of the galleries as the play begins. Watching through the candlesticks that glow above him, PAGE 2
the handsome Alsemero (Simon Harrison) enters with his opening soliloquy, Twas the temple where I first beheld her. Middleton and Rowley s stage directions are minimalist, giving Dromgoole creative freedom of physical space and movement. The play works upon the dialogue of the actors. The set is kept minimalist, relying upon the atmosphere of the playhouse to accommodate the tale. The frons scenae is painted with a dark chocolate brown embossed with gold, set against the stripped-back beams that absorb the warm light from the candles. The lighting is the productions most vital tool. During the performance, candles are the only source of light to illuminate the performance space. Silhouettes stalk the actors and dark shadows are thrown across the room like a ritual in the supernatural. The playhouse seems to breathe as the candles sway and swoon. Six chandeliers hang over the stage holding seventy-two candles made from beeswax, and sconces on the pillars. When the candles are all alight, the room feels cosy on an English winter evening. When they candles go out, the room turns cold with such an authentic eeriness that sends a shiver down the spine. These transitions between light and dark, accompanied by haunting instrumentals, keep us infatuated with monstrous characters and we are trapped in their disfunctional world, entangled in the eloquently woven web. We are hidden but closely observing the events that unfold and there is a sense of omniscience, or intrusion like watching through the keyhole of a door. The modern music by Claire van Kampen is played on period string instruments: two violins, a viola, and a cello. The intimate space seems to cradle the sound of the strings that shake the air and the lighted candles seem to sway and dance with them. The tone of the music is bold, but had the tendency to change depending on location. The instruments and their musicians move between the gallery and integrating with actors on the stage. At times they are invisible which seems to further advocate the supernatural. The wooden structure seems to absorb each note that is produced, not only of music but of language too. The space handles a bellow and a whisper with a cool and crisp sound. What also struck me was the silence; the way that the echoes of sound can cease entirely and immerse us further into this other world. PAGE 3
The costume design finds its place perfectly among the Jacobean traditions that the performance follows. Costume is used to determine the class, status and wealth of each character and also how the audience perceives them especially upon first impressions. When compared to characters of lower class, Beatrice-Joanna is lavishly dressed in tight corsets, full skirts, and big lacy trims to show her status. Like all respectable ladies, her hair is neatly pinned back, though she is dressed in a deep red that has many connotations towards passion, sin and promiscuity. Costume is imperative in the transition to day and night. Acts set in the daytime boast fashion as a social display. During acts set in the nighttime, the darkest scenes in the play, characters are dressed in off-white nightgowns and move around the dark stage holding candles to guide them. De Flores remains in his all-black ensemble which to me suggested a soul that never rests. Costume is also fundamental for the representation of the rape scene, where De Flores violently lifts Beatrice- Joanna s lavish skirt and takes what he is owed. The brutal image of the murders and portrayal of ghosts is powerful, as red blood and black burns are set against the offwhite garments ripped and torn, with faces painted pale white and an expression of deathly intensiveness. This satisfies the supernatural energy within the playhouse. Image 4 PAGE 4
Image 5 There are a number of relationships present on the stage of family, servants, masters, friends, and lovers. I found these relationships to be believable and endearing. A number of the cast play more than one part, for example Peter Hamilton Dyer plays central roles of friendship as Jasperino (friend to Alsemero) and Pedro (friend to Antonio). Matt Doherty also splits himself between a trusty servant and a degenerate madman who will not stage in his cage, one of Dromgoole s laugh-out-loud interpretations. Quigley s Lancashire accent and comedy timing delivers a dry humour that seems attuned to us as a modern audience. The changeling Antonio (Brian Ferguson) splits seamlessly between his disguise as a madman and a gentleman, I was changed too, from a little ass as I was to a great fool as I am, along with the other counterfeit madman Franciscus (Adam Lawrence). The relationship between spoken text and physical gesture is interesting. As previously mentioned, minimal stage directions and reliance on dialogue enables the mixing of Old English language and context with modern revival. This play was written and performed to entertain and so we are reminded that we are watching a play. Actors speak aside to the audience and the jigs show us glimpses of real friendships behind the acting. We can see the joy each cast member has for performing, using their acting PAGE 5
skills to show rather than become their characters, an acting style that is typical of Brechtian approaches. When I think back on the performance night at The Changeling, if I close my eyes, the image that I have retained from the performance is the floating faces in the darkness of the playhouse. The rounded features are highlighted and the sharp contours are shadowed, and a supernatural vibration seems to hang in the air. I have retained the wide, piercing eyes of Morahan and the rise and fall of her breath, while De Flores skulks silently in the shadow behind her. Any performance at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is going to be remembered and celebrated for the novelty of the candlelight and the splendor of the designs this has upon us. The romantic aestheticism and powerful performance was met with applause that shook the beams and columns. We were clapping our hands together until they were sore and tingled when we stopped. As an accurate interpretation, as opposed to a radical adaptation beyond recognition, this was exactly how the play needed to be directed and performed. As expected from the experts at Shakespeare s Globe Theatre, the plays recital is a source of education and the performance is crafted to intrigue and inspire diverse audiences. Another job expertly done. (1,454 words) PAGE 6
References: Image 1 Anonymous, 2015. Untitled Image. [image online] Available at: <https://fbcdn- sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10323983_10153123770680774_52301831019174 85074_n.jpg?oh=c1a6e5e0d726ec13ba8c19c0ab176563&oe=5582EEEF& gda =1 433570960_b5b14fed57ec087e9a71f440dd9770af> [Accessed 11 March 2015] Image 2 Anonymous, 2015. Untitled Image. [image online] Available at: <https://fbcdn- sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10916384_10153096622840774_5480 209784905026844_o.jpg> [Accessed 11 March 2015] Image 3 Anonymous, 2015. Untitled Image. [image online] Available at: <https://fbcdn- sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10916384_10153096622840774_5480 209784905026844_o.jpg> [Accessed 11 March 2015] Image 4 Anonymous, 2015. Untitled Image. [image online] Available at: <https://scontent- lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/l/t1.0-9/10599398_10153119400075774_2239515909656040699_n.jpg?oh=10812c275693 c53e916f2ffc8b8f70b7&oe=55839941> [Accessed 11 March 2015] Image 5 Anonymous, 2015. Untitled Image. [image online] Available at: <https://scontent- lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10923471_10153119400840774_8882158924220259092_n.jpg?oh=dcc961512151 89e76cc981255816ba1a&oe=55739D12 > [Accessed 11 March 2015] Brooks, P. 2015. Adopt an Actor (March 2008), Shakespeare s Globe Archive. [podcast] January 2015. Available at: <http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discoveryspace/adopt-an-actor/archive/de-flores-played-by-trystan-gravelle/rehearsals> [Accessed 11 March 2015]. PAGE 7