If your idea of entertainment is brutal violence, the rattle of hi-falutin’ Jacobean verse, pervy sex and lots and lots of blood, then this is the show for you. John Marston's play, written around about 1600, would make John Webster reach for the smelling salts.
The key feature of the production is relish
This extremely clever production manages to condense what must be the lengthy run-time of the original into one hour, while keeping all the important plot points and key scenes intact.
The verse is largely spoken well, with clear meaning and a natural style. And although the text doesn't presume to give psychological insight into the characters or the development of their relationships, the production makes good use of what material there is. The relationship between Piero and his servant Strotzo for example, is made almost touching.
However, the key feature of the production is relish: relish in the verse, in the gore, and especially in the presentation of Piero, the lip-smackingly evil villain glorying in his own wickedness. A feature of Marston's play is its frequent references to acting and audience reaction and the production uses this to fun effect.
There are 5 actors jumping between 11 parts and they don't always get time to change costumes, so to keep track of who is who you need to keep your wits about you. However, this all works surprisingly well.
And great fun is had by all.
The blood! The blood! And the horror of the laundry bill!
