+353 Presents: The Revenger’s Tragedy – Dublin Fringe Festival – Review
by Brian Merriman

Performances – 10 – 13 Sept, 21:00, 13 Sept, 15:00
Venue – Abbey Theatre – Peacock Stage

Funded by the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon & Dublin City Council. Developed at Dublin Fringe Festival Studios, Mermaid Arts Centre & axis Ballymun. Supported by THISISPOPBABY, Fishamble: The New Play Company, Droichead Arts Centre & Dublin Fringe Festival X field:arts. 

It is wonderful to see material created over four hundred years ago resonate with contemporary artists and inspiring new work today. Thomas Middleton could not have imagined this evolution when his play The Revenger’s Tragedy first graced the stage in 1606 at the height of the Jacobean period in English drama. Though William Shakespeare may still be the headline act from that prolific period, Middleton collaborated with him and later adapted and revised Macbeth and Measure for Measure.

In the original, our two men are at odds in their handling of grief, loss, lust and dominance. Lussurioso, a Duke’s son, offers jewels to poorer Vindice’s Mother in exchange for the virginity of her daughter.

This is ripe material for Kevin Keogh and his ambition to transpose these ever-present human responses into contemporary formats, building a bridge from Opera to modern-day drill music through hip-hop, is commendable. Keogh declares that it is ‘Opera written on a laptop’. Contemporary music pulsates through an original score by Colin Fitzpatrick and Ire Adebari, sublimely performed live by a 12-piece orchestra.

We follow protagonist and antagonist Vindice and Lussurioso through this necessarily chopped and skewed version of Thomas Middleton’s 1606 play.   From the outset, the sight of a dozen live musicians on stage in a Fringe Festival production is quite something. The Peacock is a most prestigious venue for any Fringe show, and the production values, as well as the extensive list of collaborators, herald a presentation that would fit well on any main stage, beyond any traditional definition of Fringe theatre.

Get there early and grab a flyer before the show, and read it. It is a complete synopsis of the ten-scene sequence of ‘The Argument’, a common feature of earlier theatre programmes. You’ll be lost without it. Equally, there should be a strong advance warning for those who are photosensitive. There is a lot of backlighting in Kevin Murphy’s colourful plan. This is at floor level and as such is at eye level with the audience. There are long, fast flashing sequences that are visually uncomfortable for the sensitised eye, and perhaps that was why some audience members left very early on?

There is a lot to merit in this experimental piece, which has evolved from a five-minute beginning to its current 75-minute format. In Jacobean theatre, productions could last five hours!  As anticipated, the melodic rhythmic score by Colin Fitzpatrick, Samuel Mark (also Musical Director) and Ire Adebari (assistant MD) is full of contrast and innovation. Lulu Manning’s fine orchestration is beautifully played and a highlight of the evening.

Dramatically, it is no mean feat to try to condense an epic play into a shorter time frame, for a contemporary audience with increasingly short concentration spans. The writing is true to the period and was well served by the eloquent delivery. There are some problems here with the static staging by Kevin Keogh and movement director Tobi Balogun. It is quite stiff, stilted and also limited by Pia Rathaya’s on-floor set design.  The above floor level set design is contemporary and stylish, but the stage is bare, wide and flat, offering no levels or distinct playing areas, besides one moving set of steps. This means that, true to the original period, there is a ‘stand and deliver’ declamatory style in the acting. It is not what you would expect from a hip-hop score.

The diction is excellent and audible (vocal coach Russell Smith) despite the constant challenge of balance between underscore and dialogue. The linguistic ability of the cast is well established. Andrew Ajetunmobi as Lussurioso adds to this with a strong presence and confident swagger that directly engages the audience. The likeable Alexander Potgeiter is less comfortable physically on stage as the hard-working Vindice. Ellen Rose Kelly’s Italian arias are well delivered, and her emotional range is impressive.

In the absence of throngs of Jacobean cast to fill out the business of changes and musical bridges, the onstage action’s energy falters at times. The bizarre introduction of an academic dissertation on the relevance of hip-hop in an attempt to wrap up the plot is out of place dramatically. Though reading the script from a podium, which is not aurally friendly, researcher Dr Dawn-Elissa Fischer stumbles on the rushed delivery. It is puzzling as to why an audience needs to be guided as such, and if deemed necessary to continue to include this, perhaps it might be a better prologue?

This stylistically odd construction seemed to replace the writer’s ability to reach a dramatic conclusion to his credible adaptation. There are many other dramatic options worthy of exploring. The changing of costumes at the end was equally unclear as to why a jeans-wearing character needed to change into a tracksuit. Structurally, the music is well on its way to excellence; there is more to be done with the staging and the settling of the dramatic concepts.

The Revenger’s Tragedy has many fine aspects which thrilled its receptive audience. If it is to evolve further, and it should, as there are enough strong indicators of theatrical innovation present, it needs now to concentrate on the original inspiration for the piece – the drama.

+353 Presents: The Revenger’s Tragedy – Dublin Fringe Festival 

Starring: Andrew Ajetunmobi as Lussurioso, Alexander Potgieter as Vindice and Ellen Kelly as Gratiana.

Based on a Jacobean play by Thomas Middleton

Adapted and directed by Kevin Keogh

Composers Colin Fitzpatrick, Samuel Mark and Ire Adebari

Orchestrations by Lulu Manning and Evan Kennedy

Research by Dr Dawn-Elissa Fischer

Produced by: Maiya McQueen

Lighting Designer Kevin Murphy

Chief LX Marie Hegarty