I was fortunate enough to take part in a blogging event with the Royal Shakespeare Company to watch the acclaimed performance of Boris Godunov at the Swan Theatre. Here is my review of the evening.
Shakespeare’s
profound skill and style has influenced masters of literature since the staging
of his first show in the mid-1500’s and, really, it’s no wonder. Using the past
to portray the present and likely future, his plays were considered
controversial and often provoked political debate. However, they remained a
great dramatic feat and were, therefore, able to win the hearts of audiences
then and now. Incidentally, one playwright that was greatly inspired by the
works of Shakespeare was renowned Russian classicist, Alexander Pushkin. Because
of this influence, it would only be right for the Royal Shakespeare Company to
stage Pushkin’s greatest – arguably – play, Boris Godunov as part of the RSC's ‘A World Elsewhere’ trilogy.
Boris
Godunov, written by Pushkin in 1825, based on events beginning in 1598, and
performed at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon
in 2012/2013 in the first ever professional, uncensored, English spoken run of shows.
I think you’ll agree, that covers a vast time period and some incredible
historic events that allowed the cast to push boundaries. Time was one of the
key themes explored in artistic director Michael Boyd’s production by noting how, like Shakespeare did,
some events are not restricted by the bonds of time but rather they flow with
it albeit, not always for the good. Assistant director, Emily Kempson, noted
how Pushkin’s play transcends with those of Shakespeare because both are
timeless – towards the end of the play, the sleek suits, dinner jackets and
mobile phones suggested a modern day twist on the 17th century
story, endorsing the idea that these events could be relevant to present
events. Controversial? Very much so, but Lloyd Hutchinson, (Boris Godunov),
claims that controversy was exactly what they intended to convey in order to
maintain the taboo reputation of the show. After all, Pushkin wrote Boris
Godunov as a piece of political opposition against Tsar Nicholas I’s regime,
suggesting that his rule was a parallel of that of Tsar Boris some two hundred years
earlier.
From this
point, one can deduce that the play revolves around this one antagonist, Boris,
when, in fact, this darkly comical piece of theatre struggles to provide the
audience with an explicit protagonist. The mystery concerning Boris’ ascendency
and the convenient death of the legitimate heir created a spiralling conspiracy
against the artificial Tsar involving the betrayal of his own confidants and the
imposition of a fake resurrection of the dead heir twelve years later in the form
of Grigory, a young monk bored with monastic life. Indeed, each character
possesses a sinister agenda in the play with little or no means for charitable
action.
However,
Boyd’s direction brought the best out of the melancholic plot, aided naturally
by Adrian Mitchell’s sometimes witty adaptation. In an exclusive interview
after the show, actors Lloyd Hutchinson (Boris Goduov), Gethin Anthony
(Grigory), James Tucker (Prince Shuiskii), and Joe Dixon (Afanasii Pushkin)
along with assistant director, Emily Kempson, all agreed that the way the piece
was interpreted for humorous purposes was a key factor for this play because of
the sincere nature of the storyline. I believe this feat was achieved what with
the truly comical scene with the bawdy priests, the shrewd banter between the
two aristocrats, (Tucker and Dixon) and also the attentive use of light and
shade regarding the title character. Despite his treacherous accusation and
seemingly inevitable downwards spiral due to his infrequent ruthlessness, this
portentous exterior is counteracted by his tenderness towards his young son and
heartfelt soliloquies expressing his concerns for the future – expertly acted
by Hutchinson – eliciting a sense of sympathy for the character. This emotion
reaches a critical climax in the final scene for Boris when he hits rock bottom
and a conniving successor seems likely.
Artistically,
the piece was just as sleek and interesting as the performance. The traditional
Shakespearean trait of simplicity when it comes to, well, everything was
apparent throughout due to the minimalistic staging and lighting and the
strength of subtext told through elements of costume and paralinguistics.
However, this kept a necessary balance because of the sheer weight of the
script and the intensity of the plot; Hutchinson
stated that quite often these epic plays are too often treated as literature
and not theatre which, ironically, limits the power of the writing. One asset
in particular was the use of costume, chiefly the long Russian coats which not
only represented the passing of time but also, in my opinion, the idea of
Russia acting as an ensemble nation and the initiative that rulers both live
and die by the mob. This was seen during the war scenes when the coats were
used to represent weaponry and also the way that Grigory’s dying horse was
acted by a fellow man. Small details, but details nonetheless to create the
bigger picture.
As Michael
Boyd’s last directing venture with the RSC, he has earned himself a truly royal
send off. The series and, more generally, the idea of ‘A World Elsewhere’ of
which Boris Godunov is part of lends itself completely to the world today and
the issues raised and showcased in the play. Boris Godunov is running at the
Swan Theatre in Stratford until the 30th March alongside James
Fenton’s The Orphan of Zhao and Bertolt Brecht’s A life of Galileo – unfortunately
I only had the chance to officially review one out of the three but I would
strongly recommend going to see all three productions in order to gain a
wealthier insight into the far-reaching trilogy.
A must see
production. Visit the RSC website for tickets or more information at www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/boris-godunov
(Images courtesy and property of the RSC: image 1, Stephen Ventura as Shchelkarlov, Sadie Shimmin as Hostess, Philip Whitchurch as Varlaam; image 2, Gethin Anthony as Grigory)