“Tis not enough to help the feeble up,
But to support him after”
I decided to take a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see one of the many Shakespeare plays I am yet to see, so that I can tick it off my list. The RSC do a fantastic scheme for people between the ages of 16-25, where you can get £5 tickets to any (or almost any) of their productions – I have been a member for around a year now and only just got around to seeing my first show there using it.
Excerpt of the play’s synopsis from the programme:
Lady Timon, famous for her wealth and generosity, hosts an extravagant party for the distinguished citizens of Athens, including Apemantus, a philosopher, and Alcibiades, a revolutionary. Timon showers her friends with gifts, unaware that she has fallen into serious debt – a fact which her faithful steward, Flavius, struggles to make known to her.
Timon’s creditors demand that their debts be paid. She turns to her friends for help, but they all refuse. Furious at their betrayal, Timon invites her friends to another bangquet, where she serves up a horrifying surprise…
The play itself is, surprisingly, really good. Because Timon of Athens is rarely performed in professional theatres, let alone in Shakespearean focused theatres, I assumed that it was because it wasn’t regarded as being a very good play. It is certainly one that is pushed to the bottom of the pile in place of more favourable and marketable names (three notable Macbeths in the last year). There are some wonderful speeches about humanity and kinship, some excellent verse, and a plot that makes sense within the moral of the story – there’s no attempt to create multiple different strands that don’t bear relevance on the main story. This production really brought out the modern qualities of the original play; considering the play is over 400 years old, it still has a message for today. It shows the importance we place on money, friendship, activism and supporting those worse off than ourselves, and the corruption all of this leads to. This version of the play addresses a post-financial crash world, and the impact the economic collapse had on Greece, which was a really neat idea because it makes the plot relatable for the modern audience to understand.
However, I found that the way in which this aesthetic was utilised was confused. There was a clash of time-periods a little bit with it not being clear as to whether we were watching Ancient Greece or the modern day. On entrance to the auditorium, there was some Greek-style dancing and Greek music, but it didn’t really make much of an impact beyond the start of the play – it would’ve been nice to have it threaded throughout more just to reinforce it. The costume and props also reflected it, when people started showing up with guns, and were wearing military dress, or more Asian inspired costume, it didn’t make so much sense. I feel like a choice should’ve been made and it should’ve been stuck to vigilantly. That being said, the staging and direction of the actual play itself was brilliant. The set was elaborately done: for the opening scene, literally everything on stage had been painted to look like it was made of gold, creating this lavish interior, and in the second act, the entire stage was turned into a grotto of junk.
A scene that has stuck with me is the scene in which Timon’s followers go to ask for money from her friends, and they refuse. Although happening in three different places, the scene took place around a single table with the three friends taking turns to play out their scenes. One by one they would unfreeze and reject Timon. It was a snappy and effective way of playing out the scene and I enjoyed that. The lighting was also used really effectively to compliment the staging; for instance, every time there was a monologue or aside, the lighitng made it very clear who that person was talking to, and who could hear it.
Performances were all really strong, particularly from Kathryn Hunter and Patrick Drury as Timon and Flavius respectively. Towards the end of the first act, I thought Hunter wasn’t necessarily strong enough in her anger and outrage to convey her intensified reaction to being forced to flee Athens, but then in the second act she brought it right back. It was a very nuanced and well thought through performance. Similarly, for Patrick Drury, beautiful emotion behind his speeches; the pain in his voice as he tries, unsuccessfully, to help Timon and at the end of the play he carried it to its devastating conclusion.
Seat Value (Gallery 1 – A9 – £5): 4/5 – Comfortable seat very close to the action, but leaning over and twisting a little bit to face the stage is required.
Production (Tech & Set): 4/5 – Quite lavish set, beautiful costume, great band.
Direction: 4/5 – Use of vertical space, entrances to stage, trap door, and audience interaction – loses a point for not feeling entirely united in its aesthetic.
Performances: 4/5 – Strong lead from Kathryn Hunter and Patrick Drury.
Play material: 5/5 – Surprised at how Timon of Athens is less used than some of Shakespeare’s other works.
Overall: 21/25
Verdict: Brilliantly adapted to resonate with a modern audience, and does not feel anachronistic at all. Some unjustified aesthetic choices, but great performances and production made this worth seeing as an alternative to seeing the same repeated Shakespeare plays.
The Epilogue - Some Theatre Thoughts 