THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
Black defines the play: mood, setting, color, characters, and the souls. Grisly and loathsome, Bell Shakespeare’s modern-day stylised and concise adaptation of the 1612 classic written by John Webster offers a lot to think about.
What begins as a love story turns into a horrific tragedy. The Duchess (played by Lucy Bell) is a young, lusty widow sandwiched between the whims and incestuous demands of her two powerful brothers, the Judge (Sean O’Shea) and the Cardinal (David Whitney), who forbid her to remarry. She secretly marries her steward, Antonio (Matthew Moore), and bears a child with him. What follows is mayhem: the truth is leaked, and revenge and madness take over.
The set design by Stephen Curtis as a triangular, dark space of misery, death, betrayal and indecisiveness of every character adds to the story. The peak in the narrative plot comes in the anecdote by the Judge to the Duchess where he compares death, love and reputation, making the latter of highest value in a male dominated society. That short speech perhaps summarises the play perfectly: sharp, vivid and enthralling.
Written by Joseph Rana
Until Aug 5, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Macquarie St, Sydney, $33-72, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com.au
