How to best sum up one’s feelings about this, the 20th Anniversary production of the Bell Shakespeare Company? Disappointment.
With national treasure John Bell reprising what is undeniably the signature role for any great Shakespearian actor approaching “a certain age”, if ever there was an occasion for this company to mount a truly memorable production, this should have been it. Unfortunately, what we see instead is almost the very antithesis of the ethos of innovation and vitality upon which this company was founded. Sadly the production is, at best, pedestrian.
It is hard to understand why - with such an assemblage of talent in its strong cast and prolific director Marion Potts at the helm, it is more than a little confounding to see a production that has slid so far into the doldrums when one would have expected a showcase of the best this wonderful company has to offer.
To be clear, this is by no means a bad production. It is, by any criteria, a perfectly serviceable presentation of the text, and for those either underexposed to the play, or students studying it as part of their curriculum, it is certainly an adequate rendition. But one expects so much more of this group, especially in celebration of such a milestone.
Although at times the Bell Shakespeare Company has pushed the envelope of being “modern” and “experimental” further than some traditionalists could tolerate, while conversely for others they have strayed too far towards the mundane, it has generally maintained a high level of quality. Unfortunately though, the company has erred into the prosaic in recent times, its policy of modern dress seeming enforced more often than inspired by any noteworthy production design, with staging often similarly listless. Gone, it seems, are the days of Bell Shakespeare’s exciting productions of yesteryear, such as Michael Bogdanov’s, complex, controversial Troilus & Cressida with its lashings of nudity and multi-media, or so many of Bell’s own directorial efforts, perhaps never finer than in his incredibly dynamic Henry 4, a bleak urban cesspool populated with rampaging soccer hooligans. The only stand-out productions in the last few years have (perhaps notably) not been actual Shakespeares: the strange and confronting Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome by Heiner Müller and the hilarious rendition of Gogol’s The Government Inspector.
Who knows what is behind this creative malaise, but one might have hoped that seeing John Bell return to the challenging role of Lear for their anniversary production would break this recent trend. Sadly though, we have instead received one of their most uninspired productions to date.
Potts’ direction is decidedly dull, failing to utilise the Opera House’s huge Drama Theatre stage in any remotely interesting manner, a shortcoming only highlighted by the extremely sparse production design (or lack thereof) which seemed altogether inappropriate for the choice of performance space. This pared-back simplicity might have worked in the company’s usual venue of the Playhouse with a more overtly “black box” approach and simpler costumes, but here it seemed merely banal, as though the venue was chosen purely to maximise bums on seats and no-one could agree on a central theme or idea. Indeed, the costumes were particularly poor, using clashing retro patterned fabrics in ugly designs that were neither quotidian nor especially theatrical, evoking no discernable theme or point of reference.
In fact, the production seemed so lacklustre and… generic that one almost felt nostalgic for the last time Bell and his company tackled King Lear in the infamous Barrie Kosky production of 1998. It may have been utterly outrageous and more than a little infantile in its manifold shock tactics, but at the very least it was never boring. Indeed, as a titter rippled through the audience during Potts’ awkward rendition of the blinding of Gloucester scene, it was ironically hard not to think back fondly of Kosky’s vampiric Regan and Goneril literally sucking the eyeballs out the terrified old man’s head as having some actual dramatic impact at any rate.
Perhaps any comparison between these two chalk-and-cheese productions seems unhelpful, but it is hard to avoid, not only due to the enduring memory of the earlier bombshell, but moreover the strong sense while watching this new production that, in an effort to be as far away from Kosky’s as possible, they have inadvertently embraced blandness in the absence of striking upon a new concept of their own.
Ultimately though, any production should still rise or fall on the calibre of its performances, and in this respect there is also a needless inconsistency. Although (as one would expect) no one does a poor job, there are nevertheless fairly few memorable performances to elevate the torpid staging. Josh McConville is rather good as Edgar, playing the heroic side of the character more convincingly than many in the past who have focused instead on his more flashy “Poor Tom” alter-ego, and Yalin Ozucelik is very strong as always, imbuing the supercilious Oswald with more humanity than this side character is usually afforded. Jane Montgomery Griffiths is particularly fine as Goneril, portraying the character as both vulnerable and monstrous without making either seem incongruous, and in doing so nicely encapsulates the challengingly complex morality of this classic tragedy which forces us to ask if this rash and selfish king is truly more sinned against than sinning.
Which brings us, finally, to John Bell as Lear himself. In any production of this play a lot hinges on its star, and especially so in this instance, given its status as the anniversary production of the company which bears his name. Opinions will likely vary as to whether Bell’s performance succumbs to the same ennui that besets this production at large, as it has been observed that many of his recent stage appearances have seemed noticeably lacking in the passion and commitment to a role that once made him great. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that he was “phoning it in” here too, but his performance did seem rather uneven - polished, certainly, but altogether lacking in fire and immediacy. While irascibly bickering with his daughters or chatting with his Fool Bell manages to convince, and in many of the quieter scenes where Lear is mad, or when mourning over Cordelia’s corpse, there were many moments of engaging subtlety there too, but it is in the king’s larger, bolder moments which dominate so much of the play that he falls flat.
Having witnessed Bell deliver a performance of ferocious intensity in the aforementioned Anatomy Titus only two years back, one cannot simply excuse this indistinct portrayal of Lear as a result of any notably diminished prowess on his part. As one of those few actors with the ability to make the Bard’s text trip off the tongue so perfectly, to make those beautiful words sound so natural and effortlessly comprehensible, perhaps when one has been that good for that long as John Bell has, perhaps one simply becomes “comfortable”. Does Bell lack the feeling of challenge here that he once did, and seemed to respond to again as recently in Anatomy Titus? Could it be, dare one even imagine it, that Shakespeare has simply become too easy for him, too much of a routine? Who can say, but it will be fascinating to see if Bell fares any better when sinking his teeth into the forthcoming co-production of Uncle Vanya with the Sydney Theatre Company later this year. One earnestly hopes so.
As difficult as it is to come down so hard on the work of a company and a lead actor whom I so admire, it is precisely because I respect Bell and his troupe so much that it is imperative to offer an unvarnished appraisal. Better than this is expected, and better is to be demanded of them.
Bell Shakespeare Company presents
King Lear
by William Shakespeare
Director Marion Potts
Sydney
Venue: Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Dates: 5 March – 10 April
Bookings: 02 9250 7777 | sydneyoperahouse.com
Canberra
Venue: The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre
Dates: 15 April – 1 May
Bookings: 02 6275 2700 | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Melbourne
Venue: Playhouse, the Arts Centre
Dates: 27 May – 12 June
Bookings: 1300 182 183 | theartscentre.com.au | 1300 723 038 | ticketmaster.com.au
