THE ALCHEMIST at the Mathematical Institute Oxford University
★★★★
“Director Anna Tolputt has successfully transformed this 17th century drama into an immediate and accessible theatrical experience that is great fun for the audience”
There are a few benefits to reviewing plays but having money chucked at you by the performers (as happened to your reviewer tonight) isn’t usually one of them. The stage cash was returned and although I can’t guarantee this exact kind of audience participation if you go along to see Creation Theatre’s take on The Alchemist, I can promise an enjoyable evening with plenty of audience engagement with an enthusiastic and committed cast. And you may even be asked to take custody of an inflatable doll.
A maths institute common room becomes a swanky penthouse (designer Delphine Du Barry) and a view of the dreaming spires stands in for London in this pacey updating of Ben Jonson’s most popular comedy which gleefully and timelessly satirises human greed and fallibility. The play was first performed in 1610, not far from its current venue. At that time the Puritans and the Plague were clamping down on dangerous pleasures like theatre and Oxford academics were banned from attending – but even so it was a hit. It has continued to be regularly performed since late Victorian times. Some historical aspects, such as Jonson’s very understandable critique of the Puritans, may have been lost in this particular translation, but his zest for progressively more manic comedy shines in a smart update in which the Black Death is replaced by a more contemporary pandemic.
Make no mistake, this is a wordy play which keeps up its fairly hectic pace throughout the evening. Jonson follows the classical convention of unity in action, time and place, giving the piece a sharp focus. Sometimes unfamiliar words flow rapidly. It’s language with a feisty and raw quality quite unlike the lyrical beauty of familiar speeches by Jonson’s contemporary and rival William Shakespeare.
Creation Theatre are renowned for their original performances of classic theatre in unusual locations. Director Anna Tolputt has successfully transformed this 17th century drama into an immediate and accessible theatrical experience that is great fun for the audience. A talented ensemble consisting of Herb Cuanalo, Clive Duncan, Nicholas Osmond, Claire Redcliffe and Emily Woodward each take on three or more roles, with Cuanalo, Osmond and Woodward making up a tight knit trio of quick changing con artists that gleefully gull victims played by the talented Clive Duncan and Claire Redcliffe.
THE ALCHEMIST at the Mathematical Institute Oxford University
Reviewed on 13th October 2023
by David Woodward
Photography by Les Gordon
The Alchemist will play in London from 27 – 29 October at V.O Gallery, W1S, Click on image below for further details
More From This Reviewer:
Alone Together | ★★★★ | Theatre Royal Windsor | August 2023
Henry I | ★★★★★ | Reading Abbey Ruins | June 2023
Mansfield Park | ★★★★ | Watermill Theatre Newbury | June 2023
Hedda Gabler | ★★★★★ | Reading Rep Theatre | February 2023
Cybil Service | ★★★★ | VAULT Festival 2023 | January 2023
The Alchemist
The Alchemist
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