Theatre Review - The Glorious French Revolution (or: why sometimes it takes a guillotine to get anything done)
Feud for thought – The Glorious French Revolution… [Alex Brenner]
IN their latest show, experimental theatre company YESYESNONO make the connection between past revolution and current activism against the super-rich and entitled.
Written and directed by Sam Ward (aided by a team of young dramaturgs), five actors (Joe Boylan, Paul Brendan, Sha Dessi, Jessica Enemokwu and Alice Keedwell ) take us on a high-speed journey through the French Revolution of 1789 and the violence that ensured.
We witness the divisions between the feudal nobility and those who work the land; the poverty the peasants are forced to endure while the rich get richer; and the growing disaffection of the bourgeoisie, who desire political power. This is followed by the storming of the Bastille, the execution of the King of France and The Terror.
Ward’s exuberant staging and the cast’s energetic slapstick are infectious – at one point they power up a bouncy castle. But the jokey feel of the piece detracts from its power as political theatre.
Today, the richest 1 per cent own half of the world’s wealth, and The Glorious French Revolution clearly wants to acknowledge this and how our current political system serves and rewards the wealthy. However, the contemporary parallels are swiftly lost amid the knockabout humour.
In the final scene we are transported to January 2024. We listen to a recording of a dinner party meant to represent members of the international elite who are in Davos, Switzerland, for the final meetings of the World Economic Forum.
Meanwhile, a guillotine is slowly and chillingly constructed on stage.
Ward’s ambition is admirable and his agile production visually memorable (helped by Hazel Low’s colourful set and costumes). While the acting is terrific, the drama gets lost somehow and leaves one strangely unmoved.
Until December 14