This was an audio described (AD)
performance of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens.
This play is a bit of a rarity and some estimates have been made that
the input of Thomas Middleton accounts for as much as 30% of the play.
Having joined an access list
at the National Theatre, I received an audio CD in the post with an
introduction to the performance, play, set and cast lists. Production notes are also made and on this
occasion there was a specific remark by Karl Marx which fits in well in
relation to this production.
On the day of the performance
I went to the touch tour of the set with an informal walk around the set as
well and a chance to discuss the production with the stage management and some
of the cast. There is also a very
attractive exhibition of Timon of Athens in the foyer and I listened to one of
the videos which discussed Jacobean plays, tragedy, city comedies and the
politics of King James I/VI. King James
was known as the “Wisest Fool in Christendom” and with the saying “A Fool and
his Money are easily parted” the background to the play can be set. While the programme quotes from Marx there is
an additional Marxism – Gold sein oder Gold Schein?
We gathered at the Olivier Box
Office which has a backdrop of the Milennium Wheel and the Thames. Nick welcomed us with a team of staff. Reuben remembered me from Detroit and I was
introduced to Rosalyn. The staff see the run of a play develop and can often
give useful tips on other productions at the National Theatre.
On the set itself we were introduced to the
company by Andrew Holland one of the describers with Bridget Crowley. When the actors are introduced to us they are invited to use both their normal voice and the role voice. We then enjoyed
an additional treat; the stage revolved with us on it. I have walked the set before on the Olivier
and my cane has run along the circular track of the movement mechanism. I
questioned how fast it went in rpm (betraying my vinyl records days) and after
our revolution I was told by Kerry McDevitt, the stage manager, that it took
about 30 seconds from a standing start to do half a revolution.
On the set there is a
descending wall with 2 doors and a centre piece which was used as a mini stage for a ballet piece, a
projection of a painting in the Timon Room of the National Gallery and a view
of the City of London from an investment bank- it happened to be a shot of HSBC
according to my companion. Knowing
how the theatre and set worked it was time to view the set props and I was
taken round by Ciaran McMenamin, who has the part of Alcibiades, a notorius
troublemaker and rabble rouser from 5th Century Athens.
Ciaran
took me round the banqueting table and settings, some luxurious sofas and the
trolley and trash piles with the occupy tents.
Ciaran had studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow so we discussed Glasgow and
Edinburgh; as well as the role of Alcibiades, as he appears in Plato’s
Symposium and in Thucydides’ Histories: a rabble rouser and turncoat from
history, used by Shakespeare and then translated to the modern financial crisis
in the banking and financial markets.
At this stage we were joined
by Bridget Crowley carrying a pair of ballet shoes. As the dancers were going to be dancing on
point, the wooden blocks could be felt.
I asked if the shoes had been made by Freed, as the Royal Ballet gets
their shoes hand made. We discussed
audio description in ballet- a deep philosophical debate which will be
continued.
We were now ready to enjoy the
performance of Timon of Athens. The
action could be followed, with some of the actors being recognised from the
context, some from the script dialogue and others on the AD cue.
The play really gets
interesting with the soliloquys of Timon, played by Simon Russell Beale. The city comedy back chat was as topical as
ever with returns on capital, usury, bonds and bankruptcy themes. Outrageous consumption is familiar enough,
though Timon does star when his anger shows and the banquet before the interval
is a real shocker. Having studied
Trimalchio’s Dinner (Satyricon) by Petronius and recently read Mrs Mackenzie’s
Dinner (Miss Mackenzie by Anthony Trollope – Talking Book number 017243) I was
quite unprepared for the shocker of Timon’s final banquet, where the solids do
hit the air conditioning.
The second half is where gold,
greed and duplicity get a thorough going over.
The ending of the play is a weak point.
We know nothing about Timon apart from his “friends” and there is no
family to frame him. Timon writes his
own epitaph (over the grave) and presumably dies offstage. “Obscene” Alcibiades now joins the suits and
the oligarchy continues. Nothing
changes.
Conclusion
With audio description and a
live performance there are really 2 live performances. The describer has to anticipate what an actor
will do while the actor both acts and reacts to an audience. Warnings are made on the headset in advance of
noisy passages on stage and I could not hear the AD as I was very close to a
crowd scene. The AD in the ballet scene
was difficult for me to unravel. I have
difficulty in listening to the music, working out what is going on with the
dance and then interpreting the description of the dance. The touch tours greatly add to the enjoyment
of the performance and I also found the Timon of Athens exhibition at the
Olivier to be very informative.
The National Theatre will be broadcasting a performance of Timon of Athens live on 1st November to selected cinemas in the UK and abroad. For more information go to: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/timon-of-athens
Note: When at school, we
studied Shakespeare using the Signet Classics paperbacks. There is a 1965 edition of Timon of Athens
which cost 3s 6d (three shillings and six pence or 3/6 for those who can
remember!).
