Review: Danton's Death at the National Theatre

[fox_c]

This is one of the rare shows booked on raayat's initiative, so I knew I was in for something verbose (not necessarily a bad thing), and verbose it was, but sadly it was verbosity for verbosity's sake rather than verbosity to explore complex concepts or ideas where subtle distinctions matter. The saddest thing was that it was so close to being a great

Comments

[atticus_frog]

I agree with some of what you say -- shouty monologues, a play that flirts with the edges of greatness. I did feel my mind wander during the opening 20 min or so.

Still, in the main, it gets my thumbs up because of the vivid use of language: Lucile's (?) monologue outside the jail -- "what face is that? That long door with locks face?" and Danton's dismissal of sentimental, moralistic theatre -- "feeble legs teetering about on blank verse." Mostly, I loved loved loved the images of language's potency that ran throughout (Danton: "Liberty! What more can that word want from me?"; Robespierre: "Let every comma be a sabre slash! Every full stop a decapitated head!") and didn't your blood run cold when the guillotine was finally unveiled? I felt genuine relief when the 4 actors appeared to take their final bow; I was certain they really had been beheaded!

[fox_c]

There were some really lovely moments and Robespierre's speech on the indictment was indeed a great one, I just wish they would have done more with that imagery. It all felt so fleeting, like the author couldn't settle on what he wanted the characters to be to represent and so tried to fit in EVERYTHING.

The guillotine was amazing. I was trying to work out how they did it and have no idea. Unbelievable!

[she_flies]

Sorry that the show fizzled for you. I saw it years and years back at the Alley in Houston and it was so splendidly done that it still haunts my mind. No line shouting - minimal set - eerie but beautiful lighting - the actors managed to make the lines almost dream-like and poetic, yet very present and unnerving.

The lead was played by the actor who played John Boy on the Waltons (took me several minutes to get past thinking of him as John Boy somehow stuck in the French Revolution).

I find it so interesting how a play's demeanor can change from company to company once it is out of the playwright's hands.

*hugs*