THE DUCHESS OF MALFI
by John Webster
PRODUCTIONS
Nicola Osborne as The Duchess. Photo by Joe Brown
Tue 2 - Sat 6 April 2019 at 7.30pm
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Sheep Street, Northampton NN1 3NL
CAST & CREW
Duchess of Malfi Nicola Osborne
Antonio Bologna James Lickman
Daniel di Bosola Alex Rex
Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria Matthew Fell
The Cardinal Martin Williams
Delio Megan Lucas
Cariola Bernadette Wood
Julia Becki Cockcroft
Castruccio | Madman David Chappell
Doctor | Pilgrim Ian Bradley
Lord Silvio | Executioner Chris Stobart
Servant | Officer | Madman | Pilgrim Mairead Kearins
Lady | Servant Di Wyman
Count Malatesti | Servant Kelly Golding
Marquis de Pescara April Pardoe
Roderigo | Executioner Jen Kenny
Servant | Officer | Madman Maggie Holland
Officer | Madman Tamsyn Payne
Director John Myhill
Stage Manager Andy Legassick
Director's Assistant Alistair Way
Production Design Tamsyn Payne
Lighting Design Samantha McNern
Lighting Operator Ella Drake
Rigging & Technical Assistance Megan Lucas
Costumes made by Pam Mann, Tamsyn Payne, David Pardoe
Wardrobe Clare Brittain
Hair & Make-up Rachael Pickering
Marketing & Programme photography Becki Cockcroft
Graphic Design Megan Lucas
Website Martin Borley-Cox
Hospitality Maggie Holland
Box Officer Sue Howes
Front of House Masque Theatre members
Bookings Elizabeth Allan
Photo gallery
Review: 'A mesmerising piece of theatre'
Words: Lou Chawner
Pictures: Joe Brown
Pictures: Joe Brown
What the hell was that supposed to be? I am so glad that I wasn’t in this one! The Duchess of Malfi
Those are two phrases that I came nowhere even close to thinking as I watched this absolutely mesmerising piece of theatre.
Walking into the beautiful Holy Sepulchre, the mood was set straight away; I got an immediate sense of anticipation.
Hooded monks (well, director and crew members) skulked in the background; a nice touch coupled with the dim light in the room.
Even technical issues with the projections (swiftly dealt with) didn’t detract; this was helped by director John Myhill giving some calming words to the audience. Technical issues sorted, and we were off.
The show introduces Delio (Megan Lucas) and Antonio (James Lickman). Both gave really strong performances, setting the audience at ease from the off.
Their conversation discusses three of the main protagonists. For those not familiar with Malfi, it revolves mostly around three siblings - The Cardinal (Martin Williams), Lord Ferdinand (Matthew Fell) and The Duchess (Nicola Osborne). They have a complex and strange relationship. One might say that they have issues.
The brothers want control of The Duchess, her estate and wealth, thereby exerting all manner of tricks and power plays to dissuade herfrom re-marrying. If she marries, they lose her money; that just won’t do, will it? Plus it would appear Ferdinand has a fair amount of carnal desire for the Duchess (his twin, of course. Yeah.)
The two brothers, equally evil in their own way, have very different characters. The Cardinal hides his evil behind an icy calmness, whereas Ferdinand is prone to spontaneous violent outbursts of rage (the tortuous punishments that he planned to do to the Duchess and her bastards were a particularly delicious bit of nastiness).
Williams and Fell brought the brothers to life very well, and I really enjoyed both performances.
The Duchess, played exquisitely by Osborne, is intelligent, strong and independent, and whilst visibly agreeing with her brothers, defies them with her actions and secretly marries Antonio Bologna.
The arc between the Duchess and Antonio developed beautifully, from their almost comical flirting (Antonio - does she have to spell it out to you? Oh, apparently yes), to their fear of others finding out about their relationship, to their final parting. This was for me, the most touching part of the play; they created a tender and heartfelt moment.
The Duchess’s demise came afterwards at the hands of the most complex character in the story, Daniel de Bosola, played superbly by Alex Rex. Bosola has a complicated relationship with anyone he engages with, including himself. He is involved in the death of almost everyone, including the Duchess’s servant Cariola.
The double execution of the Duchess and Cariola was a harrowing scene, and certainly the most graphic. lt was an incredibly strong performance by Rex, and it needed to be. Cariola (played brilliantly by Bernie Wood) switched easily between amusing, shy, and downright terrified. Wood showed lots of skill and experience, flitting between quietly hanging in the background, to taking and owning centre stage, as was very much required during her death scene. She pleaded and gave out the cry of a woman that was genuinely scared for her life.
Making her onstage debut for Masque, fresh from backstage on last year’s Defying Gravity, was Becki Cockcroft, taking on the role of Julia, and an excellent debut it was. Cockcroft showed off the differing emotions and attitudes towards her lovers with great skill.
The full cast was: David Chappell, lan Bradley ,Chris Stobart, Mairead Kearins, Kelly Golding, April Pardoe, Jen Kenny, Di Wyman, Maggie Holland and Tamsyn Payne. Whilst they played smaller roles, they rounded off an altogether strong cast. I particularly enjoyed the four madmen creeping around, babbling insanely and clanking things together.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening; director John Myhill is able to be congratulated for putting it together, and teasing out effort and talent from a hard-working group of actors. Topping it off, the sound, lighting and projections were all superb.
Preview: One of the greatest tragedies of Renaissance drama
John Myhill | director
Image: Copyright Philip Mould & Company
"Cover her face; mine eyes dazzle…"
The Duchess of Malfi is John Webster’s masterpiece of revenge tragedy, written around 1613 when Shakespeare was writing his final play, and it was performed at The Globe with actors from Shakespeare’s company, including Burbage and Condell.
It feels more modern than that, however - despite being set in the early 1500s in Italy, its examination of power, corruption and sexual politics feels very relevant to us here and now.
Recently widowed, the Duchess of the title is urged by her brothers (a cardinal and a duke) not to remarry, as they want to re-assert their own control of her at a time when widows were the only women with any power or authority.
Instead, she secretly marries her steward Antonio, a capable and kind man who is willing to remain a secret husband and not demand rule over her.
Hatred and malice
Learning of this, her brothers plot their revenge, with the help of Bosola, who begins to doubt his calling as a spy and assassin in the face of the brothers’ relentless anger and venom.
Will their hatred and malice defeat their sister’s innocence and hope, or will they end up destroying themselves?
Lust, greed, love, fear, hope and anger all wage war in a play that is by turns funny, frightening, moving and disturbing.
Featuring Nicola Osbourne (Susan in 2018’s Woman in Mind) as the Duchess, with Martin Williams (Gerald in the same play, and more recently Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol) and Matt Fell (Don Pedro in 2017’s The Rover) as her brothers the Cardinal and Duke Ferdinand, and James Lickman (Laertes in 2018’s Hamlet) as her lover Antonio.
The cast of 18 also includes both Alex Rex (as Bosola) and Tamsyn Payne (as an officer and a madman!), joint directors of Madam Bovary and Macbeth from last year, as well as Bernie Wood (Cleopatra in 2017’s Antony & Cleopatra alongside Matt Fell as Antony) as the Duchess’s maid Cariola, and Megan Lucas (director of last year’s Defying Gravity and Muriel in Woman In Mind) as Delio, Antonio’s trusted friend.
Violent and poetical, The Duchess of Malfi is often cited as one of the greatest tragedies of Renaissance drama.
John Myhill directed Antony & Cleopatra (2017) and Our Town (2015) for Masque Theatre.