easthampshire.org

Hail to the King

I am unsure quite why but I feel I must make it clear before we start; I have not seen the film version of The Kings Speech.

It is a small group I find myself in, populated only by comatose patients, the blind and a small Turkish hermit called Ishmael. Now we have established this fact I think I can be forgiven for ignoring any comparisons with the movie or indeed drawing attention to subtleties in the theatrical version that may be obvious in the cinematic version.

The story is set during a period of English history that is often overshadowed by events in Europe (the ever growing threat of the German National Socialist Workers Party) and the US (regrowth following devastating recession). However, as this production shows us, the Monarchic account of this time is fascinating.

It was a real time of change and uncertainty where politics and royalty pushed and pulled one another from pillar to post on what was best for the country. The story itself is based on the second in line to the throne Prince Albert and his crippling anxiety and more specifically his speech impediment.

The cast of this production have clearly been carefully selected to best represent these historical characters, not just in looks necessarily but in stature and acting capability. It must be a daunting task to try and portray a character such as Winston Churchill about whom books are written and tales are told with dignity and accuracy. But of course Ian Mcniece played the part brilliantly and was wholly convincing as a shrewd and quick witted politician.

Other stand out performances came from Charles Edwards as ‘Bertie’ (King George VI) who portrayed the struggle of a monarch coming to terms with the weighty responsibility of duty over family and the nervousness and anxiety of a man tormented in youth.

The partnership of the King and his speech therapist was completed by Jonathon Hyde portraying a character (Lionel Logue) that showed no respect for the idea of inherited respect and never deviated from his course of therapy despite the potential pitfalls that come with not obeying conventional homage.

What made Lionel’s position more real was his relationship with his wife who longed for nothing more than her home in Australia but put up with his consistent chasing of dreams and big ideas. There were many awkward scenes where Lionel had to creep cap in hand to his wife asking for her patience and forgiveness.

The use of the stage was initially confusing but by the third or fourth scene the purpose became very clear. A large screen stood in the middle of the stage covering floor to ceiling, wing to wing. This screen would rotate allowing the actors to walk around it giving the impression of walking into a new room. It was also very effective when showing two scenes at once, whether this was back lighting behind the see through mess screen or twisting sideways to give two physical spaces. This
moving frame also allowed very fluid scene changes with virtually no gap or set up between Westminster abbey and a shabby west London flat for example.

The use of archive film footage from the age was well placed using the screen to project against. It allowed the audience a glimpse back into the real events surrounding the story which lent extra weight to the decisions being made by the characters on stage. I found it particularly interesting the way footage and audio of Hitler was used consciously or not as a comparison with our own would be monarch. On the one hand Hitler, a bold, self-confident orator whose personality carried him to the heights of politics. On the other hand, a shy and stuttering man, terrified of a microphone and the responsibility thrust upon him. A battle between good and evil against the odds humanised in the form of these historical characters.

The truth is I could prattle on all day about the meanings and metaphors, use of light and sound, stage direction and characterisations… I suppose all you need to know is this:

The production is first rate and Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud should feel privileged to premier this production. If you cannot see it in Guildford, make sure you see it somewhere else.

easthampshire.org group:

• Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Reviewed by: StooACP

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