A CHASTE MAID IN CHEAPSIDE: Middleton, Almeida on Tour till 27 April
A CHASTE MAID IN CHEAPSIDE: Thomas Middleton
Almeida Theatre on Tour, till 27 April 2002
Runs 2h 35m, one interval
Review: Rod Dungate, Malvern Theatres, 27 March 2002
Production fails to oil the play's creaking joints: a beautiful performance among all the theatrical noise from Stephen BoxerMiddleton's play is clearly a vigorous satire on the mores of Jacobean London (read England): as a drama, or comedy, frankly it creaks a bit. Ben Harrison's production, while energetic often to exhaustion point, fails to oil its joints sufficiently and the play, while an interesting curiosity, never sufficiently grabs the audience to draw us into Middleton's story.
CHASTE MAID's world is colourful and pretty crazy – a childless couple strive for a baby, a man lets out his wife to a knight so he and his family can live off the knight's dosh. Then there's the jeweller's daughter who wants to marry someone other than her father's choice and whose anoraky university brother falls for a prostitute because he mistakes her Welsh for Hebrew. There's also the chap who has to part from his wife because they have too many children – in fact he casts his seed so liberally (but never upon the ground) that he appears to have peopled the entire south of England.
Middleton's tapestry may be rich but his plotting is little better than clockwork and the comedy is illusive. Harrison's mistake is to strain too hard for the comedy and the showy 'instant fix' effect: we really don't need pig sound effects to point up the fact the characters all have their snouts in the trough – we have brains enough to work that out.
With one mighty exception (Stephen Boxer) the company distort Middleton's satirical distortions and the effect is one of a desperate chase for laughs (and there is nothing more certain to kill them off.)
Among all this theatrical noise Stephen Boxer's relaxed creation of Allwit (the man who leases out his wife) is beautifully rounded. Here is an actor who has made the character completely his own – flesh and blood - witty, sour, knowing and disgusting as he is. And at the end of the play, successful. In the cesspool-London Middleton conjures up clearly the biggest sh*t comes off best. Boxer's complete mastery over his material allows the play to grow and offers the comedy release.
Cast:
Maudlin Yellowhammer: Catherine Russell
Moll: Hannah Young
Yellowhammer: James Saxon
Porter/Promoter 1 Puritan 1/ Waterman 1 and Servants: Russell Layton
Sir Walter Whorehound: Terence Wilton
Welsh Gentlewoman/ Mistress Touchwood/ Gossip 2: Lucy Burden
Davy Dahumma/ Second Man with basket: Nicholas Murchie
Touchwood Junior: Nicholas Boulton
Mistress Allwit: Anna Niland
Allwit: Stephen Boxer
Dry Nurse/ Promoter 2/ Puritan 2/ Parson 2/ Waterman 2 and Servants: Bruno Roubicek
Touchwood Senior: Simon Chandler
Country Wench/ Jugg/ Wet Nurse/ Gossip 1: Cathy Owen
Sir Oliver Kix: Graham Seed
Lady Kix: Sarah Belcher
1st Man with basket/ Tutor: Charles Millham
Tim Yellowhammer: Josh Cohen
Director: Ben Harrison
Design: Greta Cuneo
Lighting: Natasha Chivers
Music: Philip Pinsky
Sound: Matthew Berry
2002-03-28 11:29:35