LA VENEXIANA Etcetera Theatre to 28 October

London

LA VENEXIANA
Translated by Stephen Hancocks and Marco Ghelardi

Etcetera Theatre To 28 October 2001
Runs 1hr 10min No interval

TICKETS 020 7482 4857
Review Timothy Ramsden 14 October

Venetian scandals of 1536: adultery by gondola and sex at midnight - an anonymous playwright reveals all.As comedy this opens philosophically, arguing Cupid's depicted as a child because love makes us all childish. And that includes women. Though the programme calls La Venexiana (literally The Comedy of Venice) different from 'our times of political correctness' what's striking is the very modern sexual enthusiasm of its two respectable women, a widow and a wife, both pursuing the angel-faced young Iulio. And one admits she's glad he's a visitor, so won't linger inconveniently long.
Director Marco Ghelardi emphasises the dark intimacy of Venice, a place of secrecy and danger – adultery was punishable in court, or more likely by assassination. Assignations are reached behind black curtains, low intensity lighting and flickering candles give restricted pools of light, there are hushed voices in a gondola. Female sexuality burns intensely in secret rooms; Lauretta Nkwocha's Angela kisses, gropes and sprawls over her servant Nena (Rachel Kait) in keen anticipation of meeting Iulio.

In such a space the production goes for low-key clarity, but this is a style that needs almost as much care as less fashionable rhetoric. Nkwocha catches the right level, as does Juliet Fitzgerald's Oria, servant to the second wilful woman, Valeria. But other performances are so low-key as to remove the sense of urgency; critically, Peter Rates' Iulio is too vapid to explain why he arouses these women's passions.

It's suggested La Venexiana, which doesn't bother with the trappings of other Venetian dramas, is a write-up of true-life liaisons, concerned only with the gossip of the day. If so, it's a rare insight into what was really going on in the period when Bassanio met Portia.

Iulio, a young man from Milan: Peter Rates
Oria, servant of Valeria: Juliet Fitzgerald
Valeria: Oriana Elia
Angela, a widowed lady: Lauretta Nkwocha
Nena, servant to Angela: Rachel Kait
Bernardo, a porter: Andrew Jones

Director: Marco Ghelardi
Designer: Toby Riches
Lighting: Steve Barnett
Sound: Rupert Lally

The Etcetera Theatre is above The Oxford Arms at 265 Camden High Street. La Venexiana performs at 7pm Tuesday-Saturday; 6pm Sunday.

2001-10-15 15:42:57