17th-century tragedy an experience to remember

Michael Hurst, Sophia Hawthorne and Robyn Malcolm in The Duchess of Malfi. Picture / Brett Phibbs

When Colin McColl sat down to plan the Auckland Theatre Company's 2005 season, he decided to buck tradition. Rather than a midwinter Shakespearean offering, the company's artistic director chose the dark Jacobean tragedy The Duchess of Malfi.

Part psychological thriller, part revenge tragedy, John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi (written in 1613 or 1614) culminates in a murderous rampage equal to anything Quentin Tarantino could dream up. The duchess of the title is a lonely widowed noblewoman (Sophia Hawthorne) who secretly marries her steward Antonio (Matt Wilson) against the wishes of her corrupt and sadistic brothers, one a cardinal, the other the Duke of Calabria (Cameron Rhodes and Benjamin Farry). Robyn Malcolm plays two roles in the production, Cariola, the duchess' lady-in-waiting, and Julia, mistress to the cardinal.

Learning of the duchess' deception from the treacherous spy Bosola (Michael Hurst), the brothers plot to destroy their unsuspecting sister. Rather than a swift end, they toy with their prey before exacting their final terrible revenge.

One does not have to look far to see parallels with more modern princesses whose passions have proved their undoing, but McColl says that is only one of many contemporary resonances which contribute to the play's modern appeal.

Michael Hurst, McColl's first choice for the role of malcontent Bosola, agrees. He describes the work, which has fascinated him since studying it at university, as a play about moral redemption, questioning how far each of us will go before accepting responsibility for our actions.

"I see parallels between the actions of these characters and Nazi Germany, where people fell back on the excuse that they were 'just following orders'. I guess it is similar to the situation in the Middle East or the actions of terrorist groups, suicide bombers."

Given that the play was written in the 17th century, at a time of great change in English society, McColl says it shows humanity has long been fascinated and concerned by moral dilemmas.

Notions of responsibility are at the forefront of his decision to continue programming classical works. He believes a theatre company with the resources of the ATC has a duty to keep timeless historical plays alive.

"If we don't, we will have a whole generation of audiences and actors who will not be able to appreciate or perform these works. To tell these types of powerful, powerful stories you need actors who have the stage craft to make the performance look effortless and perfectly natural when it is, in fact, anything but."

Hurst has relished the opportunity to explore the script with McColl, making it as swift, succinct and unfussy as possible.

"In many ways, this is a lot simpler than Shakespeare because there aren't the sub-plots you find in his work but the language is eloquent and some of the lines are simply beautiful to say. They reflect thoughts about God, religion, our place in the world - all very existential stuff - which were revolutionary in their day."

Though the story may be more straightforward than your average Jacobean tragedy, Hurst says Webster made his characters more complex. Rather than Bosola being a one-dimensional "tool villain" he starts to develop a sense of righteousness - albeit too late to undo the damage he has wrought. Similarly, McColl and Hurst describe the ill-fated duchess as much more "ballsy" than any of Shakespeare's heroines.

Praise has been heaped upon Webster's work, but performances of The Duchess of Malfi are rare in New Zealand. The last time McColl can recall a staging was in the 1970s, which means putting it on the ATC programme could be seen as something of a risk.

But it appears to be paying off. ATC subscribers have booked in greater numbers for this show than any other on the company's 2005 programme.

ATC is going all out to make it an experience theatre-goers will remember. To add to the atmosphere, the company is using the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber for the first time. The stage will be covered in volcanic black sand which sticks to the actors, representing the darkness which lurks inside their characters' souls. The costumes are described as sumptuous; the score by John Gibson blending classical cello with haunting electrical beats, as chilling.

"This play is so rarely performed - at least in New Zealand - there is the feeling we are staging an entirely new work," says McColl.

"When you do Shakespeare, there is always a sense of, what can we do to make it different? And people come along because they often know the plays so well and want to see what new twist you've managed to come up with. To many, this is an entirely new play."

* The Duchess of Malfi is at the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber, July 7-30