King Charles III

The Queen has died. As Prince Charles prepares to take the throne, questions are raised on how a monarch should rule. In this “future history” play, we are presented with what could happen when it’s time for the Prince of Wales to become king. An evening of intense and stunning drama, and an amazing performance.

As Charles is preparing to ascends to the throne, he declines the passing of a new law, made by the government,  restricting journalists and newspapers invading privacy. This sparks debate on how far our monarchy is constitutional and  who holds the real power in our society. Presented as a modern day ode to shakespearean drama, we watch the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and the nation react to the King standing in the way of democracy. Including people such as Prince William and Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and even a kebab shop owner, this play acts as a poignant commentary to the issues and dilemmas into today’s (and tomorrow’s) society and how it is ran. 

The Riots during the opening of Act Two

The set was visible as you walked into the theatre and did not change. Old bricks of a grand cathedral created a beautiful backdrop to the drama, with candles burning throughout, acting as a constant as we watch the world on stage change. The actors transported us to several locations throughout the play; from a nightclub, to Buckingham Palace, to a riot outside the palace gates. Using just two benches, two chairs and the odd props, it was extremely clever and effective. The costumes were mainly all black and remained almost the same throughout the performance perhaps symbolising that the nation was still in a sense of grieving over the Queen. 

At the start of Act Two, the cast all wore the anonymous masks with the face of Guy Fawkes as they rioted in a beautifully choreographed movement sequence. With one cast member wearing a satirical mask of Prince Charles whilst acting like a mouse or rat - it was a very deep and meaningful moment of the play. With lots of symbolism and messages this play does not disappoint. 

The roles of Kate and Will were intelligently performed by Jennifer Bryden and Ben Righton. Mirroring the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (without the murder), Jennifer subtly plants ideas and opinions into the finds of the Prime Minister and Prince William. Her acting was superb as she played the role in such a way that you almost don't realise that she is influencing those around her. A particularly stand out moment for her was when she performed a monologue addressing the fact that Kate would always be a ‘pretty plastic picture’ with no power and no responsibilities other than to make her husband look good. This was extremely effective as the words spoken in shakespearean rhythm were hauntingly poetic yet strong. The use of language throughout this piece was amazing, a blend of shakespearean and modern, making the piece traditional theatre yet accessible enough to understand and follow the story line. Ben Righton played Prince William with humour and sensitivity, handling issues such as Diana’s death, he portrayed the younger generation of monarchs impeccably. 

King Charles, Prince William and Duchess Kate

I did feel however, that some of the characterise felt outdated or out of touch with reality. As much as I understand it is theatre and things get heightened for artistic license, the character of Jess played by Lucy Phelps seemed like a tired stereotype. The character is a young, rebellious, republican youth which has the potential to show the audience the younger generations views. But instead of showing the the modern day youth, I personally felt I was watching something from the 90’s. Her costume consisted of fish net tights and big black boots and  a short black skirt. To me this just seemed like it was an older persons view of todays youth rather than a current representation. Furthermore Prince Harry - the most down to earth of the royals - was presented as completely clueless to the outside world, I mean I'm sure the Prince Harry knows what a ‘Sainsbury’s’ is. But this does not discredit both Lucy Phelps’ and Richard Glaves' performances as the characterisation they did was top quality, it just wasn't to my taste. 

The Role of the future king, Prince Charles, was beautifully performed with conviction and heart by Robert Powell. Powell showed the heir to the throne’s dilemmas and journey to the verge of madness through his voice, body and face. I thought a particularly powerful scene was when (SPOILER ALERT) he was forced to abdicate. He convincingly showed a broken man, not a king, but a man who had lost his power and his status not only over the nation but over his family too. Another stand out moment was when he gets visited by the ghost of Diana, who tells him - in a Macbeth’s three witches style - that he will be the greatest king there’s been. It was eerie and tastefully executed. A great technique used by the directors, Rupert Goold and Whitney Mosery, was when the Prime Minister (Tim Treloar) and the king addressed the nation. The banner of biblical crowds that encircled the stage was lit up and a single spot light shone on the speaker. It was a very good use of a Brechtian techniques. 

Overall, the piece was incredible. Acting as what I would call a great reinvention of Shakespeare, updating the cliché and sometimes boring traditional theatre into an accessible and dynamic performance to be enjoyed by the masses. Remarkable acting all round and a truly thought provoking play that leaves the audience debating and discussing long after they leave. 

'Toast' with Mathew Kelly

Richard Bean's 'Toast' was bought to life at Theatre Royal last night with amazing performances all round. 

The play is set in the early 1970’s, in the break room of the a bread factory on the edge of closure. With people’s jobs on the line, we follow the eclectic mix of workers as they go about a long and tedious shift at the factory. With plenty of work place banter and a lot of drama, this performance leaves the audience in awe as we watch the characters develop and by the end we are left rooting for them all, as we want to see them beat the crisis they face. It is not all doom and gloom though, it is jam packed with witty humour and plenty or running jokes, that make the audience anticipate them and so makes them even more hilarious. This dry sense of humour is perfect and is executed by Richard Bean, having previously doing the far more lighthearted production of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, ‘Toast’ is an amazing contrast and acts as a true reflection of the work place setting. It truly is gallows humour at it’s best.

 Being set in one location was very effective and having the cast constantly entering and exiting through the performance made it dynamic and brought bursts of new life whenever someone walked into the break room. The set was run down and bleak. Dirty white walls, old battered chairs and a bin overflowing with used teabags, create the perfect setting for a run down factory. The costumes were equally as depressing, stained white uniforms and grubby aprons contrasted amazing the great personalities of the cast. Each character was completely unique but they all had the same working class mentality and so they all were able to hold the the audiences attention individually and together as unit. Adding a truly entertaining dynamic to the performance that was fast paced and hilarious. 

Mathew Kelly as 'Nellie'

Mathew Kelly excelled as the oldest work - Nellie - portraying him beautifully. After 45 long years working at the factory and only six years from retirement, Nellie is vacant and almost broken from the mundane work life he has suffered since he was just 14. With child like simplicity, he only has a few lines and yet Mathew Kelly was mesmerising. The use of silence was especially captivating. I never thought watching one man alone on the stage eating a slice of cheese would be so endearing, yet you couldn't look away. From every small gesture to the subtle change in facial expression it was tragically hilarious. The character development of Nellie was my favourite by far. When first introduced to him, I personally didn't expect much from the character, but as the play progresses and you find out more about his back story, he becomes the heart of the factory and you can see how his life becomes as repetitive as the machines he works with. Right down to the little details, for example; he is constantly looking at the clock as he has to ration his cigarettes because his wife only gives him a pack a week. By the end of the show, his simplicity becomes far more complex and you find yourself totally unable to keep your eyes off of him. 

The cast of 'Toast' in a banterous scene

The on-stage relationship between the cast was incredible and one of the best elements of the show. The ‘lad-ish’ banter was top quality and the school playground like atmosphere in the break room acted as a stunning commentary of men in the work place and the desire for hierarchy and power, money, and status. With the men bragging about their hot water, wages and wives, the show was an early realistic snapshot of life for the factory workers and the working class issues of the 1970’s. The show contained a lot of adult language, however I do not feel it was misused at all, it only heightened the realism of the play and allowed the characters to be more human and relatable. The Northern direct and references added a great sense of location and time. With the play running on real time, the audience felt fully part of the shift, as the clock on stage allowed us to experience their day to day working life. I thought that was an extremely clever device to help show the mundane and almost robotic like structure of the workers break schedule.

Overall, ‘Toast’ was incredible and a completely new style of theatre for me, which only made it far more interesting and enjoyable. It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster and by the end you feel invested with all the character involved. Very well performed by all the cast, it acts a shining example of the high quality theatre that is being produced now. To me this play is what theatre acting is about, creating drama and yet commenting on social issues that affect or have affected people. I was truly engulfed by the performance. A stunning piece of theatre, performed by outstandingly talented actors