The Duchess of Malfi - Jacobean Theatre at the Globe

I can't bring myself to refer to the new theatre at the Globe as the 'Sam Wanamaker Playhouse' because (i) the Globe pays more than enough homage to Sam Wanamaker as it is, and (ii) this atmospheric, authentically Jacobean-style theatre deserves an atmospheric, authentically Jacobean-style name. So I will henceforth refer to it as Blackfriars.

Much as I was looking forward to visiting this new theatre, I was prepared for there to be obvious concessions to health and safety. Events I've attended before that have been advertised as 'candlelit' have often involved fake candles or a single candle or were candlelit for sixty seconds out of a possible hour. However, Blackfriars fulfilled my wildest expectations. There were five seven big candlelit chandeliers over the stage, which were lit/extinguished/moved up and down during the performance; a single candle attached to each of the wooden columns at the sides of the stage; and candlesticks carried on by members of the cast. There were no in-your-face exit signs. At the beginning of the play, electric lighting was still visible from outside the theatre, but about twenty minutes into the play the shutters were closed.

The ceiling was beautifully painted with clouds, cherubs, suns and a female figure. The back of the stage was similar to that of the Globe, with three entrance/exit points. The back panels were also well-decorated - I loved the dark brown and gold colour scheme. The theatre was considerably smaller than I'd expected, which meant that even from the upper gallery (and with contact lenses of an outdated prescription) one could easily see the actors' facial expressions. 

The widowed Duchess of Malfi (Gemma Arterton) was a really interesting character. She wasn't an idealised example of 17th century womanhood, but a determined, intelligent, witty person who just wanted to get on with her life, and wasn't prepared to allow her scheming, unscrupulous brothers to dictate to her. Her brothers try to prevent her from marrying, but she marries her steward, Antonio, in secret, after having wooed him. The first half was quite funny, but things rapidly took a turn for the seriously macabre and grotesque in the second half, which featured Ferdinand (one of  the brothers)'s use of mentally ill people to torment the Duchess, and multiple murders. The lighting was used to great effect during the night scenes, when the only light came from hand-held candles. One scene, featuring Ferdinand and the Duchess, took place entirely in the dark, with no candles, and ended very dramatically and horribly. James Garnon was excellent, as usual, as the calmly evil Cardinal.

The costumes were amazing - even better than the usual Globe costumes - they were probably made more intricately because they wouldn't be exposed to the weather. I loved the Duchess's sparkling bodice. The music was good but understated. Not as rollicking as Globe music often is. The jig was slow, intense and fitting to the mood of the production.

My only negative comment would be that I thought the hand-held candles were overused. Pretty much every other character came onto the stage holding a candlestick of some description. It was great for the scenes that were supposed to take place at night, but otherwise unnecessary. I understand that audience members want to see actors' faces, but it looked forced to have almost every actor holding a candle up to his or her face.

The intimate, dimly-lit nature of the theatre made it very easy to focus fully on the play, and absorb oneself  into it. The experience was a bit like having a very vivid dream. It really is a unique theatrical experience and I would strongly recommend it.