By Ashlei Havili Thomas
There is no better way to enjoy the spirit of Halloween than to spend a brisk October night at the Castle Amphitheater in Provo, Utah, watching The Grassroots Shakespeare Company’s thrilling performance of The Duchess of Malfi. While Grassroots Shakespeare Company is known best for their original practice Shakespeare performances that they tour around Utah every summer, this Jacobean revenge tragedy isn’t out of their wheelhouse, with its similar rhyme structure and language transporting the audience beyond this time and place. The play, written by John Webster, also played at the Globe Theater in the early 17th Century. The Castle Amphitheater isn’t a performance space as well known as the Globe, but the rough stone and overgrown trees set on the grounds of the Utah State Hospital provide the perfect backdrop for The Duchess of Malfi. With their gory and spine-crawling performance, as well as greatly themed concessions, the cold will creep into your heart and bones at this chilling show.
The Duchess of Malfi follows the story of three siblings, the Cardinal (Addison Blakely Radle), Duke Ferdinand (Soren Budge), and the Duchess (Jessica Jean Myer ). The Duchess is a woman of both piety and integrity, while her brothers are as wicked and corrupt as she is good. Recently widowed, the Duchess is spied upon by her brothers through de Bosola (Kristopher Miles), a criminal and cynic looking for redemption through these powerful men. Despite their efforts, the Duchess remarries below her station to the good Antonio (Robert Ikey Starks) and has three children, much to her brothers’ consternation. When the identity of her husband is revealed and her secret family unmasked, everything falls into chaos. The play is full of deceit, murder, and ruin, with only a few left standing at the end of the play.
With no director or production staff, the actors in the play not only perform, but put together their own costumes as well as collaborate on the staging of the show. Budge performs as Ferdinand phenomenally. From conniving despot to madman with lycanthropia (believing he is a wolf and exhumes bodies), Budge is a delight to watch. His costuming and makeup devolves throughout the show, adding to his descent into madness. Having seen Budge act many times in the past, it is this reviewer’s belief that it was one of his best performances. While Budge is cunning and cruel, Radle is lecherous and crafty, playing the hypocritical and corrupt Cardinal with the subtlety of a snake. The Duchess and Antonio are the classic star crossed lovers with a twist. In the Duchess’ words, because she is of higher rank, she must woo and ask him for marriage. Their relationship is expressed clearly throughout the play, with Starks and Myer trading wits and kisses fondly, making their plot twist even more heartbreaking. Myer especially stands out to the end. Through obviously stricken with grief, she faces all she must with elegant dignity, wrenching the hearts of the audience.
The catalyst of the show is Miles’ de Bosola. De Bosola is easily the most complex character of the play. Though he starts out the villain, he is overcome with remorse for his actions and swears revenge on the Duchess’s two brothers . Miles portrays this complexity and arc with seeming ease, holding the audience’s hearts in his hands as they cheer him to chase redemption. As dark and cynical as Miles is, Jarrith McCoy’s Delio is bright and loyal. McCoy plays Antonio’s best friend with panache and wit, supporting the main story with a steady hand. Likewise Maddie Pettingill plays the waiting woman and confidant of the Duchess, giving dry humor and brevity to the flirtations of Myer and Starks. Drake Hansen and Liza Shoell both portray a number of characters, filling out the cast with clear character shifts and costuming. Though their clumsy and bumbling soldiers are the much needed comic relief in the show, their best standalone roles are as the Doctor and Julia. Hansen as the doctor is the height of hilarity, with his absurd “treatment” of Ferdinand’s lycanthropia. Hansen and Budge’s sparring in this scene is farcical and has the audience in stitches. Shoell as Julia is more complex than she originally appears. The mistress of the Cardinal, Shoell is witty and playful, but when she realizes the depth of the Cardinal’s black heart, she tries to expose him, and loses all.
Though the stage setting never changes, and lights never go down, the use of the stage and lighting is both clear and inventive. The thin backdrop is used as a silhouette screen, portraying many things throughout the show that would otherwise be difficult, such as the hanging death of many characters. Similarly, the use of the trapdoor at the front of the stage provides a useful exit for the dead characters, without disrupting the suspension of disbelief. The show is accompanied by live musicians and sound effects, provided by Gary Argyle, Scott Robinson, and Steven Pond. Their music and effects are a vital part of the performance, giving an added thrilling edge as well as comedy throughout.
Due to the content as well as the late hour and outdoor setting, I wouldn’t recommend this show for small children. I would also make sure to bring a blanket or two as well as gloves and a hat, since the show must go on despite the cold. Finding the Castle Amphitheater in Provo is much harder in the dark; Grassroots Shakespeare Company has a map posted on their Facebook page, and warns of the local police officer who strictly enforces the speed limits on the grounds of the hospital. Lastly, Grassroots warns that the stage blood used is a corn syrup based substance that comes out of clothing best in cold water, so if you don’t want to get splashed, sit farther away from the stage. Do not let these warnings deter you, however; this creepy, slightly gory, fantastical show is a great kickoff to this time of year where we remember all the things that may go bump in the night. The Duchess of Malfi performs now through Halloween, so make sure not to miss this exceptional performance.
The Grassroots Shakespeare Company presents The Duchess of Malfi written by John Webster.
The Castle Amphitheater, 1300 E Center Street Provo, Utah 84606
Dates: October 11-12, 14, 18-19, 21, 25-26, 28, 31, 2019 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10-15
Grassroots Shakespeare Company Website
Grassroots Shakespeare Company Facebook Page
The Duchess of Malfi Facebook Event
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