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King Charles III
Malvern Theatres
**** KING CHARLES III has a remarkable echo of
current affairs at this time after the rejection by the House of Lords
last week of the government’s fiscal bill to eliminate tax credits
provoked a constitutional debate, if not crisis. It is generally regarded as unconstitutional for
the Upper House to reject fiscal bills approved by the house of elected
representatives, the Commons. Similarly in this play the decision of
King Charles III not to add his signature to the government’s Bill on
Press freedom to allow it to pass into law provokes an even more serious
confrontation. Entering the theatre one is confronted by a
semi-circular brick wall that has the appearance of an ancient
underground vault or dungeon, revealing when lit a strip of indistinct
faces peering out like a mass of the common people. Silently we see the cast enter with candles, then
they intone a Requiem for the deceased Queen Elizabeth and Charles is
thrust into the role of King late in his life. The scenario is one imagined to take place in the
next few years or so in the UK. The real Prince Charles, as we know, is
strongly concerned about a number of social, environmental and political
issues, and when his character in the play, King Charles, is asked to
put his signature to a Bill at the end of the parliamentary process, he
refuses to do so. Other members of the Royal family are depicted,
sometimes in a distinctly caricatured form: Prince Harry, as the playboy
prince chasing his ‘Sloanish fluff’; William and Kate, whose two childre The plot is not strong but develops along the
lines of some current public debate about whether the crown should skip
a generation. A number of contemporary issues are alluded to as well as
the issues surrounding the Monarchy: for example the Oxbridge bias in
the top echelons of the professions, and the paring down of the state
and its institutions, the press and its freedom.
The language is intentionally somewhat
Shakespearean: there are rhyming couplets, archaic and stilted
expressions to the modern ear: ‘What is it, husband, that troubles
you?’; ‘ope thine eye’; the inversions of noun and epithet. Such devices
contribute to the sense of the distance of these characters from the
ordinary people, as does the raised dais in the centre of the set. The ghostly appearance of Diana adds another
dimension and added a Shakespearean feel to some of the scenes with
echoes from Hamlet and Macbeth in particular. But the effect was not
totally convincing. The depiction of the characters is lightly
satirical but not vicious. Kate in this depiction becomes quite
manipulative and forceful; Harry ultimately ungenerous to the ‘fluff’;
the members of the royal household staff typically traditional, cold and
conservative. Charles is principled but assertive but ultimately
committed to the wellbeing of the country. None of the characters become particularly
endearing to us as an audience. They all seem remote, elevated and
distanced by the language, their characterisations, by the design of the
set, so the focus is heavily on the debates about constitutional matters
so there are times when the play is overly wordy. The production however is excellent. Visually the
set and the lighting is varied, intriguing and attractive. The set
conveyed the impression that these characters were to an extent
imprisoned in their world as well as distanced from us. The choral
singing that opens the play and closes the acts is very effective. Some
of the cast were more deliberate in trying to impersonate their royal
character; Robert Powell did not, on the other hand, make any particular
attempt to take off the mannerisms of the Prince of Wales. However his
presentation of the central character is beautifully controlled and
thoughtful. Ultimately Charles III is a lightly speculative
and entertaining piece rather than a strongly political one. It is
thought-provoking and punctuated with some elements of comedy. It was
great to see a very full auditorium; they clearly enjoyed the play.
Let’s hope the houses continue to be full throughout the run. To
07-11-15 Tim Crow
02-11-15
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n
are referred to but not seen on stage; the tall and rather starchy
Camilla who is delighted that her husband has got the throne at last.