The Cardinal - James Shirley - Stephen Boxer - Southwark

[Deleted]

Bit of a rarity - anyone seen a production of James Shirley's 1641 play The Cardinal? (or indeed anything by James Shirley?)

Coming to the small space at the Southwark in April and May, directed by Justin Audibert who did the excellent Swan production of Jew of Malta last year, and starring Stephen Boxer (who to me will always be the bloke from Get Up and Go and Mooncat and Company with Beryl Reid)

southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show/the-cardinal/#details

[Jan]

Dec 13, 2016 13:19:28 GMT @xanderl said:

Bit of a rarity - anyone seen a production of James Shirley's 1641 play The Cardinal? (or indeed anything by James Shirley?)

Coming to the small space at the Southwark in April and May, directed by Justin Audibert who did the excellent Swan production of Jew of Malta last year, and starring Stephen Boxer (who to me will always be the bloke from Get Up and Go and Mooncat and Company with Beryl Reid)

southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show/the-cardinal/#details

Thanks for the info. I saw "Hyde Park" at the RSC in 1987 with Alex Jennings, Fiona Shaw, James Fleet and others.

[martin1965]

Wow! This is massively rare. Will def ve going😀

[Jan]

Dec 13, 2016 17:28:57 GMT martin1965 said:

Wow! This is massively rare. Will def ve going😀

Yes I have booked.

The producers Troupe have done a couple of decent things at The Finborough that I've seen, the director is associated with the RSC (The Jew of Malta) and NT and Stephen Boxer has appeared fairly recently with RSC and NT too - I wonder how this production ended up in Southwark's smaller venue.

[Deleted]

Yes, I was surprised by the venue given the cast and director. Wonder if it was originally intended for the Swan or similar - Audibert is working there again this year on Snow in Midsummer.

Not complaining of course as it's a nice space and with the Pay as You Go scheme I'll see it for £12 rather than paying RSC or Globe prices.

[martin1965]

Ha! Great minds, i wondered whether this was one of the shortlisted plays in the Swan 15 season and got rejected. Its certainly the sort of play that ought to be in the Swan😀

[Jan]

Dec 14, 2016 13:48:56 GMT martin1965 said:

Ha! Great minds, i wondered whether this was one of the shortlisted plays in the Swan 15 season and got rejected. Its certainly the sort of play that ought to be in the Swan😀

Yes my guess would be it's the result of a read-through or workshop at RSC that didn't make it to the stage.

[Deleted]

Correct!

www.rsc.org.uk/support/members-room/happy-birthday-swan-theatre

"Why haven't you done Hengist, King of Kent?" Having championed the repertoire of Shakespeare's contemporaries for many years, I often get people demanding to know why we haven't yet tackled certain plays. So a couple of years ago we decided to do something about it.



We brought together four academics to consider their favourite choices of what they would like to see performed in the Swan. The four plays they each pitched were then read and tried out by four different groups of actors, each with a director attached. At the end of the week each team picked their favourite play. It was a fascinating list including Lording Barry's Ram Alley, Marston's The Insatiate Countess, Middelton's A Mad Couple Well Matched, Shirley's The Cardinal, and the one eventually chosen for production Ford's Love's Sacrifice.

Plus that was the year Audibert did Jew of Malta in the Swan which had the same company as Love's Sacrifice, so not unlikely he was involved in these workshops.

Anyway, they seem to have flogged three tickets at least

[Jan]

Dec 14, 2016 14:24:55 GMT @xanderl said:

Correct!

www.rsc.org.uk/support/members-room/happy-birthday-swan-theatre

"Why haven't you done Hengist, King of Kent?" Having championed the repertoire of Shakespeare's contemporaries for many years, I often get people demanding to know why we haven't yet tackled certain plays. So a couple of years ago we decided to do something about it.



We brought together four academics to consider their favourite choices of what they would like to see performed in the Swan. The four plays they each pitched were then read and tried out by four different groups of actors, each with a director attached. At the end of the week each team picked their favourite play. It was a fascinating list including Lording Barry's Ram Alley, Marston's The Insatiate Countess, Middelton's A Mad Couple Well Matched, Shirley's The Cardinal, and the one eventually chosen for production Ford's Love's Sacrifice.

Plus that was the year Audibert did Jew of Malta in the Swan which had the same company as Love's Sacrifice, so not unlikely he was involved in these workshops.

Anyway, they seem to have flogged three tickets at least

You assume I go to these things on my own, almost unbelievably I don't. I bought 2 tickets. I'd like to see those other plays too, I am a big fan of Middleton (though A Mad Couple Well Matched isn't by him at all, quite a blunder by Greg).

[martin1965]

I sadly will be going solo. I too love Middleton, you got the complete works that came out a few years back, Jan? The 70s set production of Revengers Tragedy at Nottingham last month was excellent!

[Jan]

Dec 14, 2016 18:33:30 GMT martin1965 said:

I sadly will be going solo. I too love Middleton, you got the complete works that came out a few years back, Jan? The 70s set production of Revengers Tragedy at Nottingham last month was excellent!

I considered getting the complete works but in general I am opposed to reading plays so I decided to wait for productions of them instead.

[joem]

What better way to celebrate your birthday than by seeing a neglected classic you've never seen before? Yep, that's what I hope to do on Friday.

Anyone know the play or planning to see it?

[showgirl]

Had never heard of it and was considering going but waiting for reports, as it sounds pretty heavy going - and oddly similar to The Duchess Of Malfi, so I wonder why it is never mentioned in comparison to the latter at least?

[martin1965]

Im going Saturday as part of double header with Carousel! I cant wait, i have read about this play, it sounds cool and one that the RSC should have tackled ages ago but there it is. Good cast too.

[Jan]

Seeing it next week.

[zahidf]

Seeing the first preview tonight. I shall report

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2017 4:51:39 GMT martin1965 said:

Im going Saturday as part of double header with Carousel!

Carday?
I suppose it makes some sort of sense to pick shows in this way, like betting in the Grand National on a horse with a significant or attractive name.

[martin1965]

Apr 26, 2017 9:34:06 GMT @honouredguest said:

Apr 25, 2017 4:51:39 GMT martin1965 said:

Im going Saturday as part of double header with Carousel!

Carday?
I suppose it makes some sort of sense to pick shows in this way, like betting in the Grand National on a horse with a significant or attractive name.

Im not based in London and the dates fitted. Dont see any issue, in any event i seem to be amongst the minority on this forum in liking both Shakespeare and Sondheim.

[Jan]

Apr 26, 2017 11:18:25 GMT martin1965 said:

Apr 26, 2017 9:34:06 GMT @honouredguest said:

Carday?
I suppose it makes some sort of sense to pick shows in this way, like betting in the Grand National on a horse with a significant or attractive name.

Im not based in London and the dates fitted. Dont see any issue, in any event i seem to be amongst the minority on this forum in liking both Shakespeare and Sondheim.

Oh that's an open goal, HG is going to say that Carousel wasn't written by Sondheim. 

[Deleted]

Apr 26, 2017 11:18:25 GMT martin1965 said:

Apr 26, 2017 9:34:06 GMT @honouredguest said:

Carday?
I suppose it makes some sort of sense to pick shows in this way, like betting in the Grand National on a horse with a significant or attractive name.

Im not based in London and the dates fitted. Dont see any issue, in any event i seem to be amongst the minority on this forum in liking both Shakespeare and Sondheim.

You might follow your CARday of CARdinal and CARousel with a MERRday of MERRy Wives of Windsor and MERRily We Roll Along.

[Polly1]

I notice this has a cheeky matinee at 3.30 on Tuesday which would fit in very well with my evening visit to the Old Vic in a couple of weeks so I'll be interested to hear reports. Not been to the Southwark Playhouse before.

[zahidf]

2 hours 20 min, 1 interval

No nudity

Some of the language is a little oblique but nothing too bad. Good acting and basic staging.

I did like it, but it doesnt really resonate outside of its own plot. Id say its a soild 7/10, but not memorbale past that.

[martin1965]

On way home from this. It was really good. Boxer superb in a role made for him. Natalie Simpson confirms the promise of her debut RSC season. Sad to see quite a few empty seats in a small auditorium. Also slightly spoilt by woman laughing like a drain as if it was Morecambe&Wise!!
Recommended☺

[joem]

Decent watch. I didn't know the play but it does have huge similarities to Jacobean tragedies - I note how it it variously desribed as Caroline or Carolingian - with the bloodiness, the constant theme of revenge and the multiple asides.

Stephen Boxer (looking remarkably like John Hurt here) was a suitably nasty villain, mixing religious bigotry with licentiousness and love for power. He wrung the right amount of humour from the odd line which threatens mass-corpsing, making it work for him rather than against him. The Richard III kind of bad guy who tells us from the word go how bad he is, Boxer's performance was a treat.

Natalie Simpson as the serially widowed virgin Duchess started off edgily but grew into the part. Marcus Griffiths as Alvarez delivered the vese beautifully. Good performances all round.

Staging: simple, stark look all iron-grey and white, with a thurible burning incense centre-stage. Good use of music (offstage) and visually appealing cotumes - though why the text twice refers to the red-robed cardinal as being in purple mystified me.

Less textured and plotted than Shakespeare but with an easy to follow polt and elegant verse, I can see myself seeing more Shirley plys if they are ever staged.

[altamont]

Is it unallocated seating? If so, any recommendations on where to sit? Thanks