The Revenger's Tragedy, a Jacobean bloodbath set in an Italian court, tells the story of a man's mission to seek vengeance for the murder of his fiancee and death of his father.

Not a theme that would immediately conjure up a light-hearted comedy - but Metra Theatre's version of Thomas Middleton's 1606 work plays it for laughs.

Strangely enough, it works, but while entertaining enough, it ends up like a series of sketches in a cabaret, which does not necessarily bring forward the convoluted plot.

It is a certainly a tricky one, centring around the revenger, Vindice, who plans to bring down a duke he blames for the deaths of his betrothed and his father. Disguising himself as a servant to the Duke's brother, Lussurioso, Vindice infiltrates the court with the help of his own brother, Hippolito, and sets the Duke's family against each other.

Without going into every detail, he succeeds in various ways to bring about the death of the Duke (by tricking him into kissing the poisoned skull of his dead fiancee), Lussorioso and several others before facing justice himself.

A play in which several characters are not who they seem is confusing enough - but when a minimal cast is playing up to four parts each it becomes difficult to keep up.

Realising the problem, Metra Theatre comes up with the device of filling in the audience between scenes, with one particularly busy actress, Jessica Stanley, getting up to discuss the more obscure points of the play.

While not doing much to clarify the plot, Jessica Stanley's likeable personality does provide some relief from it.

As far as any of the cast is able to do, she brings depth to each of her performances and manages to ring the changes between characters, as does Lee Diep Chu.

Josh Farrell, as Vindice, manages to convey both comedy and dark determination, while Brad Fisher also raises laughs with his slightly pathetic Lussurioso, a middle-aged ladies' man.

Director Tanya Roberts makes imaginative use of the space, a former church, playing scenes in the minstrels' gallery, along the stretch between the two sides of the audience, and on the stage at the front, and utilising a number of doors.

The proximity of the audience to the action adds another dimension as the actors use people at various points - Lee Diep Chu throws herself into the lap of one man in the front row, while Josh Farrell hands the skull to another to hold.

These aspects are creative enough - but the company then takes the novelty value too far and it becomes superfluous and oddly-placed.

For some reason, the cast are dressed in nightwear, and although it helps differentiate the characters, it is too much and too distracting.

Jessica Stanley wears a moustache to play Hippolito and a wig as the judge - and that would suffice. Instead, she spends much of the time scrambling in and out of outer-clothes.

Lee Diep Chu has one difficult bustier costume which she has constantly to force into a pair of trousers to change character. Her hurried changes - carried out in the front row of the audience, where the actors rest before rejoining the stage - makes her seem flustered.

Why is the play performed in nightwear? It seems to serve no purpose except to give it a distinctive uniform. There are also either too many props, or the use of them is ill-rehearsed. Though the skull, on a wire, is effective, it comes apart and several items are left kicking about on the stage or spilling out from under chairs in the front row.

There is also a strangely sporadic use of music and singing. The cast join together for a couple of slightly drama-workshop-esque song-and-dance routines, but these sit badly with the rest of the play. It is not a musical, nor is the music used during poetic speeches - it seems almost random and out of nowhere.

Metra Theatre claims to be determined to make 'classical texts' accessible to modern audiences, but its Revenger's Tragedy does not know what it is, and the creativity sometimes seems to be just for the sake of it.

Having said that, the cast's relentless energy and humour produce an entertaining spectacle that livens up a dark and gothic piece of theatre.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Lee Diep Chu - Duchess, Castiza, Supervacuo. Chris Clynes - Duke, Antonio, Ambitioso. Josh Farrell - Vindici. Brad Fisher - Lussurioso. Fran Hyde - Fourth Man. Jessica Stanley - Hippolito, Gratiana, Judge, Officer.

Company Credits: Writer - Thomas Middleton. Director - Tanya Roberts. Vocal Arranger - Burch Bator. Lighting - Joseph Cook. Sound Designer - uncredited. Technical Operator - uncredited. Photographer - Harry Sewell. Press - Jessica Stanley. Producer - uncredited. Company - Metra Theatre. Website - www.metratheatre.co.uk. Metra Theatre is: Lee Diep Chu, Joseph Cook, Francesca Hyde, Kristine G Nilsen, Tanya Roberts, Josephine Rogers, Jessica Stanley.

END

(c) Bo Wilson 2008

reviewed Friday 28 March 08 / The Space

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008