Chiwetel Ejiofor and Goods in Everyman; Photo Richard Hubert Smith.
New director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, has chosen Everyman, the 15th century morality play, as the first production under his ​direction since taking over from Nicholas Hytner. Everyman has been rewritten for modern ears by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and the resulting text when it’s not being surprisingly pedestrian and playing for laughs, is an occasionally theatrically eloquent carolling (couldn’t help it). The script suffers an uneasy balance where rhyme doesn’t always serve prosody, and definitely loses something by being translated into ‘the modern’. As far as the story goes, for those who aren’t familiar with the original, Everyman meets Death who charges him with calling upon friends and family to account for his life: was it a life well-lived or was he a waste of space?
On his 40th birthday, Ev, played by the terrific Chiwetel Ejiofor, is boozing and snorting up large. He’s rich and proud of it and makes no apologies; he’s a shallow but not reprehensible character, just something of an ​eighties cliché. Then along comes Death. Since we’re no longer bound by the rules of the scriptures and no longer believe in heaven or hell, our investment in the afterlife is minimal, therefore the play throws environmental degradation and decayed relationships into the mix to contribute to the modern version of ungodliness; the problem here is that soullessness in the face of hedonism is a tired premise.
Design is informed by the ​eighties and there are satisfying spectacular effects, some nice moments of recognition and even nostalgia (and lame cultural references), but some scenes are overdone, the opening party in particular. Good Deeds here doubles as God-as-cleaning-woman (Kate Duchene), and Death is played with a brilliantly mordant and comical glee by Irishman Dermot Crowley – he gets the best (last) line, next to Everyman’s “I thought the Earth was mine to spend, a coin in space” – but not before the wisdom of Knowledge, a homeless drunk played by Penny Layden, helps Everyman to become the modern version of penitent – grateful. Everyman is pleasant enough and fun, and Ejiofor is fabulous, but it’s less than inspired.
Stunning video effects by Tal Roser, design by Ian MacNeil, sound by William Lyons and the impressive choreography by Javier de Frutos ensure the production never slows but it does become almost desperate in its commitment to spectacle.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Everyman
Director:Rufus Norris
Writer: Carol Ann Duffy
Cast includes: Chewitel Ejiofor, Paul Bullion, Adam Burton, Joshua Lacey, Ira Mandela Siobhan, Clemmie Sveaas, Kate Duchene,Dermot Crowley
Choreographer: Javier De Frutos
Costumes:Nicky Gillibrand
Lighting Designer: Paul Anderson
Set Designer: Ian MacNeil
National Theatre Live
Cinema Nova Melbourne
Until 16 August
