Photo credit: Andy Ellis, Adelaide Festival of Arts
After ascending the porphyry stairs of Adelaide’s Myer Centre and donning appropriate raiment for a coronation (to be precise: catching an elevator to the fifth floor and making a hat out of cardboard as part of an immersive, pre-show activity), entering the theatre space created for this adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Young King feels like entering another world – especially, one assumes, for Adelaide audiences, for whom memories of the site’s previous incarnation as the indoor amusement park Dazzeland still linger.
Though primarily remembered as a wit and aesthete, Wilde was both a deeply spiritual writer, and a political one, as evidenced by his essay, The Soul of Man Under Socialism; and although Wilde ‘was not in any active sense a Socialist himself … he was a sympathetic and intelligent observer,’ as George Orwell has written.
In The Young King (first published in 1891 in the collection A House of Pomegranates) Wilde’s contempt for the establishment’s morals and social order – which he would also mercilessly satirise in plays such as Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) – and his belief in the importance of spiritual and aesthetic concerns are firmly displayed.
Sensitively adapted by playwright Nicki Bloom (Tender, The Sun and Other Stars, Little Bird), who retains some of Wilde’s lush language while expanding on other aspects of the story, the play tells the story of an art-loving princess who rebels against her traditionalist father the Old King; and of her son, raised in the forest and originally innocent of his royal lineage, whose eventual rejection of the oppressive structures of feudalism rocks the Kingdom to its core.
As staged by Adelaide company Slingsby, The Young King is an elegant and affecting work of storytelling, with narrative duties shared effortlessly by Jacqy Phillips (whose Old King is a splendidly ferocious character) and the charismatic Tim Overton in the titular role. The pair work together beautifully, with Overton welcoming the crowd and charming the youngsters, and Phillips intimidating them.
Wooden panelling and an impressive armoire containing almost as many surprises as Narnia form the backdrop for their tale; and the work draws on a number of theatrical traditions, including puppetry and pantomime, to engage audiences of all ages.
An evocative live score on piano and clarinet by Quincey Grant, and exquisite lighting by Geoff Cobham (incorporating everything from the soft glow of jewels to the reflected gleam of gold) are beautifully integrated and further enhance proceedings.
Not every aspect of the production entirely succeeds – challenging sightlines are a minor distraction at certain points, and one of the Young Prince’s dreams concerning an argument between Death and Avarice feels a trifle over-extended – but Andy Packer’s direction maintains an engaging and smooth-flowing pace, and deftly balances light and shade.
An Adelaide Festival highlight, and a beautiful production for audiences aged eight to 80.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
The Young King
By Oscar Wilde
Presented by Slingsby in association with Adelaide Festival of Arts
Adapted for the stage by Nicki Bloom
Director: Andy Packer
Composer: Quincy Grant
Designer: Wendy Todd
Lighting Designer: Geoff Cobham
Illustration: Andy Ellis
With Tim Overton and Jacqy Phillips
Live score by Quincy Grant
Adelaide Festival of Arts
26 February – 14 March
www.adelaidefestival.com.au
Richard Watts visited Adelaide as a guest of the Adelaide Festival of Arts.
