A didactic, expressionist, twentieth century drama more striking than stirring.
Georg Kaiser’s expressionist drama seems timely in the current political climate. A tale of power and wealth inequality and guilt and generational divide… sound familiar? The two-hour show tackles humankind’s infatuation with money through the torment of its protagonist, The Millionaire, who has risen from a depressing childhood to almost unfathomable power. So ridden by guilt, and desperate to run as far away from his beginnings as possible, he employs a doppelgänger double, The Secretary, to handle many of his engagements.
This production, directed by Emily Louizou and presented by Collide Theatre, is a solid and engaging work. Ioana Curelea’s costume design neatly solves the problem of needing identical actors with a striking red hole-less balaclava; indeed the show’s whole design is satisfyingly tight and coherent. The sets are simple but effective, the costumes are archetypal without tipping into cartoonish, and the lighting and sound design (from Amy Hill and David Denyer, respectively) complement each environment and contribute to the overarching sense of unease.
The acting is strong, too, for the most part. Stuart Laing carries the almost-Shakespearean role of The Millionaire and puts in a convincing performance. His moments of collapse are well-played and he manages to make something of the show’s here’s where we’re delivering the message scenes. Esme Scarborough shines in many of her roles, particularly as the mysterious Gentleman in Grey, and Adam Woolley steals most of the show’s laughs with his well-observed pastiches of known stereotypes.
Where the acting doesn’t land as strongly is where the 100 year-old writing doesn’t, either. Joanne Marie Mason puts in an impassioned performance as the Older Daughter but one that sometimes struggles against the occasional poeticism of the script. And the actors have a tough job early on to get through the play’s lengthy expositional speeches without the audience doubting their convenience.
The trouble of the play is perhaps in its very premise. It’s a millionaire racked with guilt. Sound familiar? Not so much. Sure, there are noteworthy ideas — the good of endless charity if ruthless oppression still exists; the excusing of wickedness in the name of protecting one’s descendants; the madness of power — but it feels like we know these by now and that there are stronger ways to tell this story to truly impact the political conversation. Plus, the idea of some of the characters only needing to witness the suffering of the working classes first hand in order to proclaim they are suddenly enlightened, feels contrived and unrealistic. The fact the play is over a century old in itself says something interesting about the uncomfortable timelessness of these systems, but that might be the most powerful thing it has to say.
But it’s a good production, well-made, and another example of The Finborough Theatre having an important place in the landscape of presenting and developing work. And there is something satisfying in knowing the play would have been radical in its time. It’s never easy to make a 100 year-old show, in a black box space, with a minimal cast, and engage an audience for two hours. Collide manage it, and the result is an enjoyable evening of theatre in a much-acclaimed pub theatre.