IN GOOD KING CHARLES’S GOLDEN DAYS by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Eda Holmes (Shaw). At the Royal George Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Runs in rep to October 9. $35-$95, special mats stu $25, srs $40. 1-800-511-7429. See listing. Rating: NNNN
In Good King Charles’s Golden Days is at the top of the list of Shaw plays that, in the wrong hands, can turn into an evening of talking-heads tedium.[rssbreak]
Thankfully, the productions I’ve seen over the years at the Shaw Festival – including the latest, directed with energy and finesse by Eda Holmes – have never been that.
Subtitled A True History That Never Happened, the play is Shaw’s version of Restoration comedy. Most of the action takes place in the home of scientist Isaac Newton (Graeme Somerville), whose visitors include Quaker founder George Fox (Ric Reid), portrait painter Godfrey Kneller (Ken James Stewart), Protestant ruler Charles II (Benedict Campbell) and his staunchly Catholic brother, James (Andrew Bunker).
Things get more incendiary with the addition of three of Charles’s mistresses: the jealous Duchess of Cleveland (Claire Jullien), tart-tongued actor Nell Gwynn (Nicola Correia-Damude) and the proud Duchess of Portsmouth (Lisa Codrington).
Cue the clever Shavian discussions of politics, art, religion, science and love potions, among other topics.
Holmes gives clarity and punch to the vigorous debates, and individuality to the curious, argumentative minds peopling the show.
The standout characters are Newton, who expounds scientific theory as if it were prophecy, the explosive Duchess of Cleveland and the passionate king, blessed with a sense of humour and irony. He’s a strong foil for his narrow-minded brother, who’s dismissed as “a disagreeable man of principle.”
But the play’s emotional centre is its final scene, where Charles rests comfortably with his wife, Queen Catherine (the fine Laurie Paton), who is wise, practical and supportive. The warmth, wit and truth of their relationship shines like a bright star.
Another big plus is Camellia Koo’s set, whose floor plan is a series of concentric circles laid out like a galaxy, with the sun – where first Newton and then Charles seat themselves – at its hub and the other characters orbiting the central body. In the final scene, freed from the pressures of the earlier intense disputes, heavenly bodies of light float around Charles and his wife.
jonkap@nowtoronto.com
