The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett. Canberra Rep directed by Tony Turner. Theatre 3, September 19 - October 11. Bookings: 6247 4222.
In Los Angeles, so the story goes, Americans were not sure about going to The Madness of George III because they had missed seeing The Madness of George I and II. No wonder George III didn't want anyone to mention America. Lose a colony in 1776 and just see how they turn out. It would be enough to turn your piss purple!
Alan Bennett's play is very British. Jokes abound like the one about Piss the Elder and Piss the Younger, but you don't really need to know too much about 18th Century British politics because Bennett's jokes are not superficial one-liners. The complicated story of the King's apparent madness, the Prince of Wales' machinations and the Whig plot to overthrow the Tories tells itself like a good detective novel.
So if you missed George I and II, don't worry. Tony Turner has directed George III with the right style - just a touch of Feydeau farce in the political characters, but with a proper respect for the distressing situation of the King, and the Queen.
Ian Croker and Naone Carrel come up to the required mark in these roles, while even though skills varied as one would expect in such a large non-professional cast, there were many other strong performances. Duncan Ley as the Prince of Wales certainly left us in no doubt about the unpleasant position which the modern Prince Charles is in ("I've been waiting all my life," he says). Geoffrey Borny's Dr Willis had us persuaded that talking therapy works - though in the end we find it is just as ineffective on the disease of porphyria as bleeding, blistering and the examination of the King's stools.
It was especially good to see all the servants' characters played with great individuality, while Croker's demanding role as a victim of a disease who knows he appears mad but also knows he is not mad elicited deserving applause on opening night. And the excellent costuming by Anna Senior demands special mention.
Though a little flat in the early scenes, first night grew in strength especially in the second half, making this a very worthwhile production to see.
© Frank McKone, Canberra
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