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Daniel York and Chipo Chung as the princess Turnadot |
Sexed up take is Brecht lite
REVIEW: TURANDOT
Hampstead Theatre
THREE tribes are scratching an existence in Bertolt Brecht’s unfinished final play: the greedy ruling classes; down-trodden masses; and the Teliu, a group of self-proclaimed intellectuals paid to tell others what to think.
The critics, a group utterly distinct from the Teliu, got their chance to pass judgement on Turandot this week when it made its UK premiere at Hampstead Theatre. If they expected the bold operatics of Puccini or the severity of the playwright’s Galileo, they didn’t get it.
Edward Kemp’s breezy (how often does Brecht get that epithet?) new translation is a curious beast, by turns hilarious and pompous, thoughtful and asinine.
The Emperor of China is on the brink of destitution. A record cotton harvest has pushed prices through the floor and the sovereign, Gerard Murphy, his hulking frame exploding out of an effeminate silk blouson, demands action.
His brother (Michael Mears) hatches a snake-oil scheme to steal the cotton. To assauge the people’s fury, the imperial coven decide to hold an “intellectual debate” to come up with the best explanation of where it has gone. First prize is the hand of the emperor’s daughter, Turandot, in marriage; the second prize is decapitation.
Despite the satire, Brecht’s plays remain worthy affairs. Kemp works hard to lighten the load. The heroine, Turandot has had a Beverly Hills make-over. The princess (Chipo Chung) is now lascivious and giggling, trying to jump the bones of every man with an opinion.
As the rebel leader Kai Ho (an unseen Chairman Mao) approaches, the emperor makes fascist mobster Gogher Gogh head of police. The cast of 11 artfully create the ensuing carnage.
Garance Marneur’s Chinese puzzle set is a joy to watch and Mia Soteriou’s songs hold up admirably, yet for all the skill of Clark’s production Turandot remains an interesting museum piece whose opinions, like those of its Teliu, feel superannuated.
Until October 4
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