Playwright: John Webster
At: Writers' Theatre ( Glencoe )
Phone: ( 847 ) 242-6000; $45-$57
Runs through: July 16
By Jonathan Abarbanel
She's a rich, independent widow who thwarts her powerful brothers by secretly wedding her chief of staff, Antonio, and having three children. Her servant, Bosola, tells her brothers, who imprison her for dishonoring rank and family, subject her to psychological tortures and finally murder her, two of her children and her lady-in-waiting. Then Antonio, both brothers and Bosola die in a final bloodbath.
Written in 1612, John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi is the best-known Jacobean revenge tragedy, but it's hardly a household name. To make it more accessible, adapter Michael Halberstam has excised plot complications, characters, story inconsistencies and period references that bother scholars and stymie directors. His version is just over two hours and aids the audience in understanding who, what, when, where and some of the why. Duke Ferdinand's incestuous passion for his sister is clear, we understand the perceived dishonor when she marries Antonio and we recognize the brothers' fury.
However, much is sacrificed. We never learn that Bosola is a former galley slave, which helps explain his cruel nature. Scenes establishing the Duchess' independence are sacrificed to speed up plot deployment. The richness of Webster's verse—he's considered a gifted dramatic poet—is streamlined too efficiently, his cadences made too conversational.
The Duchess of Malfi is a domestic story driven by grand passions: the amour fou of the Duchess, the brothers' licentiousness, the remorse that drives Duke Ferdinand mad, Bosola's cynicism and the gripping physical horror. However, the outsized emotions are precisely what are missing. As director, Halberstam overvalues rational clarity, making the play surprisingly matter-of-fact. Violence is bloodless, madmen are unseen and cruelties are perpetrated without relish. Even the lust is bridled. The audience never gets a gut-punch. Perhaps Halberstam, doubling as adapter and director, lost sight of the play by burrowing too deeply into it.
In au courant fashion, the handsome physical production is vaguely classical but not specifically so. Matt York's scenic design features a marble Renaissance floor and a modernist bright red platform. Likewise, Tatjana Radisic's fanciful costumes suggest many eras and styles without specific historic reference.
Halberstam doesn't cut his good actors loose. Handsome Elizabeth Rich as the duchess and Nicolas Sandys as her brother supply personal presence more than range. Ditto regarding the casual stateliness of James Meredith as Antonio and La Shawn Banks as his confidant. Matt Kozlowski's Bosola lacks edge either as sardonic commentator or vicious thug, waxing passionate only for Bosola's late-inning conversion. As Duke Ferdinand, Christopher McLinden isn't a credible physical threat to his sister because he isn't asked to play intensely against his Edwardian schoolboy looks.
The Duchess of Malfi is intelligently and creatively rendered at Writers' Theatre, but doesn't achieve the primal power that's kept it in the repertory for 393 years.