An energetic, morbidly hilarious exploration of radicalisation and impressionable youth, sitting in the shadow of the events that started the First World War. Rating
Excellent!
Es Devlin’s extraordinary stage design inducts the audience into the world of Archduke immediately and effortlessly; the classical proscenium arch is swapped out for the sleek and modern curve of a train tunnel, the tunnel itself curving away into the distance. The entire production design is masterfully done, Devlin’s gorgeously bleak set working in harmony with Evie Gurney‘s skilful costuming; Captain Dimitrijevic’s clothes, for example, visually sketch not only his stalwart nationalism, but also his slow loss of socio-political relevance within the fraying of his material circumstances, and conjure something of the setting beyond that displayed on the stage.
The realism of the production does not only come from its visual design, but also its dialogue, which is bouncy, dynamic, and impressively naturalistic in its slapstick humour. The script, by Ranjiv Joseph, is in general superbly written, but the reopening after the interval faces some pacing issues. Though this scene in isolation is still great quality, it slightly struggles to structurally relaunch the anticipation and momentum the rest of the show carries. However, this is a very minor quibble in what otherwise is a very well-penned script.
Lyndsey Turner‘s direction is, as ever, flawless. Her sense of rhythm and the physical balance of the stage produce an entirely absorbing dramatic world where the melodrama of Marc Wootton‘s Captain Dimitrijevic serves to enhance the realism of the production. Across the board, the acting is superb. Stanley Morgan as Gavrilo is earnest and tender in his cerebral approach to the meaning of life and precise in his shifts into boyish levity.
Christopher Walley plays Nedeljko with a heart-breaking freshness and joie de vivre that facilitates his swings into violence, playing as childishly sulky rather than threatening. It qualifies the play’s overarching exploration of the recruitment and indoctrination of vulnerable young men with an affective realism that casts a sombre tone underneath the layers of excellently played comedy. Abraham Popoola effortlessly pulls off the difficult pivot of character required to go from an imposing, bomb-owning threat to the younger men to nothing more than one of those eager, inexperienced young men himself. Popoola’s understanding of comic timing is excellent, a feature consistently strong throughout the cast.
Wootton whips up storms of comic passion with fervour, complemented by Janice Connolly’s blunt and cantankerous Sladjana – a well-balanced dynamic duo that bring a new rhythm and pace to the stage with their entrance. Both inject their roles with unique and precise characterisation, and perfectly complement the line-up of darkly humorous characters that make this production so engaging.
The fighting, choreographed by Sam Lyon-Behan, is sharp and precise in what it shows and what it leaves to the audience’s imagination. The physicality of the production is handled well all-round, and, compounded by Skylar Fox‘s creative and surprising illusion design, the marriage between the physical world and moments intentionally left offstage is cleanly executed, avoiding the theatrical trap of feeling that hidden, described events detract from the impact of the production.
The political undertones of this play are poignant, and more relevant than ever as the rise of ‘red-pilled’ youth has seen the specific targeting of isolated young men. Archduke gracefully gestures to this sad state of modern internet culture, whilst remaining grounded in the playful historical pastiche of a shoddily executed assassination that would sink Europe into chaos.
Writer: Ranjiv Joseph
Director: Lyndsey Turner
Designer: Es Devlin
Lighting Designer: Neil Austin
Sound Designer: Tingying Dong
Costume Designer: Evie Gurney
Illusion Designer: Skylar Fox
Fight Director: Sam Lyon-Behan
Archduke is playing at the Royal Court until Saturday 25 July.
