Con’s Score: 4 What-what’s
In 1786, King George (Mark Gatiss) is still rueing the loss of the Americas alongside his surly Prime Minister Pitt (Nicholas Bishop) when he starts feeling feverish and a little too garrulous. The ‘whigs’ are desperate for power as is his portly son Prince Charles (Wild Scolding).
As the King starts to lose his sanity, a series of doctors come with their increasingly ridiculous methods as Parliament comes closer to appointing Charles as a Regent which will doom the King. Enter Willis, (Adrian Scarborough) a doctor of the mind, who tries to break down the King and rebuild him.
At the centre of all this is Olivier Award-winner Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, League of Gentlemen) as King George III. He has to navigate a decline from regal arrogance to a breakdown and madness, and back again. Every actor likes to play a lunatic, as they can overact to their hearts content. The challenge is being able to bring the character back and move you. ‘I am not going out of my mind. My mind is going out of me’ has both humour and pathos. Gatiss nails it brilliantly.
Director Adam Penford has large sets which don’t slow down the pace. There are many scenes and transitions and he keeps the pace lively, despite their lavish size.
His casting is impressive, and I love the colour and gender-blind casting. The general practitioners and the ‘whigs’ are all played by women, and even a disabled woman has a meaty role. Local directors take note. Audience imaginations are big enough to accept Lady Pembroke (Sarah Powell) as a black lady if she can act well enough.
This is a gentle comedy and some play it that way. The sons were a little weak but the cast is once again very strong. Debra Gillett as the French Queen and Scarborough as Willis are standouts.
This is also a satire on the medical profession. The doctors are just as rapacious as the politicians and their diagnoses just as ludicrous as today. Bennett does his best to belittle them. When you realise hot cups made a comeback and have come across some of the doctors I have, you’ll realise they haven’t progressed much, just the medicines are better.
This is another entertaining production whose quality isn’t too stretched over its 2 hour 40 minute length. It simply gives you more to savour.
Con Nats – Theatre Now’s On The Screen
