Redemption play is Bard’s secret jewel

10:38am Friday 15th August 2008

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Timon of Athens is one of Shakespeare’s more obscure plays, rarely performed and many experts have questioned if Shakespeare wrote it alone, or if it was a collaboration with another writer of the time.

Like the more famous King Lear - Timon of Athens follows the same betrayal themes and eventual downfall of its main character, a rich Athenian who gives his fortune away to his sycophantic friends before ruining himself and ending up abandoned and living in a cave.

He is watched with dismay by his loyal servant Flavius, who unsuccessfully tries to stop his master from ruining himself before entreating him to come back to the city and leave his cave for good.

The play asks us to review our beliefs in the power of friendship, but with plenty of the bawdiness you’d expect from the bard.

Indeed jokes about poo, streaking and groups of men writhing around on the floor together may be more akin to a rugby team social club than Shakespeare, but that’s exactly what this incarnation offers.

The set designers said they were inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock classic, ‘The Birds’ and used this effectively to show the creepy debt collectors like crows, swooping down from a specially constructed rig on bungee ropes to tear at Timon as he descends into madness.

Simon Paisley-Day was totally believable as the good hearted but gullible Timon, who spends his fortune on his friends, only to find they’ve deserted him in his hour of need, in fact parts of his heartfelt performance were so accurate that it drew little ‘ahhs’ of sympathy from some of the audience as he portrayed Timon’s fall from grace.

Apemantus the cynical philosopher was played very cleverly by Bo Poraj, as the thorn in Timon’s side, he delivered his lines with the timing of a stand up comic and managed to translate the script into modern day slapstick to great effect, stealing the show several times.

All the ensemble cast produced polished performances as the cowardly and downright despicable hangers on and Patrick Godfrey was superb as the noble Flavius.

Timon of Athens is a touching story of loss and betrayal, loyalty and redemption which had us glued to our seats for the entire performance, the set design and live medieval music sent chills down my spine, so even if you’ve never heard of it, it’s well worth going along to check this version out.