Timon of Athens

Simon Paisley Day as Timon with banquet guests in Timon of Athens

Photo by John Tramper

by William Shakespeare

Directed by Lucy Bailey

Shakespeare’s Globe

6 August – 3 October, 2008

Couzens

A review by Tim Jeeves for EXTRA! EXTRA!

With this production of Timon of Athens, The Globe presents one of the least known, least performed, and possibly least liked plays within the Shakespearean canon.

Telling the story of the demise of Timon, a rich Athenian prone to altruistic acts of charity and kindness who is ultimately abandoned by his friends when his fortunes turn and debtors claim everything, the play has a particular resonance in this time of crunching credit and communal belt-tightening.

Beginning with the positives; it is a visually striking production, the costumes skilfully illustrating the story. From the rich opulence of the clothing worn by the merchants who first surround and then abandon Timon to the creams and whites of the simple robes worn by the protagonist and his servants to the dark Brueghelian robes of the spirits; all are clear illustrations of character without overstatement or hyperbole.
Similarly, the set makes a very favourable impression. Most strikingly, hung high in the globe, strung between the roofs of the galleries, is a net over which aerialists clamber and through which they bungee at dramatically opportune moments. Occasionally distracting from the action below, this nevertheless facilitates the most impressive element of Lucy Bailey direction and William Dudley’s design; the constant presence of various spirits in the form of scavenging birds.

From the moment the audience enters the theatre, these characters are already in position, bounding and lunging on the netting. Throughout the play, these fiends create a genuinely ominous presence as they stealthily prepare for Timon’s demise, clicking menacingly as they move slowly in for the inevitable kill, a wonderfully literal metaphor for the net of usury as it closes in on Timon.

Unfortunately, when such animal impressionism is attempted elsewhere, it falls not only far short of the standards set by these scavenging birds of prey, but verges on the ridiculous. When the cast scamper around barking and begging from Timon the audience have the misfortune to be presented with a pack of very camp canines, and the attempt to show a more comical side to the nature of birds as the merchants flap and cluck whilst Timon makes his departure falls similarly short of the mark.

Aside from this, as you would hope from a venue as respectable as Shakespeare’s Globe, the performances are very solid, though none veer into the spectacular.

Simon Paisley Day as Timon has his moments, but is inconstant and especially at the crucial point at the end of the first half, as he realises that his world is disintegrating around him, not quite convincing enough.
Patrick Godfrey as Flavius, Timon’s loyal steward, makes the most favourable impression; his performance stands out from the rest in much the same fashion as Flavius’ honest love shines amongst the hollow emotions of the other characters.

A solid production, yet there is something amiss which prevents the play rising up into the realms of anything other than merely interesting. Whilst the farcical elements of the action go some way to filling this hole, they cannot (and should not) be sustained for long enough to lift the play out of this slightly hollow state. In spite of the Globe’s affirmations to the contrary, a sneaking suspicion lingers that, with its lack of love interest or familial tensions, it is the play itself that is lacking and short of outright genius inspiration from a director, any attempts to stage it in its original form will always leave something sadly amiss.

Tickets £5 - £33

Box Office: 020 7401 9919

(www.shakespeares-globe.org)

Reviewers

Tim Jeeves Archives