Double Falsehood at Union Theatre

Double Falsehood at Union Theatre

26 January, 2011
by: SpoonfedMeg

Double Falsehood by "Shakespeare" at Union Theatre, well it's no Midsummer Night's Dream.

Cardenio might well be called the Holy Grail of Shakespearean scholarship. Referred to in passing amongst Shakespeare’s collected works, the play itself has never been found. So it sounded too good to be true when, in 1727, a director and playwright named Lewis Theobald claimed to have found Cardenio, which he produced under the name Double Falsehood. Even in the 1700s critics were sceptical, especially as Theobald never could produce any evidence he actually had Shakespeare’s work. With the play derided as a hoax, Double Falsehood disappeared from the stage.

Yet recently critics and directors alike have taken another look at Double Falsehood and its claim to a place in Shakespearean cannon. It was recently chosen for inclusion in the Arden Shakespeare Complete Works; this summer the RSC will be performing Cardenio with story and script taken in part from Double Falsehood; and for London-based Shakespeare fans who want to get involved in the debate, the Union Theatre is staging Double Falsehood for the first time since 1727.

There are certainly classic Shakespearean elements present in the play, brought to life by a brilliant young cast at Union Theatre: women dressed as men, brothers mistaken for one another, almost comically ridiculous misunderstandings and an ending with multiple marriages where all the young people get hitched.

However, this is no Midsummer Night’s Dream. The story sees the lascivious second son of a duke rape a housemaid, leaving her to wander the Andalucían mountains lamenting her lost virtue, steal the fiancé of his supposed best friend, and attempt to force her into marrying him against her will. At two hours long, the story is incredibly fast paced and action-filled. The first act does a nice job of building up the tension as the villainous Henrique sets about ruining the lives of those around him, a slave only to his own desires. It also makes for some uncomfortable viewing, though the actors pull off the more graphic scenes without over-simplification or melodrama. In the second act, however, an odd balance between comedy and the struggles of those left wrecked by Henrique troubles the flow of the story.

The cast do well to keep up with the somewhat manic pace of the script, especially Jessie Lilley as the ravaged Violante, and Gabriel Vick as Julio, the ex-suitor, mourning his lost love and the betrayal of his supposed friend. Sam Hoare also does a particularly fine job of narrating the denouement in a surprisingly gripping way – given that more than half the cast are disguised as friars.

And what of the play's claim to be true Shakespeare? While you’ll have to visit the Union Theatre to decide for yourself, Double Falsehood certainly lacks the wit, pacing and turn of phrase that are so classically Shakespeare and there is something of the Bard missing in the characterisation and motives within the script. However if Double Falsehood is more Lewis Theobald than William Shakespeare, that’s not to say that it isn’t an enjoyable theatrical performance.

Double Falsehood runs until 12 February at Union Theatre. The performance makes liberal and somewhat unnecessary use of a smoke machine so be sure to bring a bottle of water.

Image Credit: Scott Rylander

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SpoonfedMeg