After a comic start, James Macdonald's production of Christopher Marlowe's rarely revived tragedy (dating probably from the 1580's) builds in power to reach an unexpectedly poignant yet simply staged climax. From the opening scene with a louche Jupiter lounging on high with a semi-naked youth, it becomes progressively more earthbound. The gods are never far away, though, always ready to meddle with the mortals' desires.
Siobhan Redmond's sashaying, shape-shifting, Venus manipulates the love life of her son, Aeneas (Mark Bonnar), pushing him into the arms of the Carthaginian queen who is captivated by his movingly delivered account of the terrible sacking of Troy. Anastasia Hille plays Dido as a girlish creature, hungry for his affection as she proudly shows him her gallery of rejected suitors and dismisses the attentions of the King of Gaetulia for whom, in turn, her sister nurses an unrequited passion.
With its uneven mixture of tone and tempo, this youthful work (which owes much to Virgil's Aeneid) proves most compelling in its stillest, candlelit moments. Here, the emotional intensity of the war-damaged soldier's memories, and, later, the desperation of the love-struck queen whom he fatally abandons to set sail for Italy, reach out to the audience unadorned and the effect is riveting.
Cottesloe Theatre
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