The Devil is An Ass, at the White Bear November 21, 2010
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Reviews , trackbackA raucous city where hustlers set up scams to trap the unwary, new plays open and the glitterati must be seen in all their finery, where a devil comes to learn about vice and a young man tries to seduce his lover away from her husband. This energetic, playful revival of one of Ben Jonson’s later plays was written in 1616, is set in a Hogarthian Georgian England which could almost be London today.
The play opens as Pug, a devil, is keen to learn about vice, and of course London is just the place. The Chief Devil lets him go, and tells him to become the servant of Fabian Fitzdottrel and hone his devilish skills. He arrives, taking the body of a recently executed cutpurse, just as his new master is selling young Wittipol a few minutes audience with his wife for a fancy cloak. And in the background, Everill and Train plot to cheat Fitzdottrel of his lands and money. The characters romp through the next couple of hours, wheeling, dealing and cheating, though a few prove virtuous and honest, at least after a little prompting.
The players are a new small company, Spartan Dogs, plus a few friends to make up a cast which was almost bigger than the audience on Friday night. There should be full houses for this – its only a small theatre, and a very entertaining couple of hours. The language flows clearly, and hints of the circus add to the slightly fantastical feel of it all. At the interval, cast members chat to the audience, commenting on furs and selling toffee apples, nice ones with fresh apples inside.
The Devil is an Ass plays at the White Bear in Kennington until 5 December 2010. Tickets £13/£10.
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