Theatre review: Britannicus

In a year that's been dominated by stories of swings and understudies keeping the theatre industry going - halfway through and I've probably already seen more people covering roles than in any other year - another show having to cope with cast illness has been the Lyric Hammersmith's take on Jean Racine's Britannicus: Ben and I were meant to see the show last Friday but it got cancelled, and there were further cancellations this week. With the theatre, like so many, not being able to afford to carry regular understudies, it's only by bringing in two actors to cover roles script-in-hand that they've managed to reopen tonight, in time for us to be second time lucky and catch it before it closes next week. And even if not quite at its best I'm glad I managed to see a show I'd been particularly looking forward to - I've seen and enjoyed a past production that used the same Timberlake Wertenbaker translation that Atri Banerjee's production uses.

The 17th-century French playwright's neoclassical style saw him use a format very close to that of the Ancient Greek tragedians, taking at his subject the same mythology, or Roman history. Britannicus falls under the latter category, and traces the moment the most famous of the mad emperors showed his true colours.

Nero (understudy Ned Costello) wasn't in line to succeed his stepfather Claudius, but his mother Agrippina manipulated her husband to first adopt her son, then name him heir ahead of his biological son Britannicus. But his rule hasn't been as easy to control as she expected, and things come to a head when Nero abducts Junia (Shyvonne Ahmmad) and announces he'll divorce his wife and marry her instead. As Junia is betrothed to Britannicus (Nathaniel Curtis,) this risks upsetting the truce with the mild-manned stepbrother who's until now accepted being denied the throne.

More to the point as far as Agrippina (Sirine Saba) is concerned, an Empress Nero actually chose for himself would dissolve the political match his mother arranged for him, and erode what little power she still holds. Civil servants Burrhus (understudy Paul Rattray) and Narcissus (Nigel Barrett) are brought in to negotiate with the unstable leader, but it's not always clear where their loyalties lie. Britannicus might be the title character but he's not actually onstage all that much; as a famously insane despot the show is unsurprisingly Nero's to steal, and the production has claimed topical relevance in its look at a leader who's previously seemed, if not competent, at least manageable, displaying increasingly unmistakeable autocratic tendencies.

In an announcement before the show Banerjee and Rachel O'Riordan said the understudies would be performing script-in-hand as they'd only had four days' rehearsal, although I suspect that might be averaging out the time they had with their roles and doing one of them a disservice: Fortunately, since it's essentially the lead role, it was Costello who seemed to have had a bit more time to learn his, and he used his script more for security - he essentially only snuck occasional glances at it, and only once did I notice him unsure of his next line. Rattray on the other hand had to read every line, and his long speeches sounded like he'd never spoken them before. At time of writing, the Lyric website has managed to add Costello's name and photo to the cast list as understudy Nero, whereas for Burrhus there's only a hastily-added note that he'll be played by "a different actor," so I wouldn't be surprised if Rattray's rehearsal time was something more like hours than days.

As Banerjee's production is hugely atmospheric these speeches that take us out of the moment and slow down the action don't help, but given the difficult circumstances the show does manage to get itself back on track remarkably well. Costello has tapped into an unnerving performance for Nero, who wanders the stage barefoot and in an almost straitjacket-like outfit that makes him a mix of stroppy child and mental patient. Slightly beefing up the small part of servant Albine, Hanna Khogali provides live violin accompaniment, foreshadowing the Emperor's most notorious moment. Saba is such a confident onstage presence she really grounds the show, and the way that confidence is shaken in her character helps tip it into madness. She's also just that little bit unhinged enough to suggest where Nero gets it from, as seen when she caresses a stuffed wolf like it's a live pet. And Curtis' Britannicus is something of a loveable idiot, missing any number of Junia's hints that Nero is controlling her actions and her lover is in danger.

Wertenbaker continues to be my favourite translator of Greek tragedy and the works that copy it: Her dialogue has a mix of formality and clarity I've not seen anyone quite match yet. And Rosanna Vize's designs, which put modern dress on a set with many nods to the Roman Empire's history and traditions, include some nice visual touches alluding to the way that apparent stability can be overriden by the wrong leader's ego and madness. I don't think anyone would suggest that the particular performance I saw was firing on all cylinders, but it still showcased that there's a strong production in there, which even tonight was frequently able to suck me into its ominous atmosphere.

Britannicus by Jean Racine, in a version by Timberlake Wertenbaker, is booking until the 25th of June at the Lyric Hammersmith.

Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes straight through.

Photo credit: Marc Brenner.