OK, Be honest. Who amongst my readership has ever read Gustave Flaubert’s 1856 novel “Madame Bovary”? Alternatively, who is like me with regard to this seminal work of Victorian fiction and considers themselves an HONoR (heard of, not read)? Well, worry not because whether you have or have not perused the pages of this book, you now have the opportunity to visit the Southwark Playhouse which, as it’s Christmas show, is presenting John Nicholson’s theatrical adaptation, The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary.
Emma Bovary (Georgia Nicholson) is a woman with problems. She dreams of love and adventure but has found herself married to Charles (Darren Seed), a rather boring doctor in the provincial town of Yonville, whose idea of a good time is regaling her with news of the boils he has lanced. In a bid to make her life more bearable, Emma has done many things that she shouldn’t. From sultry carriage rides to secret rendezvous and love affairs with her husband’s friends such as the clerk Leon (Ben Kernow). More worryingly for Emma, she has also been highly profligate using money she hasn’t got to fund a lifestyle she wished she had so has been borrowing money from the merchant and moneylender Lheureux (Stephen Cavanagh). As her present catches up with her, and all her secrets are about to be revealed, Madame Bovary can think of only one solution, and then she starts talking to a roaming rat catcher.
Not having read the book, I had no idea what to expect from The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary. But, even if I had read it, I don’t think I would have been prepared for the absolutely mad world that John Nicholson has created with this adaptation. For a start, there are only four actors who between them play twenty-six individual characters with Stephen Cavanagh playing 15 alone. And full credit to everyone. Each character is unique and recognisable thanks to the comic genius of the acting and the very visible different costumes. All four actors look like they are having a lot of fun with the show. And fun is at the heart of this production.
Every aspect from the basic looking but effective set design from Marion Harrison of a small French village where wooden panels and rickety windows form hatches which are used for various effects to become for example, the chemist’s shop or a convenient place to find props. The set is used to great effect when combined with Simon Hutchings’ lighting and especially Dan Bottomley’s sound. And a big round of applause here. There are a lot of sound effects in the show and every single one of them was timed perfectly to be in sync with the actor’s actions giving an impressive sense of realism to switching on an invisible tap or opening an invisible door. Highly impressive.
Taking a tragedy and turning it into something that is almost a farce is a skilful job and John Nicholson’s script does that pretty well on the whole. There are some moments where the pacing feels uneven, but then it picks up and the comedic elements – slapstick, breaking the fourth wall, even simulated sex, and magic flowers – really bring it up again much to the delight of the audience. Kirstie Davis’ direction is fast and flows well making use of the Playhouse space – it’s in the Large which actually with the thrust stage feels quite intimate – and the actors’ abilities to bring the show over to us in the seats.
Turning to the actors and I’ve already mentioned them a bit but what a team. Everyone is first rate and Georgia Nicholson – who is on stage the majority of the time – really delivers in the title role making Emma someone you are exasperated with and feel pity for all at the same time.
Overall, my description of The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary is that it is totally bonkers, but fantastic fun. However, if you would like a more intellectual description, then I overheard one audience member say to another that ‘the show was really funny but somehow still retained the overall tragedy and ethos of the original.’ And you can’t say fairer than that.
Review by Terry Eastham
With fast-paced storytelling, misbehaving props and over thirty characters to play, four actors cause havoc as they attempt to recreate the classic yet scandalous French novel Madame Bovary(1856),a book considered so controversial on its release that the author Gustave Flaubert went to court on charges of obscenity. The novel, about a women struggling with the patriarchy, is flipped on its head as the audience is invited into a riotous retelling as four actors battle on how they should stage the complex and tragic story, resulting in a much more lighthearted affair. With an eclectic soundtrack and slapstick choreography, Ha Hum Ah Productions and the Minack Theatre shake up the story of Emma Bovary highlighting the anarchy, humour and tragedy from the original in this fresh new adaptation.
Emma Bovary is bored. She’s bored with her boring doctor husband, bored with her boring provincial village and bored with her role as a dutiful wife in (boring) nineteenth-century France. But Emma reads novels. Lots of novels. And in novels, life is much more fun…
CAST
Stephen Cavanagh, Ben Kernow, Georgia Nicholson, Darren Seed
CREATIVE
Writer – John Nicholson
Director – Kirstie Davis
Producers – Zoe Curnow and Ben Kernow
Set and Costume Designer – Marion Harrison
Lighting Designer – Simon Hutchings
Composer and Sound Designer – Dan Bottomley
Choreographer and Movement Director – Grace Murdoch
Assistant Producer – Sian Kennedy
THE MASSIVE TRAGEDY OF MADAME BOVARY
Southwark Playhouse Borough
5 December 2024 to 11 January 2025
