Belvoir Street Theatre Company’s B’s Eugene Ionesco’s ‘Exit The King’ was one of the hottest tickets in town with Geoffrey Rush playing the leading role of King Berenger, and Company B Artistic Director Neil Armfield in the director’s chair.
In ‘Exit the King’ despotic monarch King Berenger has only the duration of the play to live. His kingdom has shrunk to the confines of his garden wall, his nation reduced to the six people within his throne room. Once, it seemed, he ruled over an immense empire, now he cannot command even the movements of his own body. Like Everyman, Berenger has lived from day to day, and now there is no more time.
A fair thing to say about ‘Exit The King’ is that it is a play about how the mighty can fall, as it charts King Berenger’s quick demise. Berenger is a pearler of a role for Rush, as the King grapples oes through a huge range of emotions as he comes to his ‘final curtain’. Rush’s performance fills the stage with his charismatic performance, and he adds life through the play by making puns and asides to the audience at any opportunity.
Gillian Jones, a veteran performer for Belvoir, played the King’s older wife, Queen Marguerite, who was quite accepting of her husband’s demise. Jones didn’t seem very comfortable in the role and her performance seemed a bit flat.
Rebecca Massey played King Berenger’s younger, more sensitive wife Queen Marie. Massey portrayed her role as a very highly strung, manic woman, which made it a bit of a comic role.
David Woods played the King’s guard, and he played the role in a colourful, comical role.
The wonderful Billie Brown was, as usual, larger than life, playing the Doctor who has to keep advising the King that he’s dying, and that there’s nothing that he can do to help him.
Julie Forsyth, another delightful performer, played the King’s frenetic maid and gave a lovely comic, high energy performance.
Phil Slater played the trumpeter, with the trumpet music giving the show a nice regal touch.
Neil Armfield directed the production in a friendly, light, buoyant style, and akin to the inherent rhythms in the plays. Neil Cooper lit the stage well. Dale Ferguson’s costume and design set was great. The king’s throne was elegant and surreal. I liked the effect of decay of the bare lightbulbs, the cracked walls, the supporting beams shifting, and the ceiling crumbling.