The Madness of King George III

Oxford Playhouse

Wednesday 21st October – Saturday 24th October

Thursday 7.30p.m., Friday 8.00p.m., Saturday 2.30p.m. and 7.30p.m.

“The impending crisis of the King’s madness reaches a climax at the end of the first half – an extremely shocking visual symbol of the King strapped down to a chair, gagged, and struggling to break free, sent a chill down my spine – in seeing the King as a shadow of his former self really brings even a 21^st century audience out of their comfort zone.” Pete Hutton ★★★★★

“All those around me left the theatre desperate to discuss and relive portions of what they had just seen – surely an indication of the play’s success and value.” Finola Austin ★★★★★

The Madness of King George III ★★★★★

Review by Pete Hutton

Alan Bennett’s The Madness of King George III proved itself last night as a fantastic play, admirably performed in The Playhouse.  Concerning King George’s first fit of ‘madness’ in 1788, it touches upon the clandestine political manoeuvres of his government, the ineptitude of his family doctors, and some highly-questionable family values.

The play opens with the King personifying clemency, wisdom and diligence; all inherent qualities in a ruler of the Empire.  This soon changes, however, when a sudden attack of abdominal pain shows his first sign of illness.  The mere mention of the ‘loss of the colonies’ provokes a raging fit, but his doctors are more preoccupied with money and appearances than to ‘be so bold as to carry out a physical examination’. The initial joviality of court gives way to a rather more sinister set of circumstances, seen most clearly in the very effective complete disappearance of music. The impending crisis of the King’s madness reaches a climax at the end of the first half – an extremely shocking visual symbol of the King strapped down to a chair, gagged, and struggling to break free, sent a chill down my spine – in seeing the King as a shadow of his former self really brings even a 21^st century audience out of their comfort zone.

The eerie atmosphere takes prime position in the second half with much less colour, a smaller stage presence, and the seemingly inevitable succession of King George’s son to Prince Regent.  The cast had obviously put a lot of effort into perfecting the accents and mannerisms of 18^th-century England; however, Jonathan Tilley (King George) brought a stellar performance to the night.  His portrayal of an elderly man was spot-on, and this allowed the audience to sympathize with George as both king and patient.

At three hours long, its duration for many might prove a little testing.  The scene-changing was on the whole well-executed, but some scenes struggled to add much.  The Madness of George III ruthlessly swings the audience between a comedy of pompous court life, and the tragedy of a King losing everything he loves, and then back again.  In short, this historical play that director Will Cudmore has brought to life, falls just short of an excellent student production, but is very much worth seeing.

The Madness of King George III ★★★★★

Review by Finola Austin

The Playhouse was buzzing tonight for the opening of the academic year’s first major student production – Alan Bennet’s ‘The Madness of King George III’ – and, despite a few first night hiccups and a slightly slow start, the audience was certainly not disappointed. The colourful costuming and gorgeous soundtrack transported us back to 1788 with ease and the adaptability of the relatively simple set helped the play gather momentum and excitement. By the time Jonathan Tilley (as George III) found himself restrained in a chair by his physician and attendants as Handel’s music filled the theatre at the end of the first half the audience was transfixed.

Tilley’s portrayal of a man in the throes of madness was so convincing as to be difficult viewing at some points in the play. The physicality of his performance was particularly remarkable, given that the challenge of playing an older man was coupled with the need to convey his deterioration in the course of the production. Yet his was, by no means, the only strong performance. Philip Aspin (as Pitt) was particularly convincing and Emile Halpin got the balance right between the absurd and the sinister in his portrayal of the Prince of Wales.

The staging of the piece was both practical and visually appealing – the steps which comprised most of the stage area allowed great flexibility in the actors’ use of the performance space and the wide range of levels was particularly effective in the larger scenes and the creation of tableaux. Some scenes however took place slightly too far to the left and right at certain points – damaging visibility for some of the audience (I was unable to see Ellie Buchdahl, as Queen Charlotte, at all in her first scene alone with Tilley). Similarly, despite the tiers the steps provided, some actors’ faces were occasionally blocked from view by the others, even when they were speaking – a minor irritant in such an enjoyable production.

Overall the production was attractive, intelligent and engaging and seems set to get even better with the correction of the minor errors of tonight’s performance. All those around me left the theatre desperate to discuss and relive portions of what they had just seen – surely an indication of the play’s success and value.