The Libertine (2007)
Directed by Bob Callender
Performances: Tuesday 15th – Saturday 19th May 2007, Prompt Corner
Contents
Introduction
John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester wrote poetry in the 1660s so frank that it remained banned until 1949. Written in the 1990s, The Libertine dramatises real events in his life.
One of the fun parts of doing a play about real people is you can research their lives and feel closer to the characters you are portraying. In this case we had Rochester’s poetry, some biographies, and the mighty portraits of Rochester and Charles II that hang in the National Portrait Gallery. Knowing that the story you are telling is drawn from life makes you want to do it well, perhaps in some peculiar way to “do justice” to the people who really lived these adventures.
Perhaps the biggest attraction of this script, was how much of it is about theatre and dramatists. The plot follows Rochester’s romance with the actress Elizabeth Barry, and his friendly rivalry with George Etherege, in the course of which many wise and true words are spoken about the theatre, and how it relates (or not) to real life.
Many of Rochester’s original poems crop up in the script, and surprisingly some of the dialogue is lifted verbatim from the diaries of the people who knew Rochester at the court of Charles II. But although the language may be historic, the style of the play is recognisably modern. We’ve decided to go for modern dress in this production and focus on the emotional content, because whether you think of this as a historical or a modern piece, the ideas and emotions it portrays are ones we can all recognise – artistic rivalry, love, rebellion, excess, hypocrisy, monarchy, religion. At times the script can be pretty dense with all the themes at play – we have done our best to find and present the emotional truth in each scene, and hope you find a few things here that will ring true for you.
Cast
- Rochester - Rob Clother
- Etherege - Matthew Davies
- Sackville - Adam Bambrough
- Downs - Siobhan Campbell
- Harris - Steve Ellis
- Alcock - Adam Crook
- Charles - Chukwudi Onwere
- Jane - Penny Allen
- Barry - Liz Chambers
- Malet - Juliet Holden
- Luscombe - Fiona Daffern
- Mrs Will - Alina Cooper
- Vizard, Mrs Wade - Dee Fancett
- Constable, Playgoer, Guard - Adrian Cross
- Kedgeo, Bouncer, Pike - Dylan Hird
- Huysmans, Punter, Staff - John Thompson
Crew
- Director - Bob Callender
- Assistant Director - Kat Moody
- Stage Management - Gavin Parker
- Stage Management - Laura King
- Sound Design - Andrew Rickinson
- Musical Director - Helen Jones
- Lighting Design & Choreography - Anna York
- Sound Operator - Fiona Mitchell
- Lighting Operator - David Redford Green
Reviews
Some review quotes go here
Gallery
Rob Clother as Rochester and Chukwudi Onwere as Charles.
Rob Clother with Penny Allen as Jane.
Steve Ellis as Harris.
Siobhan Campbell as Downs.
Photos: Mark Davies
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.
See Also
Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.
Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.
