Review: Equivocation at Seattle Repertory Theatre
The Seattle Repertory Theatre is currently presenting Equivocation written by Bill Cain. This play is directed by Bill Rauch, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director. Mr. Rauch just recently was awarded the 2009 national Margo Jones award. The award honors Mr. Rauch’s past and current work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
The play is based on the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in London. The plot happened during the reign of King James I when a small group of Catholics came up with a plan to kill the King and members of Parliament. The scheme was to dig a tunnel beneath the House of Parliament, then fill it with thirty-six barrels of gunpowder.
By killing the King and his Parliament the men behind the plot wanted religious freedom from the heavily restrictive laws placed on Catholics by the King. But as history notes, the plot was discovered. Guy Fawkes and his thirteen co-conspirators were caught. I always wondered when visiting Canada the reason for their celebration of Guy Fawkes Day. The day honors the defeat of the Gunpowder Plot, which some historians believe may not have occurred at all. Some think it was a lie; a lie established by the King for political gain against the Catholics. Guy Fawkes confessed after several days of torture.
So this sets the stage and is the climate of “Equivocation.” The King has ordered William Shakespeare aka Shagspeare and his company of actors at the Globe Theatre to present a play about these events. Ever helpful, the King has written his own draft of the play and even wants witches in the play.
The entire OSF cast from Oregon reprise their roles for us. Anthony Heald, Richard Elmore, Jonathan Haugen, John Tufts, Gregory Linington, Christine Albright; the entire cast is dazzling in their many roles. This play has bits and pieces from King Lear and Macbeth and the gestures and body movement by the cast in action is wonderful. The character’s depth of behavior as they begin to question the events was also entertaining to watch. In the prison tower, Shakespeare has a chance to interview two of the men involved.
What would Shakespeare have done? He sees problems with the physical evidence. The plot wasn’t logical to him. How could have the alleged plotters carried out all that dirt and gotten a hold of so much gunpowder? The King’s man, Sir Robert Cecil refused Shakespeare’s request to view the physical evidence and look at the tunnel.
This play asks some interesting questions during a time of strife and terror. Bill Cain, the playwright probably considered 9/11 and the aftermath of the government’s statement about weapons of mass destruction when writing this play. Consider sometimes, the problem of what authority figures are telling us. We don’t want to have to question the people that are suppose to be protecting us. This play is so well written with both real historic figures and fictional characters that you can believe it happened just the way it is presented in this very thought provoking play.
Equivocation plays at Seatle Rep Theatre through December 13, 2009. Tickets range from 15-$59. Anyone 25 and under may purchase tickets for only $12 for any performance (with ID – call the theater for details). For more info and tickets, visit www.seattlerep.org.
– Ethel W.
