Life is a Dream
Donmar Warehouse, London
Spain’s “golden age of drama” coincides with or is just after England’s. So for Marlowe, Shakespeare and Jonson, think of Cervantes (yes, he was a playwright too), Lope de Vega and Calderon. Thus, theatre history makes Life is a Dream worth a visit.
The king’s son, Segismundo, has been imprisoned since birth, unaware he is the rightful prince. This is the result of a
prophecy that he will destroy the kingdom. However, the monarch is having qualms about his decision and decides to test his offspring. Segismundo is drugged, taken from his cell to the palace and wakes up being dressed in the finest clothes by attendants. Is this a dream?
He is not grateful, though. He rails against those he regards as complicit in his incarceration, throwing an advisor out the window for daring to tell him to act with caution. When he sees Rosaura, he attempts to rape her. Segismundo is again drugged and returned to his cell. Was his brief moment of power just am illusion?
A sub-plot is formed around Rosaura. She is returning to the kingdom in order to avenge an injury done to her honour. Like Segismundo, she has lost her rightful position.
The populace become aware of the prince’s existence, rebel and restore Segismundo. Now that he is given a second chance, will he act with moderation?
A central theme is pre-destination versus the ability to shape your own fate. In Calderon’s day, this would have been a fundamental philosophical argument between Calvinists and Roman Catholicism. Good works, Catholics believe(d), were the route to Heaven.
A more contemporary debate concerns nature versus nurture. Is the prince’s behaviour a result of his being abandoned or are there grounds for suspecting his arrogance stems from his royal blood?
However, this production is less interested in highlighting themes than in giving an atmospheric rendition of the text. The play opens with handclapping and the stomping of feet. The costumes seem authentic, from the rags of the captive to the armour of the warriors. The sombre feel of a land ruled by the inquisition is captured by the bleak lighting, with unobtrusive music in support.
The inquisition is further alluded to when we see two prisoners being (self?) flagellated, their jailer holding a cross. The sign of the cross is also present as the prisoner is carried on and off stage.
Calderon is considered to have imitated the structure of Lope De Vega’s plays, but to have added a poetic quality. Here, Helen Edmundson’s version includes a richness of vocabulary, written in a declarative style.
A lot of interest will be in actor Dominic West. The star of The Wire plays Segismundo with plausible intensity. Indeed, all the cast deliver competent performances. I liked the versatility of Lloyd Hutchinson, who plays Clarion the servant and jester, although it
did not find the humour as enjoyable as others in the audience.
Life is a Dream is a good play then, but not great. What stops it being so is the text. What are we to make of Aslolfo, cousin to Segismundo? A loyal follower or a hypocrite? Is Segismundo, in the end, a hypocrite? You might say this allows for a personal interpretation but I don’t think that good enough – it is too ambiguous. I’m still pleased I saw the play and would recommend going – but that ambiguity is a large fault.
Richard Woulfe
