National Theatre’s ‘Everyman’ a must-see

‘EVERYMAN’: (left to right) Amy Griffiths, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Clemmie Stevens in the hit show at the National Theatre in London. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

EVERYMAN
By Bernard O’Donoghue
A new adaptation by Carol Ann Duffy
Directed by Rufus Norris
Through August 30, 2015
National Theatre
Olivier Theatre
Upper Ground, South Bank
London, United Kingdom
(020 7452 3000), http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Broadcast in select U.S. cinemas nationwide on July 16, 2015.

Visit http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ for details

By David NouNou

Don’t let the words “based on a medieval morality play” scare you off. If anything, this modern-day translation is an epic feast for the eyes and ears. Similar to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in New York, the Olivier can house shows that would not be shown in a regular theater. The stage is massive and has plenty of room for every conceivable idea and effect desired.

Upon entering the theater, we see a scrubwoman sweeping clean the length and breadth of the stage. As the lights dim, she descends down the bowels of the stage and a body falls splat into the open pit. Talk about a theatrical jolt…wow.

There is a moral message here: Earthly comforts are fleeting only good deeds and God’s grace can provide salvation. God decides that Everyman, Ev to his friends (a character representing everyday man), needs to be taught a lesson in piety and sends a character named Death to teach him that lesson.

Ev (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is basically good, extremely prosperous and an affable person who overindulges in a hedonistic lifestyle. He wears designer clothes, dines on the finest foods, cars, jewelry, and enjoys the best life has to offer. Sex is casual and drugs are aplenty. Meanwhile, he never gives a thought to his elderly, ailing parents or his sister who takes care of them. Ev is carefree all the way.

On this particular night, Ev is celebrating his 40^th birthday with his friends, all of whom are allegorical characters/senses and wits: Sound, Passion, Vanity, Strength, Smell, Sensuality, Conscience, Touch, Taste, Sight, Deception, and Insecurity. Plenty of booze and drugs are consumed until Ev passes out cold face down.

God (Kate Duchene) is the weary scrubwoman who sends Death (Dermot Crowley) to claim Ev’s life and show him what an irresponsible life he led and how meaningless all his worldly possessions were. Worst yet, not one single person will stand beside him on judgment day; not his parents, sister nor any of his friends or acquaintances.

Upon viewing the cover of the program and knowing the title of the play, one can surmise the show’s premise but cannot imagine the impeccable theatricality of it, thanks to Rufus Norris’s brilliant direction. With the use of music, splendid costumes and masks, remarkable sets and special effects, the whole event springs to life. The surprise element here is how vividly everything unfolds. This you must see for yourself.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, best known in America for his Oscar-nominated role of Solomon Northup in the 2013 Oscar-winning film 12 Years A Slave, is remarkable. From his partying mode entrance to his final defeated and penitent moments, he is consistently riveting and fascinating to watch.

We kind of know that God can be vengeful, but a woman as well? Kate Duchene imbues her character with exact weariness. Ms. Duchene is a supreme being who is oh so tired of the whole mess. On the other hand, Dermot Crowley as Death loves his job and plays him with relish. He can’t wait to claim his next victim.

Everyman will be broadcast live this July 16, 2015 in theatres across America. Visit http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/venues for information. If you cannot make it to London this summer, do catch the show at one of the U.S. cinemas showing it. Should you be in London through November 30, 2015, catch “Everyman” live to experience its complex theatricality.

‘EVERYMAN’: Chiwetel Ejiofor & company. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: The cast of the show. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: Chiwetel Ejiofor & Kate Duchene. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: Dermot Crowley & Chiwetel Ejiofor. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: (left to right) Sharon D. Clarke, Michelle Butterly & Philip Martin Brown. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 25, 2015
Reviewed at performance on June 17, 2015 in London