The Duchess of Malfi at The Trafalgar Theatre
21st November 2024
The Duchess of Malfi is a modern-day adaptation of John Webster's Jacobean tragedy. It stars Jodie Whittaker as the titular Duchess. A small group from the theatre group attended the evening performance on Thursday evening 21 November. We knew of mixed reviews so were keen to see the production ourselves. The first half highlights various issues of wealth and gender with the duchess powerful over her two brothers and servants through money and her brothers have power over her through misogyny and it also highlights male domestic violence.
The second half descends rather into the macabre with the graphic murders of the duchess, her daughter, maid and finally “husband” using at times explicit backdrops of filming. Ending with the deaths of her brothers and the ghost of the duchess persuading the henchman to redeem himself by saving her young son.
The performances are powerful, but the setup feels so overbearingly orchestrated that you do not feel the characters’ passion or anger. However, it is always good to see live theatre and decide for ourselves.
Contributed by Mary Garside
