The Stage

Madness in Valencia

Published Friday 12 February 2010 at 12:05 by Lalayn Baluch

Brash, bawdy and travelling at a thunderous speed (quite literally - the floorboards were convulsing beneath me), Simon Evans’ production of Madness in Valencia is an intoxicating eddy that pulls you in, shakes you about, and spits you out again.

David Frias Robles (Leonato) and Laurence Fuller (Pisano) in Madness In Valencia at Trafalgar Studios Photo: Tristram Kenton

The audience is immediately thrown into 16th century Valencia, where a young man called Floriano seeks refuge in a mental asylum after murdering a prince. Meanwhile, a young woman called Erifila finds herself in the same place after running away from her family and being robbed of everything she owns. Amid the “loonies”, the pair fall in love and are left questioning what sanity really is.

Dating back to 1590-95, the play was written by Lope de Vega, a contemporary of Shakespeare and a man credited with launching popular theatre in Spain. It has all the elements that you would associate with one of Shakespeare’s comedies - a messy mix of runaways, secret identities and unrequited love, which ends in happy resolution. And the translation by David Johnston, with contemporary references, gives this show a modern edge.

Evans’ production originally opened at the White Bear theatre last August, and with its energy and strong, comic performances, it deserves the move to the Trafalgar Studios. The simple set and lighting allows the show to be led by the actors, particularly Kathryn Beaumont and William Belchambers, who do a stellar job playing the lovers. Special mention should also be given to Laurence Fuller, whose crazed doctor Pisano will make your skin crawl.

This show could play to 1,500 at the Globe Theatre, and be a success. Someone get Dominic Dromgoole on the phone.