Masque of Vengeance
Author(s):
Music by Edward Lambert, words by Thomas Middleton
Company:
The Music Troupe
Running time:
1h 20min approx
Political manoeuvres in Jacobean times were tumultuous (e.g. the Gunpowder plot of 1605) and Thomas Middleton's play casts a cynical eye over the amorality of powerful dynasties coupled with the politics of gender.
David Edwards, directing, has updated the background to the modern-day greed of powerful corporations. Vindicio, the revenger, is a young man played by a female mezzo-soprano; his alter ego is a madam, a procuress called Caria, acting as a go-between for lusty, power-hungry men whose target is Vindicio's own sister.
Everything comes to a head in the masked dance of the final scene during which the ruling elite are slaughtered—but no-one is blameless.
