What a life! What a story!
There is more to Walter Raleigh than tobacco, potatoes and his gallantry (throwing down his cloak to save Elizabeth I getting her feet wet). Dyad Productions is currently touring with That Knave, Raleigh, a 75-minute, one-man show, effectively a monologue, written and performed by Andrew Margerison.
That Knave, Raleigh tells the story of one of the most famous men in British history as he reflects on his long life, its many glories and the route to his ultimate downfall as we accompany the Elizabethan adventurer in his final few days in the Tower of London awaiting his execution.
History, and particularly Tudor History, just keeps on giving. Walter Raleigh was a soldier and adventurer, good-looking, fashionable, poetic, romantic, gifted and ambitious, firstly in Elizabeth’s court and then in the service of James I. The days when to serve your monarch with loyalty are paramount for a courtier, despite the personal risks, seed fertile ground for tales of dash, daring and glory. Margerison personifies Raleigh in all his swaggering magnificence, complete with embellished doublets, embroidered cloaks and the famous Elizabethan ruffs (thanks to costume designer and maker Ninya Mikhaila).
Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London not once but three times. Eventually, he pays what you may think is the ultimate price in the service of the crown when part of his convoy attacks a Spanish port against orders and his head is demanded by Spain. However, the agony and personal cost for Walter is greatest when he learns of his son’s death in the same attack. Here, Margerison delivers a powerful display of anguish as he struggles to come to terms with his grief and find the strength to write to his wife Beth of the terrible news.
Indeed, the density of the monologue and intensity is such that you can long for the opportunity of just a few brief moments of relief, despite the short length of the show and the moments of heroism in Margerison’s reflections. The necessarily simple set with just a chair, table and footstool and the illuminated backdrop (from lighting designer Martin Tucker) can’t do more—the answer lies in the arc of the storytelling. Despite this, Margerison and director Rebecca Vaughan have produced a sharp and illuminating retelling of a well-known character from a period of history we thought we knew which provides more depth and texture to the man and the period.
And what a man! Reportedly, his last words, spoken to the hesitating executioner, were, "what dost thou fear? Strike, man, strike!" For many, if you could even imagine being found in the same situation, who can claim they would not be quivering wrecks? You just knew that footstool was going to be the executioner’s block at some stage.