Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon in Exit the King
First Broadway Revival of Eugene Ionesco Play
By: Charles Giuliano - Mar 30, 2009
Exit the King
By Eugène Ionesco
Adapted by Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush; directed by Mr. Armfield, based on a production commissioned and produced by Company B and Malthouse Melbourne; sets and costumes by Dale Ferguson; lighting by Damien Cooper; sound by Russell Goldsmith; music by John Rodgers; production stage manager, Evan Ensign; production manager, Aurora Productions; associate producer, Ronnie Planalp. Presented by Stuart Thompson, Robert Fox, Howard Panter, Scott Rudin, Tulchin/Bartner, Jon B. Platt, John Frost, the Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick, Michael Edwards and Carole Winter, Daniel Sparrow/Mike Walsh and the Shubert Organization. At the Ethel Barrymore Theater, 243 West 47th Street, Manhattan, (212) 239-6200. Through June 14. Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes. Cast:: Geoffrey Rush (King Berenger), Susan Sarandon (Queen Marguerite), Lauren Ambrose (Queen Marie), William Sadler (the Doctor), Brian Hutchison (the Guard) and Andrea Martin (Juliette).
What's not to like about Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon starring in the first Broadway revival of Eugene Ionesco's (1909-1944) Theatre of the Absurd play "Exit the King" (1962)? Well, quite a lot actually.
With a "dream cast" starring two Oscar winners Rush and Sarandon making rare Broadway appearances there has been a Rush of excitement, strong ticket sales, and mostly rave reviews. There is even media coverage of Rush as a spot on winner of a Tony Award. Hogwash. Indeed, how Absurd.
The plot, such as it is, that the King, alleged to be some 400 years old, is dying was revealed within minutes of the first act. We spend the remainder of a rather tedious evening waiting for the monarch to croak. But not until Rush has enthralled the audience with remarkable bathos and physical comedy. He is indeed a wonder to watch as he twists and turns about with acrobatic ability and hilarious pratfalls. Well, yes, it is rather funny at times, but not often enough. It is hard to drag a gag and one liner into a full evening.
This play is a set piece for the remarkable skills of the Australian actor who is best known for over the top roles like his stints in "Pirates of the Caribbean" opposite the wonderfully inventive Johnny Depp. Rush is a resourceful actor who throws the whole kit into this slight vehicle. Is there an obvious reason why the play has not been revived in almost a half century since its inception?
While Ionesco is linked in the genre of Theatre of the Absurd to Samuel Beckett, and "Exit the King" is described as his most "Beckettian" play, the comparisons are unconvincing. Overall, Ionesco has not aged well. Decades ago I saw Zero Mostel on Broadway in an Ionesco "masterpiece" "Rhinoceros" (premiered in 1959) and was underwhelmed. I recall Mostel doing a lot of bellowing as he morphed like a Kafka character into a beast. In performing Ionesco great actors like Mostel and Rush are mandated to pull out all the stops beyond the limits of human decency.
Rush portrays the ancient King Berenger I, with grotesque makeup that makes him look more like a pathetic old Queen. He lumbers and lurches about in a chintzy, cheapo set with hanging painted scrims, and ungainly costumes designed by Dale Ferguson. It is supposed to convey a decaying palace and shrinking kingdom but mostly this looks like a set thrown together with stuff from Walmart and Home Depot. Adding insult to injury the King and his two Queens, the elder, Marguerite (Susan Sarandon) and the younger, Marie (Lauren Ambrose) wear ball gowns and drag along ridiculously long ermine robes. As sight gags they have an initial comic impact but the actors are stuck manipulating and tripping over them until it becomes really tedious and painful to watch.
Overall, the production values: Sets, costumes, and props are more like "bare pipe" summer stock than Broadway. And my heart truly went out to the game Brian Hutchinson who milked the minor role of The Guard, but paid the price, by clanging about all evening in a suit of armor. Over the run of a play it is sure to give him a nasty rash and appointments with a chiropractor.
To round out the cast the other characters are the Doctor, William Sadler, and the maid, Juliette, Andrea Martin. The Doctor also doubles up as court astrologer and executioner. The King is so fond of dispatching subjects "Off with their heads" that there are literally none left. Through 400 years of despotic rule and debts the Kingdom has also shrunk to the confines of the footprint of the decaying castle.
Juliette proved to be a delicious scene stealer. Her every moment and line was wonderful accented by terrific movement, gestures and improvisation. She throws her hands up stating that given all her many duties, she is indeed the last and only servant, there is not enough time to tidy up the living room. "Throne Room" she is imperiously corrected by Queen Margurite. Whatever Your Majesty.
As to the Queens there is predictable rivalry. Currently we are in the midst of the magnificent Showtime series "The Tudors." There is the riveting tension between Henry's discarded wife Catherine, and his concubine, Anne Boleyn. But, alas, between the middle aged, Sarandon, and the young Ambrose, there is nothing like what one would hope for.
Overall, Sarandon is so frosty, distant and apathetic in her role that she might have just mailed it in. Mostly she stands about looking pained, annoyed and relishing the demise of the King. While he races against time and flounders about grasping to life. For the long suffering Marguerite, allegedly over several centuries, his death is a done deal and just a matter of time; as she delights in reminding him. The Queen and the Doctor regularly count down the minutes remaining. Stepping out of illusion Ionesco informs us that the end must come by the end of the play. Similarly, there is another breach when, with a clang of his spear on the floor, the Guard announces the end of act one. This play within a play device informs us that this is, after all, a play. How absurd.
In making her Broadway debut Lauren Ambrose has made the leap from starring as Claire in the critically acclaimed HBO series "Six Feet Under" to legitimate theatre. If Queen Marguerite is underplayed then her Queen Marie is overdone. The notion is to balance their performances but Ambrose lacks the skill and experience to achieve this goal. Her histrionics in throwing herself at Berenger just lack nuance and conviction.
Let's exit by reflecting on Theatre of the Absurd. What's lacking in Ionesco is the irony and timeless, humanistic issues which endure in Beckett. It is why we come back to Beckett time and again despite the restraints that his estate impose on productions. By contrast, reviving Ionesco just brushes off a dated period piece. His absurdities may well have been more innovative and exciting a half century ago. Critics have attempted to connect "Exit the King" to timely contemporary issues but I find that a stretch. "Exit the King" strikes me less as an example of Theatre of the Absurd than just a lousy play and a bloody bore. What a waste of such a gifted cast.
If Rush is nominated for a Tony, as well may be the case, that just indicates the absurd depths to which Broadway has devolved. Yes, Rush is a remarkable actor but this is far from his best work. As for Sarandon, well, fuggedahbouit. If all that glitters is not gold then surely this was fool's gold.