The Masque Of Anarchy
Directed by Sarah Frankcom
Performer Maxine Peake
Manchester is no stranger to culture with
its variety of famous museums, galleries and theatres ranging from the intimate
Three Minute Theatre all the way through to the exquisite Lowry, a city of
musical notoriety and history that now more than ever seems to be back with a
bang. The Manchester International Festival is a celebration of that attracting
over 200’000 visitors in its recent years. The festival not only brings renowned
International artists to our stage but also commissions a broad range of
original works to be showcased in our hometown.
This year I was particularly excited by two
high profile events. Kenneth Brannagh was to grace the stage as Macbeth and
Maxine Peake was to perform a political poem by writer Percy Bysshe Shelley,
directed by Royal Exchange Artistic Director Sarah Frankcom. Sadly I was too
slow off the mark to purchase Macbeth tickets but I was lucky enough to squeeze
into a performance of the latter.
The Masque of Anarchy was to be performed
just four times over three days. I booked a ticket for the final show on the
Sunday evening at 9.45pm. I was to attend alone and was extremely excited about
seeing a show inside the historic Albert Hall. As I reached Peter Street I was
greeted by a huge queue and hoped that my ‘standing only’ ticket would still
allow me to get up close to the drama. The air felt electric as the crowd of all
ages, styles and backgrounds started to slowly enter the building, chattering excitedly
to each other like children on a school trip. We headed up the stone staircase
and into what can only be described as an old beautiful chapel, a perfect setting
for such haunting subject matter. The hall was busy and sweaty yet the quiet
orchestral music still created chills. The stage was awash with candles and the
room was full of anticipation. Shelley’s
powerful 91 verse poem written about the Peterloo Massacre was banned for 30
years and it has not lost any of its poignancy in today’s news. At 10pm the
fidgeting crowd drew a breath and silenced as Maxine appeared, elegantly
dressed in a long white dress, candle in hand and stepped to the centre of the
stage. She announced the title before
commencing with the rollercoaster of verses, wide eyed as if in a dream like
state she flawlessly recited the poem almost making its old language seem
modern. Her hands shook with adrenalin as she conducted her audience with a mix
of hope, vulnerability and power. ‘What is Freedom?’ She asks after a whirlwind
of verse and people shuffled in the silence as if expected to respond. Everyone
hung to her every word, hand gesture and breath straight through to the final
repetition of ‘Ye are many- they are few’ and all too soon it was over. After a
humble bow Maxine exited through the audience who seemed nothing less than enlightened
by the experience.
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