Review: Archduke (Royal Court)

Review by Daz Gale

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It felt quite fitting that on the hottest day of the year, I spent my evening in a theatre that is having a pretty hot year itself. Royal Court can already boast two of the most acclaimed and my personal favourite plays of the year, with Guess How Much I Love You? and John Proctor Is The Villain, with the latter locking in a West End transfer for early next year. Hot on the heels of that success is the UK premiere of Archduke, bringing a new twist on the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Would this production prove to be a killer hit, or would it end up being too bitter a pill to swallow?

Premiering in 2017, Archduke enjoyed a run off-Broadway last year, but this marks the first time it has crossed the pond to be seen in the UK. Set in Belgrade in 1914, it sees three hungry young men given an opportunity that won’t just change their lives - it will also change the course of history. Offering a possible origin story for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, this play examines those responsible for it, exploring their motives and even wondering what would have happened if they’d decided not to go ahead with the assassination that fateful day.

If that sounds serious, it really isn’t. Archduke sets itself up as a dark comedy, never taking itself too seriously and relishing in the absurdity of it all. Written by Rajiv Joseph, it takes a decent idea and exhibits moments of brilliance, while others feel frustratingly underbaked. The issue is how inconsistent the play is, with differing kinds of comedy that don’t segue together seamlessly, leading to a slightly jarring narrative. Each scene has a slightly different style and tone from those that came before, and if you had told me each had been penned by a different writer, I would have believed you. While the versatility in Joseph’s writing can be admired, it also lacks a sense of cohesiveness to tie it all together.

The opening scene bears more than a passing resemblance to Waiting for Godot, as we meet our three young antiheroes - this is probably where the play is at its strongest, though when it attempts to dive into exaggerated physical comedy, it falls short. Touching on absurdist theatre but never quite committing, Archduke dips its toe into a wide range of styles. There are moments where there are obvious comparisons to Operation Mincemeat, and then the introduction of the character of “Apis” feels like something you would see in one of Mischief Comedy’s Goes Wrong shows. Only, not quite. The temptation to say those aspects are like Mischief Gone Wrong is all too much, and it probably is unfair to the show. There is nothing wrong with Archduke, per se - it just feels like it isn’t the best version of itself just yet.

Lyndsey Turner attempts to make some sense of the uneven narrative through her direction, and finds some fantastic moments, such as the comic precision of the final scene’s opening, ensuring the biggest laugh of the night by far and showcasing the strength that could have been found through tightening the story. Though Turner is a remarkable director and makes the best with this story, there are limitations, and the wandering style also creeps into the direction in places. However, Turner’s direction is overall much stronger than the sum of its parts, and lifts Archduke to make it more enjoyable than it otherwise might have been - even on a scorching hot day. I would say, though, at just under two hours including an interval, this play might have worked better straight through, as bringing the momentum back in the second act took a little while.

The strongest aspect of Archduke is actually its design. Es Devlin is responsible for some of my favourite set designs in recent years, and she may have found a whole new level of genius in her design for Archduke. Transforming the stage of the Royal Court’s main space, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, into a warped tunnel, the attention to detail is awe-inspiring to witness. A real marvel when it comes to design, it is like nothing I have seen on stage before and likely ever will again, coming to life further through Neil Austin’s lighting. When the extreme set change happens near the end and leaves again, the purpose of the design makes complete sense and is a fine example of a designer at the top of her game.

Though they suffer from confusion in the writing, the cast all prove excellent in their roles. Stanley Morgan is the first person we meet as Gavrilo, and he proves to be the common factor throughout. The initially sweet and nervous boy soon grows into a man through some great characterisation, wonderfully realised by Morgan. Chris Walley forms a strong double act with him as Nedeljko, and the scenes with them together are some of the strongest in the play. However, the introduction of more characters splits them up, and Walley finds himself with less to do, frustratingly, given how strong he started. Abraham Popoola is a force to be reckoned with as Trifko, making a larger-than-life impression initially, though he similarly threatens to fade into the background as the stage becomes busier; he does his best to prevent this from happening.

Marc Wootton delivers a memorable and, by default, standout turn as Dragutin “Apis” Dimitrijevic. The trouble is it always feels as if he is in a different show to the one everyone else is in. An eccentric, overblown and downright weird characterisation is played brilliantly, with his pairing with Sladjana the most intriguing and even unsettling dynamic of the play. That role is played by Janice Connolly, embodying the strangeness of the character that seems to get more bizarre with every appearance. There is an intensity to the character that somehow goes from comedy to sinister, with Connolly expertly navigating these conflicting needs.

Archduke is a rather strange show, but it is certainly never boring. I can see the vision, and some elements do work remarkably well, but others fall oddly flat. Its biggest problem, however, is how utterly chaotic it is. I’m quite partial to a bit of chaos in theatre, but it needs to be organised chaos, and the organisation was nowhere to be found here, unfortunately. This is definitely a show that is going to split opinion and once again demonstrate just how subjective both theatre and comedy is. I imagine it will have its share of lovers and haters, though I myself fall somewhere in the middle, thinking it was fine but nowhere near the standard of Royal Court’s previous productions this year. While Archduke has the gun locked and loaded, it fails to pull the trigger, leading to a show that is on the precipice of greater success, but somehow misses, becoming more of a misfire.

Precipice plays at Royal Court until 25th July. Tickets from https://royalcourttheatre.com/events/archduke/ 

Photos by Helen Murray