Review: (Re)Present Monologue Night

How did Rosaline fare after Romeo moved on to Juliet? What were Caliban’s thoughts over the dispossession of his island once Prospero landed? Why did Macbeth’s Porter do nothing as he heard murderous screams? If you’ve ever wondered any of these questions, the (Re)Present Monologue Night was certainly for you.

Student written and performed monologues gave new life, voice, and agency to those forgotten, yet infinitely fascinating, characters of Renaissance drama. Issues of gender, race, and class are (re)presented and subsequently re-explored. The (re)presented characters of Renaissance drama took centre stage, in front of a starlit background, telling us of their thoughts, regrets, sorrows or rage in a series of intimate soliloquies.

A snapshot from rehearsals. Image credits: Charlotte Bunney

This was a dramatic project designed and organised by Anna Freeman, interested in the brilliant characters which litter Renaissance drama who are often “undercut” by their historical contexts. It was a fresh, radical, and exciting project – a unique experience in Cambridge theatre. (Re)Present was a creative event which gave space to student writers, directors, and performers to collaborate. For this, it was a total success. Certainly something we need to see more of in Cambridge theatre, and hopefully a project which will continue in the future.

Image credits: Charlotte Bunney

Each monologue was unique, with its own individual preoccupations, as we navigate the different dramatic universes. We moved from bitter, vindicating monologues following the end of the play such as Katherine (Lizzie Banner, Alessandra Rey, Heenal Shah) from The Taming of the Shrew to an intimate portrayal of the human behind the fool in Feste (Maia von Malaisé, Ella Scott) from Twelfth Night and then to Gloriana’s (Molly Elliott, Mercy Brewer, Jacob Tucker) eloquent defence of her lover in Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy (yes, the cast didn’t just stick to Shakespeare!) who in the original text appears only as an unburied skull. The dead, the downtrodden, and the abused all had the chance to speak again in (Re)Present.

The night was therefore one of great diversity – in characters and style – as new narratives were forged both in prose and verse. It enabled both writer and performer to dig deeper into the themes producing either a new sympathy or understanding of a specific character.

Image credits: Charlotte Bunney

The staging worked well, too. Minimalist and intimate, it was just the performer and audience as the (re)presented characters took centre stage. This approach worked well, making us pay total attention to the new, intriguing lines which had been crafted around these characters. A psychological focus and dissection with no clutter or distraction.

The delivery showed moments of slight nervousness. However, for such an ambitious dramatic project, and the palpable creativity on the sides of both writers and performers, this nervousness did not detract at all from the overall show. This was a top-class performance in the Cambridge theatre scene and a fantastic idea overall.

Being such a radical and thrilling experience, unique in Cambridge theatre for its creative and dramatic ambitions, it is only a shame that (Re)Present didn’t run for any longer. I guess we will simply have to wait for a future instalment!

4.5/5

The (Re)Present Monologue Night in tandem with the Marlowe Society was on at the ADC Theatre on the 22^nd February for one night only. The performance’s Camdram page can be found here.

Feature image credits: Charlotte Bunney