An Ethereal Dystopia: Review of the RSC's Cymbeline 


Melly Still, the director of the RSC's latest production of Shakespeare's Cymbeline has created a dark, elfin dystopia, which highlights the rather topical issue of national identity already present in the original play. 

There are conflicts within this production as the dystopia seems to foreshadow a post-Brexit war for Britain whilst also aspiring to return to the past to a time of faeries, goblins and gnomes. The costumes certainly have a hint of the fay about them in their tattered, torn layers of tulle most notable in Innogen's costume, which makes a re-appearance later in the play stained with blood. Perhaps hinting at the death of Britain's fairy folk with the imminent war with Rome? This is most evident with Belarius' entrance with his stolen children, Guideria and Arviragus as they emerge singing and dancing from their badger-like sett of a home in the forest. However, the conflict between the desire to return to the past versus the threat of the oncoming future is enjoyable to watch.

Another innovative approach which Melly Still takes is to have a Queen Cymbeline (Gillian Bevan). The impact of having a Queen Cymbeline rather than a King Cymbeline is that there is a more tender relationship with Innogen (Bethan Cullinane). Despite Cymbeline's initial anger at the opening of the play because of Innogen's love of Posthumus played by the talented Hiran Abeysekera. Their young lust results in their secret marriage before Posthumus is banished into exile, with the hope of encouraging Innogen to marry Cloten, her step-brother, played with energy and comedy by Marcus Griffiths. 

Innogen becomes the true focus of this production (to the extent where it might have done well to be retitled Innogen instead of Cymbeline) and this is rightly so. The character is rich with potential. I particularly admired the bold choice to stage her self-discovery  to say it politely. The painfully dark scene wherein Jachimo (Oliver Johnstone) sets about to win his bet by stealing into her room hidden in a trunk and manipulating her vulnerable sleeping body is brilliantly staged with small capsules of humour thrown in to break the tension with much needed comic relief. Arguably the comedy here could be seen to be inappropriate, however I think it makes staging such an unpleasant violation bearable whilst still making it evident that his actions are criminal. Something which sadly still needs to be said today as issues regarding what constitutes rape are argued daily. What then happens to Innogen as a result of this defilement highlights the fragility of women's reputation today as much as in the 1600s. Something which Pisania (instead of Pisanio, another example of the gender exchanges made by Still) played by Kelly Williams makes all to evident when she receives Posthumus's letter instructing her to kill her mistress for her alleged adultery. 

This is a truly fresh look at Cymbeline, one really worth seeing because of its marriage of the play's universal issues of national identity and the role of women. The run is on until the 15th October in Stratford upon Avon before it moves to the Barbican in London from October 31 to 17th December.