I'm very new to the game when it comes to theatre reviews but I couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about the amazing performance put on by our university’s theatre society! I was given the honour of getting a ticket to watch The madness of George III.
From start to finish, I was captivated by the actors and plot, noting down key points in the dark as I traced my notebook pages with my finger. In this article, I’ll be taking you through a simplified version of the plot and my main takeaways, tapping into my inner English literature student.
At the start of the play, King George III served as a playfully unlikable character, being anything but a “most cultivated fellow" as one character described. He is loud, he is rude, and so easily seduced by wealth, power, and women- even having the nerve to invite his mistress to be around his wife (so toxic).
The king's descent into madness was built up with great comedic timing, keeping us hooked as we watched the chaos fall onto all those within the palace.
"Heavy is the crown for all who served it"- the king's madness had a significant impact particularly on his staff who through great costume choices, underwent transformation with grey hair and dishevelled clothes marking the stress and worry of having an incompetent king.
The king's staff also draw together to support each other through the proceedings of dealing with parliament. However, rifts are fostered as the Prince of Wales attempts to take the throne with his small following, a carbon copy of his father in regards to inflated ego and lack of interest in actually governing for the good of the people.
The madness of the king was a humiliation ritual of sorts. Stripped of authority and now subordinate to his doctors, he is secluded and undergoes an involuntary purging of his ego.
This taming involved putting the king under submission and making him obedient, with one doctor stating his aim was to "Break him as if he were a horse". There were some great subversions of the king's status including his restraint to a chair paralleling his previous position on the throne.
Whilst earlier in the play, the king constantly complained about the loss of the American colonies, his body then becomes the object colonised by his doctors, abusing their authority to rule over him. Only one person was a consistent advocate for the King apart from the queen, his new attendant.
Whilst his dethroning was humbling, was it actually triumphant? Initially, there is no resolve with the doctors being dumbfounded as to why their treatments were not working. It was a great commentary on how the removal of people in power does not necessarily mean an improved condition to lives of those without power. With the king’s incompetent son being the only alternative, I found myself rooting for the king’s full recovery to restore peace to all systems.
Under the main treatment of a doctor with unrelenting, unconventional methods, the king is whipped back into shape (almost quite literally as he was physically restrained and ball gagged during treatments) and is restored back to the throne.
The play served as a cautionary warning on how madness can be derived from power. It was also a radical depiction of a popular public fantasy- the downfall of royals.
In my opinion, the play also provided an important commentary that all power brings out selfishness and a desire for immoral gain. As all who opposed the king still had selfish intent to gain authority.
Overall, I was blown away by the level of acting, comedic timing, costumes, and quick set changes!
Everyone on stage including the stage crew did an outstanding job in fulfilling their roles- I’d highly suggest giving their instagram page a follow @sutco to keep up to date with their latest plays!
I know that I’m already waiting in anticipation for what they put on next and would like to give a special shout out to my great friend, Ian who helped me to get this amazing opportunity in the first place.
Edited by Lucy Wilcox
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