The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary
30 December 2024
Southwark Playhouse Borough
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Massive Tragedy Of Madame Bovary, currently running at the Southwark Playhouse Borough until 11 January, is based on the 1856 book by Gustave Flaubert, with a few narrative changes, a comedy treatment, and a framing device thrown in.
Emma Bovary dreams of luxury and romance, but finds herself in a boring marriage in a provincial setting with nothing much to do. She amuses herself with a few affairs and living beyond her means via a money lender to afford small luxuries that make her life more bearable. Eventually, her exploits come back to haunt her.
In this iteration, the framing device of a pair of rat catchers is added to the story, though it is not entirely clear why, as they serve very little purpose apart from being there in Emma’s darkest hour and getting her to retell her life’s story. Apart from that, they really don’t add much to the story beside a little comic relief. Generally, the production is almost panto-esque, with plenty of fourth wall breaking, explaining of situations and motives, and some very cheap jokes.
While the four-strong cast is doing their best frantically acting through several roles with different accents, postures, and maneurisms, showing expert comedic timing, and overall bringing high energy to the show, the material itself is a little over-the-top and doesn’t seem to come together quite as well as it could have.
There are definitely a good amount of laughs to be had, the idea seems a little under-developed. A generally more scandalous and tragic story portrayed as a funny holiday romp just doesn’t quite gel, though the cast’s talent and comedic edge do provide a good bit of entertainment throughout.
