Lazarus Theatre Company return to Southwark Playhouse this Autumn with a production that promises not to be for the faint-hearted. Turning their bold ensemble methods to a reinterpretation of Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s rarely staged play The Changeling, audiences are ensured a thrilling and unsettling pre-cursor to Halloween.
In this contemporary adaptation, expect the extreme with an intense love-hate relationship, sexual tension, and murderous chaos, all brought to life with radical theatrics that will leave audiences stunned.
Stuck within the depths of a glamorous masculine society, The Changeling centres around a powerful and lustful woman who catastrophically turns against what is expected of her. When Beatrice Joanna enlists the assistance of her devoted yet repulsive servant De Flores in ridding her of the unwanted suitor she is betrothed to, she unwittingly becomes tangled in the grasps of a much more dangerous and abhorrent relationship.
Fuelled by an unexplainable and sadistic pull to each other, Beatrice and De Flores spiral into an epic horror, taking the audience with them as they face ghosts and lunatics along with their twisted compulsion for one another. This dramatic and energetic plot with the dedication to push the physicality of theatre will get the blood pumping and hearts racing.
In this epic theatrical showcase, the award-winning ensemble company who reimagine and revitalise classic plays in visual, visceral and vibrant productions, will push the boundaries of modern theatre and the expectations of being taken on a journey. Presenting intense visuals, sharp and fast-paced staging as well as striking bloody action, The Changeling is for audiences looking to experience a trip into the uncanny and immersive.
Director Ricky Dukes comments, Middleton and Rowley’s The Changeling is one of, if not, the best tragedies of the English Renaissance. It packs a punch, is entirely unapologetic, gutsy and full throttle, gloriously gory and theatrically daring. We can’t wait to return to Southwark Playhouse where we are transforming the auditorium into a Mad Men inspired in-the-round supercharged bunker. Things will definitely get messy. It’s going to be quite the ride.
