Established in 1976, the RO Theatre of Rotterdam, one of three major Dutch theatre companies, never expected to present the Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths at the Edinburgh International Festival, but were persuaded to do so by the Festival's director, Brian McMaster. Director Alize Zandwijk certainly gets your attention, in this remarkable production that breaks every rule, while bringing startling emotional and violently physical elements into play. She changes much of the script and boils 16 characters down to ten. At the Royal Lyceum Theatre, a wildly brave cast, speaking in Dutch with English surtitles, whip around the large stage, a down and dirty rooming house of sorts, in various levels of despair, exposing their innermost thoughts and, in two instances, their bare bodies. The owner of the night shelter is the cruel and obnoxious Kostylev, acted by the slight, bald, Marc De Corte; he's married to the tough, hardened, Vasilisa, played by blond Jacqueline Blom.
As with all the residents, here, Vasilisa hates her husband; she is having an affair with Pepel, an avowed thief, who pops out of the wall fully naked, and proceeds to pull on his penis! This behavior is so peculiar that it caused considerable embarrassed laughter from the audience. But once he got his clothes back on, dark-haired Rogier Philipoom proved to be quite attractive and convincing in his role as sexual manipulator. Pencil-thin Caroline Rochlitz had the unhappy task of portraying Anna, a young woman who, although dying, is ignored by her husband. Her death prompts the actual cleansing of the entire space by water hose, which sweeps the stage and then all of the actors, who practically drown under the force of water. Other characters are Bubnov, played by Jack Wouterse, a large man who brings a surprising sensitivity to his role; Actor, a poet who mind has been destroyed by alcohol, portrayed beautifully by Stefan de Walle; and Natasja, (Sanneke Bos) Vasilisa's abused sister.
The Lower Depths, written in 1903, bears a striking resemblance to Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh, most particularly because of the role of Luka, a mysterious pilgrim, who arrives with several white plastic bags and immediately questions and probes the psyches and actions of this grimy group. Guus Dam is outstanding in the role of father-confessor, giving advice, some of it mocking, some of it truthful, all the while insisting that death is pleasant and restful and Siberia should be considered as a possible haven or route of escape.
The last scene of the play follows a harrowing sequence, in which boiling oil has been thrown on Natasja's legs and the landlord murdered, the shelter has burned down, and just a few of the characters remain. They discuss life, lit by thousands of votive candles, which cover the floor of the stage. Satin, played by Herman Gilis, is the protagonist, here, and dominates the scene.
It is said that the director takes many months to create her unique interpretations of the classics and directs only two productions a year. Convention cast aside makes for an interesting evening of theater.
