Billy Budd review, Southwark Playhouse, The Little

When innocent Billy Budd is impressed (forced) to serve on a Royal Navy ship during the Napoleonic wars, he finds himself below decks with angry, thwarted, men looking for a fight.  It's a dog eat dog world, overseen by detached officers struggling to make soldiers of their press ganged crews, and the whip-cracking Master-at-arms, Claggart, who is both fascinated and repelled by Billy's inability to see anything but good in people and situations. Budd is a cross between priest and good luck mascot: he's an 18th century Forrest Gump. As his virtuousness starts to impact on those around him, the emotional temperature on board cools and Claggart's hold over the men starts to slip. He declares war.

Not waving but drowning

Having failed to frighten or corrupt Billy, Claggart accuses Budd of mutiny and when confronted in the Captain's quarters, Budd, reduced by fear to endless stuttering, hits Claggart - a capital offence in those times.

Billy Budd was written by Herman Melville (Moby Dick) as an allegory of the Fall - the loss of innocence in the Garden of Eden when Eve bites the apple. The Fall in Billy Budd, however, is not caused by an enticement but by the layering of brutality to the point that the victim is literally struck speechless. Eve's goodness was demanded by God. Budd's goodness is inherent; he knows no other way of being. Charlie Archer is deeply moving as Budd, and Gerrard McArthur is a menacing, muddled Taggart. They are well supported by Oliver King, Joel Grof, Jonathan Leinmuller, Iain Batchelor, Hugo Bolton, Luke Courier and Christopher Hammond. Seb Harcombe's direction is pitch perfect, and a very clever set well conveys the claustrophobia and the roll of life at sea.

In Conclusion: The first and the last few minutes are a bit odd, but the production is unexpectedly fabulous, especially given subject matter. Tension builds to a point in the second half where our entire row was leaning forwards. There were even a few tears. My young companion whose mojo is in overdrive, declared it 'a very sexy cast, even the older ones'.

References
Southwark Playhouse, Tickets

Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD   Run ends 10 August