The Libertine
By Stephen Jeffreys
Cheltenham Playhouse, 2nd - 5th October 2019
Rochester was a man who was endowed with every conceivable talent and chose, deliberately and methodically, to waste each one.
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. Charismatic poet, playwright and rake with a legendary appetite for excess. An anti-monarchist friend of Charles II, an atheist who converted to Christianity and a lyric poet who revelled in obscenity.
The play opens in 1675 when Rochester is just 28. Already a writer and poet of reputed brilliance, his irreverence is starting to lose acceptability with the king as he continues to relentlessly test the limits of his society. Caught in a downward spiral of feverish alcohol-fuelled mischief-making and sexual excess, his downfall is finally set in motion when he falls madly in love with Elizabeth Barry, the young actress he is attempting to mold.
With all the wit, flair and bawdiness of a Restoration comedy, this bold new production of Stephen Jeffreys' provocative play is an incisive critique of life in an age of excess.
The play contains strong language and adult themes throughout.
...A fantastic play, with a fantastic vision and cast that bring something new to the Cheltenham theatre scene, a real breath of fresh air.
The versatile cast is in fine form throughout. It's ribald, suggestive and certainly not for the faint-hearted... The stylish period costumes are visually engaging and the final tableau resembles a beautiful Renaissance painting.
The whole play was truly fantastic. Each character was perfectly cast... this is clearly a company of an extremely high calibre with no weak links. Sometimes time in the theatre can drag on. With this piece it stood still and I did not want it to end.
It was very entertaining and [the] whole show was very professional, not only the excellent actors but the sound and lights were superb. There were a few moments when the set was reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera, all those candles, fantastic.
Download the show programme.
