York Theatre Royal – until Saturday 31 July 2021
Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
4****
Ralph Fiennes is a seasoned British actor, a name most of us know from his cinematic roles. I got the opportunity to see him perform in person, at the York Theatre Royal with Four Quartets. An adaptation of T.S. Elliot’s work, which he created during World War Two, with themes of existentialism and time. The performance lasts for around an hour and twenty minutes.
Fiennes was incredible to watch, the dedication to both the written material and the performance itself was inspiring. He was the only performer onstage and had so much text to get through, so he certainly had such a burden to carry. While his performance was outstanding and I can’t find any fault in it, the material is a different story. Whilst Elliot is a renowned and popular poet, the whole performance seemed to be really heavy and hard to take in.
The stage itself was fairly simple, with a table, two chairs and two giant blocks which could spin, it did give a lot more focus on Fiennes and the text itself, which is what the performance is about. I should note that I’m using performance rather than play for this show as it was poetry being performed, rather than a play about poetry.
I do have some conflict in this show, as I’ve said that Fiennes is an amazing performer and it’s certainly something to witness. But I would say you’d have to be over 18 just to understand some of the performance, though it is technically suitable for all ages. If you want to see an amazing performance and learn what it means to be a great actor, then I would suggest this in a heartbeat. A fantastic opportunity to see a stellar, world renowned craftsman in action. It will be at the York Theatre Royal until July 31st