It seems 2024 is the year The Tardis has landed in London’s West End with generations of different Doctor’s taking to the London Stage, with Matt Smith, David Tennent and soon the current incarnation of the Doctor Ncuti Gatwa gearing up to star in The Importance of Being Ernest. But The Duchess (of Malfi) is fronted by the first female Timelord in history – Jodie Whittaker. Who is making her return to the stage for the first time in over a decade and to headline one the most talked about plays at the moment is a big dive back into London’s West End scene.

Harris’s interpretation of The Duchess of Malfi shifts John Webster’s Jacobean tragedy from the 1600s to 1950’s resulting in a more contemporary production of Webster’s classic tale which focuses on a recently widowed Duchess and her ‘traditional’ family. She ends up defying her family by remarrying beneath her class, which enrages her brothers, who believes she will bring shame onto their family name and seek to punish her. Which will be the start of their downfall!

Sadly, this re-imagined adaptation of The Duchess (of Malfi) makes a lot of powerful points, but its haughty production did not covey the theme’s well. The intersections of wealth and gender roles are the main theme within The Duchess. However, it is overcome with its brutalist treatment of women; each female character we are introduced to ends up a victim.

This production is full of corny, overzealous characterisation’s and acting which at times felt very pantomime-esque. However, Joel Fry, sublime portrayal of Antonio felt grounded and real unlike a few of his counterparts. I looked forward to his scenes and after growing up watching Fry in predominantly comedic roles his turn as Antonio showcased his versatility as an actor. He did not disappoint the Pleb fan within me.

Another strong portrayal from Jude Owusu as Bosola felt like a homage to the original text. He portrayed Bosola’s exasperation and determination to do what he believes is the right thing astonishingly. His depiction of Bosola’s tormented mind was a standout moment: he states, “I must do all the ill man can invent”. This highlights how he is torn between his duty to Ferdinand, and what he believes is right – helping the Duchess. Owusu’s emotional connection to the text and gorgeous turn as Bosola resulted in the most fleshed out character in the play.

Jodie Whittaker’s portrayal as The Duchess is nothing short of fantastic; who starts the play as a powerful woman, who rebels against her unruly and detestable brothers. Yet she never has the opportunity to triumph over them, which is a shame. Whittaker portrays the Duchess with grace, but her beautiful presence on stage, when she is on stage cannot save this clunky production.

Tom Piper’s staging unfortunately, falls flat and didn’t offer much more to this adaptation. The cold, empty staging was dreary and unwelcoming from the beginning. The vast stage at Trafalgar Theatre was probably too big of a stage for this production as the actors at time felt lost in the large, messy staging. As well as the striping away of scenery and props made the space feel more redundant than it being part of the story. Sadly, even partnered with Ben Ormerod’s lighting and MJ McCarthy’s sound both didn’t add much more to this production either. The lighting and sound often felt overbearing and in your face. Especially during the Duchess’s torture scene in Act 2 where Piper encloses the Duchess in a large glass box. McCarthy’s incessive use of an air siren or foghorn was unnecessary and became uncomfortable. This scene felt like a failed attempt at trying to recreate an episode of Black Mirror or You.

The biggest fault of The Duchess is even though it boasts an impressive cast and a handful of performances we’re powerful – it felt cold, empty and detached. At my performance I saw multiple instances of audience members laughing at scenes that we’re not meant to be funny – which is worrying. Sadly, this highlights the shows failure to clearly translate distressing scenes from the original text.

The Duchess (of Malfi) plays at Trafalgar Theatre until 20th December.

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