RSC Friends

Trevor Nunn’s production is a wickedly funny satire on the gullibility and venality of human nature. Henry Goodman’s eponymous fox delights the audience with his impersonations and disguises that expose the greed of his would be heirs ably assisted by Mosca, his (mostly) faithful manservant.

The play resonates well with our modern day fascination with the vastly wealthy and the excesses of the celebrity lifestyle. This production has great fun pointing up these similarities. There are jokes about the euro, a self publicising media obsessed Lady Politic Would Be, a Conchita look alike and the sinister Mosca in his Chairman Mao suit. Meanwhile,high above the stage a neon ticker tape alternately monitors Volpone’s blood pressure and the health of the financial markets.

Alongside the knock about humour there is a darker more unsettling theme being woven through the fabric of the play. Volpone delights in encouraging the corruption of the moral order that stems from society’s obsessive pursuit of money. We see this played out in Corvino’s willingness to prostitute his wife in exchange for an inheritance and Mosca’s cold betrayal of his master.

Volpone is a triumph which brought the audience to its feet with resounding applause. Personally I am looking forward to hearing Henry Goodman talking about the creation of this production when he gives a Q&A session at Holy Trinity Church Hall on 7th August. I would urge you to get tickets for the play and the talk.