A CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED production of Shakespeare's brilliant narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece, starring Gerard Logan, in a tour-de-force solo-performance, is playing in Builth Wells next Wednesday.
Showing at the Wyeside Theatre on March 17 at 7.30pm, top Shakespearian actor Gerard Logan offers a feverish trip into the tormented minds of both victim and abuser.
The story is simple – Tarquin casts his eye on his friend’s betrothed, Lucretia. With her husband Collatine away, he plans his attack, enters Lucretia’s bedroom, rapes her then flees, overcome with remorse. Lucretia tries to come to terms with what has happened. She writes to Collatine and asks him to come back.
He returns, hears what has happened. She kills herself in his presence. He and his companions vow revenge. They seek justice. Tarquin is sent into exile and shame.
Those are the bare bones. What Shakespeare does is flesh them out with insight, scrupulously studied emotional shifts, which he clothes in exquisite poetic language of great beauty.
Gerard Logan, who was nominated for an Olivier award for his interpretation of Roderigo in the 1985/86 production of Othello, discovered the poem while working for the Royal Shakespeare Company and “immediately fell in love with it”.
“I have always loved reading poetry and used to spend a lot of time doing so while at the Royal Shakespeare Company,it was while there that I discovered The Rape of Lucrece and immediately fell in love with it.
“As soon as I read it I thought it was brilliant, I could not understand why no-one else had done anything with it. To me it was like finding a lost treasure that had lay dormant for about 450 years.
“I guess the reason why no-one else had touched it was because it was a poem and many people think you shouldn’t do that in theatre, but I just knew it would work as soon as I read it.
“The response to it has been as I expected, it has gone down an absolute bomb – It is packing out everywhere I play, not necessarily because of me though, but because of the great storyline.”
This will be the first time Gerard Logan has ever performed at the Wyeside Theatre.
“I have never played there before but I have always heard really great reviews of the place,” added Gerard
“I really hope people turn up and enjoy it as much I enjoy performing it.”
This captivating tale of Ancient Rome will be vividly brought to life by Logan at the Wyeside Theatre, Builth Wells, on March 17, at 7.30pm. Tickets for this and other events can be booked by calling the box office on 01982 2555.